My poor cat

[SHAYMARAYSMOM]

DD just noticed the cat has a sore and missing fur on the inside of front right paw.
This is high up at what would be at like the elbow area.
He seems fine and still runnig and palying. Not sure what it could be any ideas?

 

[wdwmom2]

Ringworm maybe ????????

 

[themarquis]

Use your fingers to push the area around the sore. If it is very painful or feels funny (as if there is water under the surface), there might be an abscess. This is when there is a deep pocket of infection and it is very dangerous.

If not, a pretty likely explanation is that your cat actually bit off the fur and irritated the skin himself. A lot of cats do this from time to time on their legs in particular. I have no idea why -- just a weird nervous habit like biting fingernails.

Ringworm can cause an area of hairlessness, but it would probably not be painful. It could look flakey and feel itchy to the cat, though.

 

[chyam]

I doubt very much that it is ringworm...so don't get all freaked out.....if there are other patches of hair missing in other places it could be but if it is just that one area then it is probably something that the cat itself pulled out. But make sure it is not painful to the touch. Also if your cat has not been in contact with others (say a recent shelter cat) it most likely is not ringworm, but if you have any concerns that it is, then spray the area with a athletes foot spray, until you can get him to the vet for a diagnosis, also wash your hands really well after handling the cat. Ringworm is a fungus, and it can be spread from animals to people.
My little Yogi had it last year, about 3 weeks after I adopted him. I first noticed one bald spot then another and another, the poor little guy had to be wiped down twice a day, given a bath (special shampoo) every 3 days and oral medication.

 

[Katieinwonderland]

My cat has allergies, and year round, he has weird patches of fur missing all over the place, especially on his legs where his knees or elbows would be. Right now he has a patch on his side the size of my hand that it totally bald, he just scratches himself until his fur falls out! He has a steriod cream to put on, which he eats, so we just have to put up with it, and hope he grows out of them. It might be something like that.
Or it may have just been that he had in itch and chewed the area until his fur fell out, if it's just one area he'll probably be fine and clear up.

 

[pppiglet]

Hold a blacklight up to it and if it glows supposedly it's ringworm!

 

[SHAYMARAYSMOM]

I doubt very much that it is ringworm...so don't get all freaked out.....if there are other patches of hair missing in other places it could be but if it is just that one area then it is probably something that the cat itself pulled out. But make sure it is not painful to the touch. Also if your cat has not been in contact with others (say a recent shelter cat) it most likely is not ringworm, but if you have any concerns that it is, then spray the area with a athletes foot spray, until you can get him to the vet for a diagnosis, also wash your hands really well after handling the cat. Ringworm is a fungus, and it can be spread from animals to people.
My little Yogi had it last year, about 3 weeks after I adopted him. I first noticed one bald spot then another and another, the poor little guy had to be wiped down twice a day, given a bath (special shampoo) every 3 days and oral medication.

It does not seem to be painful to the touch. But it is a spot he has never liked being touched so he pulls away.
I am going to call the vet in the morning for his yearly check up and will let them know.
He is an indoor cat and has no other animals around him.

Hold a blacklight up to it and if it glows supposedly it's ringworm!

I do not own a black light.

 

[SHAYMARAYSMOM]

My cat has allergies, and year round, he has weird patches of fur missing all over the place, especially on his legs where his knees or elbows would be. Right now he has a patch on his side the size of my hand that it totally bald, he just scratches himself until his fur falls out! He has a steriod cream to put on, which he eats, so we just have to put up with it, and hope he grows out of them. It might be something like that.
Or it may have just been that he had in itch and chewed the area until his fur fell out, if it's just one area he'll probably be fine and clear up.

DH thinks he licked off or chewed off his fur.

 

[SHAYMARAYSMOM]

I called the vets to set up his yearly visit. They have an opening for Monday.
I then told them about the sore. The said as long as he seems fine they will wait till Monday to check it.

 

[SHAYMARAYSMOM]

I just got home from the vets. He seems to think that it is a form of a rash.
So he gave me a cream to put on it twice a day. He did take a sample of it to test just to make sure it is nothing else.

 

[Pumbaa_]

I have a cat with a couple bald spots. He is an over-groomer. LIke a nail biter, he grooms himslef. He has matching balk stripes on either side of his back down near his tail. (Bald is NOT a good look for him )

 

[SHAYMARAYSMOM]

I have a cat with a couple bald spots. He is an over-groomer. LIke a nail biter, he grooms himslef. He has matching balk stripes on either side of his back down near his tail. (Bald is NOT a good look for him )

That is so sad but so funny at the same time.