Layla has some "bug bites" around her neck.. Possi

[mikebdub]

First.. I had to change from my old name as it just was not fitting anymore.. I am gettin old

I was playing with Layla today when I felt a bump on her neck. She is of course a kitten so its rare for her to sit still for any period of time let alone long enough for me to do a further inspection. After I finally got her to sit still I found that she has a handful of "bug bites" on and around her neck. I have not been able to find any fleas or flea "dirt" on her but this is what I am guessing is wrong. She is not on any meds for fleas and the only monthly meds I keep her on being indoor only is for heartworm. Our Sheltie Cali is of course a in/outside pup and is on the same monthly meds for heartworm and also gets for Advantix for fleas. She shows no signs of any bites or scratching nor do Kim or I. Nothing has changed environment wise here except for Xmas. We had a fake tree up which was packed up in our attic since last year so I doubt that had anything to do with it. My Mother had her 2 doxy's over for new years and that was the first time Layla ever met them and there were some tense times but no biting scratching or anything like that. Her pups are on the same meds as Cali and show no signs so I don't think they have anything to do with it unless it can maybe be stress related? I will be calling the Vet in the morning but I just had Cali in for her yearly boosters and it took quite a while to get an appointment as everyone else in the world is doing the same so I am not sure how long it will take before I can get her in. I don't think it is any type of emergency as Layla really is showing no interest in them at all except a occasional itchy spot. She is not by any means digging or going crazy at the spots so that is what has me wondering what I should do. It obviously shows a bit of discomfort (maybe?) while I am probing around but I think it is more that she hates being held in one spot while I am poking and prodding trying to pinpoint an area. I don't think she is any type of pain or anything like that.

Ideas on what I should do? Or if I should have her on flea meds year round like Cali even though she is a indoor only kitty? Also is it possible for this to in fact be a flea problem when there are no signs as far as I can tell on her and no bites to anyone else in the house? I do live in a fairly large community with a lot of other animals and I am sure that some of them are not treated.. Of course they don't come in my house, but I am aware that it is possible for a stray to make it into the house.. Ideas?!?!

Sorry for the long post.. hopefully it all makes sense as its been a long night at work.. I will be in contact with our vet hopefully in a few hours but I will be checking back here to see what everyone thinks. Thanks in advance!!!

[k9Karen]

Hi Mike - glad to know the term "drunk" is no longer applicable - contrats on growing up. Getting old definitely has it's ups and downs (and I personally think there are more "downs" than "ups" that come with aging). I'll start out by saying I'm definitely not a cat expert, but does Layla wear a collar? I had a rescue who came to me with a leather collar, and she developed a rash under that collar. I bathed her, treated the area with cortisone cream, and replaced the collar with one that wasn't leather (figured the chemicals used to tan the leather might be the problem) - her rash cleared up. Just a thought, especially if the collar got wet somehow

[drunkmike]

No collar. She absolutely refuses and always finds a way to get it off so we just had her microchipped instead.

[mikebdub]

Whoops I definitely forgot to log out of my old account. Sorry about that!

[Traci]

Hey Mike,

Just so you know, the dogs, (any dog, even yourself), can track in fleas without you knowing about it, and fleas can enter open doors, windows, screens etc. So, they could have entered the house in various ways.

Do you know how to do the flea test? This is when you take a flea comb, comb through the pets' fur, tap the comb onto a white paper towel, then drops a few drops of water on it and see if the "dirt" turns red. If the dirt turns red, there's a likelihood it is flea dirt. Even a clean men's comb, one with many tines in it, can be used. In that event, you should have your vet check her for signs of fleas and have him treat her with advantage or frontline (both specific types for cats only). The problem is with evidence of fleas, you might want to consider treating her monthly during flea season (depending on where you live - the south is nearly year-round, the north is seasonal). Hopefully not, and hopefully it isn't fleas but you have to be certain.

Other than fleas, it could be some type of mite. Your vet can comb the fur or take a fur or skin scrape sample (painless procedure), to check for certain. There is also the possibility of ringworm, although Layla would have had to have been exposed to a clearly infected pet with ringworm.

It could also be a developing allergy, whether to her food or something in the environment (think anything at floor level like floor cleaners, powders, etc).

If the areas seem to be "scabbed" over, as if they were healing, then it may be safe to say getting an appointment even if you have to wait to that day, wouldn't be harmful - but as usual, only the vet can determine why the scabs or bumps are coming from.

Can you remind me of her age? Sometimes, kittens less than 5 or 6 months of age, develop lumps at the site of their lymph nodes - oftentimes it is a lymph node reaction to teething (new adult permanent teeth coming in). The lymph nodes that are most obvious when they enlarge due to reaction or allergic reaction or infection are located just under the jaw, where they meet the skin of the neck, on both sides of her neck. One or both may be enlarged. Checking the lymph nodes are ALWAYS part of a regular exam anyway, so your vet will include that when you take Layla in to determine what the lump and scabs are.

The best advice is getting her seen right away, to determine exactly what they are from, and to treat ASAP to prevent open sores or infections, ruling out food allergy, flea allergy, etc. So call your vet ASAP and get the appointment, you can describe for the vet what these areas look like etc and they will schedule you accordingly.

[mikebdub]

Traci, thank you for your help

Layla has an appointment tomorrow (Saturday) morning to see the doc. Unfortunately I have to work, but I left Kim with a nice long list of things to ask about . I also sent a can of the food we have been feeding just for good measure. Not sure exactly what he can do with it, but it doesn't hurt to have right? As far as her "bumps" I have been keeping a close eye on them and they all are in fact scabbed and she is not showing too much interest in them so they must not be itchy any more. I was not aware of the "flea" test but I did extensively use a flea comb on her from head to tail and did not find any fleas or "dirt". Of course I have never dealt with a flea problem so I am not sure I didn't miss them all together.

As far as her age, she is approx 11 months old. The humane society did not have a actual date or birth so it's a rough guess. I am pretty sure it has nothing to do with her lymph nodes though. They are just like mosquito bites that have been itched too much. I would estimate between 8-10 around the "back" of her neck in a few different spots.

I will definitely have to keep an eye on things as there are quite a few strays that seem to come and go around the neighborhood. Our dog Cali is treated year round for fleas/tics since she is a long haired dog and its that much harder to find critters on her . I asked the vet that if it was in fact fleas how come we don't have any bites on us and he said that basically as long as they are happy or Layla.. there is no reason for them to feed on us so its not unheard of to happen like this.

It also has been unseasonably warm here in MD so he also mentioned that even though it is "winter" its not unheard of for this to be happening now. It was almost 60 degrees yesterday afternoon and right now it is 26.. Crazy weather to say the least! Hopefully all is well tomorrow at her visit. I will keep everyone updated on what happens. Thanks again for your help!

[k9Karen]

RE the ringworm. The typical dermatophytes (usually Microsporum canis in cats) that cause the fungal infection ringworm are usually passed animal-to-animal, or even human-to-animal, but other non-dermatophyte fungi can cause similar types of skin infections So, even if she hasn't been around another animal with ringworm, it could still be fungal in nature. As Traci mentioned, a skin scraping is a good start and should show any fungi if that's the problem.

[Traci]

Karen, also animal to human, and human to human. Typically, a wood's lamp is used in combination with a culture to diagnose ringworm.

Mike, if the vet doesn't find evidence of fleas, I'd try to avoid treating with a flea product if possible, if you have been pretty lucky so far, it would be better for Layla not to have to start a flea treatment program. Not that I am opposed to flea prevention, it's just preferable when the least amount of any product is applied topically to our pets.

It could however, still be some type of mite, which you truly want ruled out. Otherwise, I'd start ruling out a possible food allergy.

Just another rule-out, is anything about her environment stressing her or making her nervous lately? I ask because sometimes, stress or nervousness can cause a cat to scratch and cause scabby areas like you describe. If she's not stressed or anything, defer to your vet for a skin scrape or fur combing, ruling out flea allergy, food allergy, mites, etc. Be prepared a culture might be discussed as well but hopefully it won't be necessary.

Please update us when you know more, k? I'm thrilled to hear you were able to get her in tomorrow!

[k9Karen]

Karen, also animal to human, and human to human. Typically, a wood's lamp is used in combination with a culture to diagnose ringworm.

I know, I was hoping to explain to Mike how Layla could have gotten it. A wood's lamp is a good tool, but not all fungi will fluoresce, so, it's not perfect. A properly done skin scraping (especially if treated with 10% KOH) should show any fungi or yeasts that would suggest a cause of the problem. And, as a microbiologist, I would definitely agree that the culture should give the definitive answer. Personally, I would recommend both a bacterial and a fungal culture. Possible bacterial culprets include Streptococcus and Staphylococcus, among others, and the list of potential fungal pathogens is way to long to list.

[mikebdub]

Well all went pretty good I guess. The vet found no fleas but did find some flea dirt. She thinks that more than likely it came in on one of us or Cali and lived long enough to bite Layla but since Cali was recently given her flea/tic meds it didn't last long. She said that Layla is going to be more than likely highly allergic to flea bites so its going to take a bit of trial and error to make sure. She put her on Advantage for the time being and wants to see her back in a few weeks for a recheck. The few bumps that she has left are healing and she is not bothering them at all anymore. Hopefully this is the case and it doesn't turn out to be some sort of allergy. Nothing has changed with her so the doc thinks we should be OK. I think I just worry too much but its better safe than sorry right? Thanks again everyone and I will keep everyone updated!