Your indoor cat is suddenly losing fur and itching nonstop… but you don’t see fleas. What’s going on?
Meet Ozzy, a 3-year-old cat who came to us with exactly this problem.
Patient: Ozzy the 3 -year- old neutered male domestic short haired cat.
Presenting problem: Ozzy is itchy and missing fur
History: Ozzy came into the hospital on March 31 for itching for the past two weeks. He’s been itching so much that he’s losing fur over his rump and the back of his rear legs. He’s pretty miserable and now he’s thrown up with a clump of fur in it recently. His skin also has some scabs.
Ozzy has had all of his shots and doesn’t go outside. He does have a housemate who is a dog who is a little more itchy than usual but no hair loss like Ozzy.
Neither of them is on any medication.
Ozzy eats Royal Canin adult cat food both canned and kibble.
Physical exam: Ozzy’s gum color looks great, his heart sounds great. He is not painful in his belly on exam. He has short fur over his rump and back of his thighs with some scabs. When we use a flea comb we don’t see any flea but he starts to lick like he’s really itchy. The lymph nodes behind his knees (stifles) are a little more noticeable than expected.
What’s your diagnosis?
A. Ozzy’s just licking for attention
B. Ozzy’s stressed and licking to self sooth
C. Ozzy has fleas
D. Ozzy has an allergy
E. Option C and D
F. Option A and B
The Answer
Ozzy’s doctor started both pets on flea prevention, along with medication to control itching and treat a secondary skin infection.
Why? Ozzy’s pattern of itching, focused on the back half of his body, is highly suspicious for flea allergy dermatitis.
Correct Answer: E -- Fleas AND Allergy (Flea Allergy Dermatitis)
Even a single flea bite can trigger intense itching in sensitive cats.
Flea Allergy Dermatitis, or FAD, is a condition where the pet – dog or cat, is very allergic to flea saliva. So the fact that the physical examination didn’t show fleas doesn’t mean that Ozzy didn’t come in contact with a flea that bit him and triggered an allergic reaction to flea saliva. Cats groom aggressively, often removing and swallowing fleas before we can find them. That means we don’t always see fleas on cats that have FAD, even when we’re convinced of this allergy.
How did Ozzy get fleas – he’s an indoor cat!? Well, Ozzy’s housemate does go outside and he’s not on flea prevention. Humans also go outside into areas like our backyards where local wildlife comes through and leave behind their fleas. When we walk through these areas, fleas can hitch a ride on us when we go back indoors.
Why wasn’t Ozzy’s housemate itching more or losing fur? Some pets don’t have the same strong allergic reaction to flea saliva. In fact, when we used the flea comb on Ozzy’s friend … we found over 10 fleas!
Happily, after getting Ozzy and his friend on flea treatment and helping with the itch and infection Ozzy was suffering from, he made a full recovery. Now the plan is to consistently prevent fleas to prevent this from happening again.
Treating fleas can take up to 3 months to fully exterminate the fleas from the house and local environment with consistent treatment and prevention for all pets in the household.
Also – fleas can carry a parasite called tapeworm – so keep an eye out for those unwelcome parasites. But that’s a case for a different day.