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Cat Forum / Health and Behavior / February 2004Licked fur off tail
Our cat's tail has a bare streak that runs down its lower two inches. When he got up in my lap last night I saw how it was created: Before settling down to doze, he bestowed the majority of his quota of grooming licks on that precise area. He is healthy and happy...or have we missed some underlying neurosis? > Our cat's tail has a bare streak that runs down its lower two > inches. When he got up in my lap last night I saw how it was > created: Before settling down to doze, he bestowed the majority > of his quota of grooming licks on that precise area. He is healthy > and happy...or have we missed some underlying neurosis? Perhaps there's a skin irritation there? I'd say ask a vet.  SignatureDennis Carr - ke6isf@spamcop.net | I may be out of my mind, http://www.dennis.furtopia.org | But I have more fun that way. ------------------------------------+------------------------------- >Our cat's tail has a bare streak that runs down its lower two >inches. When he got up in my lap last night I saw how it was >created: Before settling down to doze, he bestowed the majority >of his quota of grooming licks on that precise area. He is healthy >and happy...or have we missed some underlying neurosis? Have a vet look at this. It can start with something like a wound or flea bites or other irritations. The cat then licks it excessively. When the problem is resolved, the cat can be in the habit of licking too much there and may continue doing it. One thing the vet might recommend is to place something that tastes bad, but is harmless on that area for a little while. That would break the habit. Again, let the vet decide this, it could be a problem. > Our cat's tail has a bare streak that runs down its lower two > inches. When he got up in my lap last night I saw how it was > created: Before settling down to doze, he bestowed the majority > of his quota of grooming licks on that precise area. He is healthy > and happy...or have we missed some underlying neurosis? Have your vet check this out as it the hair loss could be from a number of things. One of the places that ringworm shows up readily is on the extremeties like the feet, ears, and tail, so any hair loss in those regions should be seen too immediately. Ringworm is extremely contagious to other animals and your family. Or, it could be a flea allergy that would also signal potential problems for you and your family. Or, it could be another allergy. You won't know exactly how serious this is until you take the animal to the vet for an assessment. > > Our cat's tail has a bare streak that runs down its lower two > > inches. When he got up in my lap last night I saw how it was [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > allergy. You won't know exactly how serious this is until you take the > animal to the vet for an assessment. Good point about the ringworm. To the OP: Does the skin on the tail have flakey and scaley patches? If so, then it's probably ringworm, which should be treated immediately before it spreads to other pets and even to *you*. There is a test for ringworm that your vet can do. If the cat tests positive, then do *not* agree to any of the expensive treatments that the vet will recommend until you have first tried treating the condition yourself. There is a much safer and more economically viable alternative ('Program') to any of the current tratments that a vet will administer. There used to be a ringworm vaccine, but AFAIK the manufacturer stopped producing it. It didn't prevent infection, eliminate the fungus from infected cats, or completely protect cats from disease. However, the manufacturer had shown the vaccine to hasten resolution of disease in some cats. I used off-the-shelf lufenuron to successfully treat ringworm in all 4 of my cats last summer. lufenuron is found in some anti-flea anti-tick medications. However only the unique form of lufenuron found in 'Program' (made by Novartis) has been found to be effective. It is a liquid suspension packaged in squeeze vials. The following web site recommends a dosage of 40-50 mg of 'Program' per pound of body weight. It is to be fed to the cats with a fatty meal once every 2 weeks. http://www.showcatsonline.com/x/ringworm_battle_plan.htm See also http://www.ompetproducts.com/ringworm.html http://www.users.bigpond.com/drdavid/lamisil.htm http://www.vetinfo.com/cringwrm.html http://nd.essortment.com/catsandringwo_rrmg.htm http://www.thepetprofessor.com/cat-info/cat-ringworm.html http://www.pressenter.com/~dvmvis/ringworm.htm http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_ringworm.html http://www.fabcats.org/is16.html http://www.hdw-inc.com/healthringworm.htm http://www.drpetra.com/Cats/Ringworm%20in%20Cats.htm Time for a vet visit, to determine the cause as well as the cure. One thing that hasn't been mentioned in the good replies is the possibility of "stud tail" if your cat is intact. The vet has a cure for that, too. Sharon Talbert Friends of Campus Cats > Our cat's tail has a bare streak that runs down its lower two > inches. When he got up in my lap last night I saw how it was > created: Before settling down to doze, he bestowed the majority > of his quota of grooming licks on that precise area. He is healthy > and happy...or have we missed some underlying neurosis? > Time for a vet visit, to determine the cause as well as the cure. Thanks for the followups, and two e-mails...but what's all this run-to-the-vet advice? Gosh, yesterday I fell down my ice-covered front steps and got a lump on my elbow the size of a walnut, and I'm not going to a doctor... One of the e-mails had links to some cat-health Web sites, and based on what I found there I'm tentatively going with stress as the cause. Although our 7-year-old neutered male is healthy and happy, he is a little high-strung. Sharon Talbert <stalbert@u.washington.edu> wrote in message news:<Pine.A41.4.58.0402061423460.34164@homer05.u.washington.edu>... > Time for a vet visit, to determine the cause as well as the cure. Thanks for the followups, and two e-mails...but what's all this run-to-the-vet advice? Gosh, yesterday I fell down my ice-covered front steps and got a lump on my elbow the size of a walnut, and I'm not going to a doctor... One of the e-mails had links to some cat-health Web sites, and based on what I found there I'm tentatively going with stress as the cause. Although our 7-year-old neutered male is healthy and happy, he is a little high-strung. I know it sounds like people are vet happy BUT there are times when cats do weird things and it does indicate some health problem. Cats can't walk up to you and tell you where it hurts or that they feel lousy. So the possibility always exists that the behavior is their way of putting their person on notice that something is wrong. Our 8 year old cat started clawing at the rug after years of using a scratching post. He died "suddenly" of kidney failure. Was he trying to let me know he wasn't feeling well when his behavior changed? I'll never know because I wrote it off as strickly a behavior problem. You, OTOH, know how much your elbow hurts and can accurately judge whether you need to go to the doctor or not. Cats are famous for hiding pain and illness. The only clue you might get from them is a change in behavior. W >Thanks for the followups, and two e-mails...but what's all this >run-to-the-vet advice? Gosh, yesterday I fell down my [quoted text clipped - 22 lines] > >W I agree. Cats are *so good* at masking pain and illness. I have also lost a cat suddenly and the only signs he was ill were very subtle. The only times that I've done the ''wait and see" with a cat who was acting a bit off, I was always sorry and turned out with a very sick cat. Best of luck... Sherry > > Time for a vet visit, to determine the cause as well as the cure. > [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > cause. Although our 7-year-old neutered male is healthy and > happy, he is a little high-strung. If you suddenly developed a large itchy hairless spot on your head, would you just continue with your life, or would you have it looked at? The difference with your fall is that you know what happened, and you know what's wrong with you. You don't know why your cat's tail is irritated or hairless. You also have no idea what could be causing it. It could be serious. The lump on your elbow is not.
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