Expert: Dr. Louis N. Gotthelf - 12/22/2006

Question
My cat started losing hair on the back of her legs, and had some sore spots.  The hair loss is increasing, extending to her back and sides by her tail.  She also has some sores on her back by her shoulders.  I had another cat with the exact same problem.  I took that one to the vet, who said it was an allergic reaction to flea bites. I thought that was strange since the cat was about 7 years old and had never had any problems before, but I treated it for fleas anyway. I don't know if that treatment was going to be successful because that cat unfortunately died from totally unrelated causes (car).

How common are flea allergies in cats?  I've had cats for thirty years and never had one with this problem before.  Now in the last three years I've had two.  And these two cats were not related.  I have two other kittens and would hate to see them develop the same problem.  Is there anyway to tell whether or not this problem is from an allergic reaction to fleas or something else?  I know of one woman who took a cat to the vet and had the cat misdiagnosed with a flea allergy when it was something else.

Anything you could tell me would be greatly appreciated.

Answer
In my area, flea allergy in cats is extremely common.  But so are other types of allergies that will show up on the skin the same way.  Ask your vet to check your cat for ringworm fungi and to possibly give the cat a shot of DepoMedrol to see if that will help relieve the itching, which is causing her to chew her hair out.