Cat's skin raw, hair loss from flea collar. Is it an allergy?

The safest thing to do is remove the collar and bathe her. If she is having a contact reaction removing any of the residual from the collar may help. There are some flea products that are not safe in cats so if you want to take a picture of the packaging including the ingredients in the collar and upload in a second question we can let you know more about the collar. I hope this helps and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

It is likely to be flea allergy dermatitis, so ideally the cat should also be treated for fleas with a good spot on product that is licensed for cats. The environment should be treated for fleas and eggs and larvae destroyed. Hope this helps, thank you for young Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach !

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sorry to hear about Macy. Not sure how long the Seresto flea collar has been on but it could be some local irritation from the collar. Other possibilities include a bacterial skin infection, trauma from scratching, fungal infection, mites, an internal organ problem, among many other things. If the condition worsens, persists, spreads, or is really itchy I would advise letting your vet take a look at Macy. They can get a detailed history, do a thorough exam, and then advise some tests if needed. Skin tests include skin scrape, woods lamp exam, fungal culture, skin cytology, etc. If they felt like this problem was due to an internal organ problem, they may advise some tests which could include fecal/blood/urine tests and maybe even some x-rays. Your vet can decide whether the Seresto collar is involved or not. If it is, I would report this to Bayer Animal Health or have your vet report it. Good luck with Macy.

Yes this is a reaction to the collar, likely allergic. Disinfection may be started at home with very diluted hibiscrub or betadine or salted water baths twice daily for 4 days (make sure you dry it up after disinfection). If signs persist after a week time, a check up at your local veterinarian is required. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

Cats can be very sensitive to flea collars, and I would recommend taking this one off now and allowing the skin to heal. Unfortunately, herbal remedies are not reliable in preventing fleas, so I would recommend a topical flea preventative like Frontline or Revolution. Once the skin heals, you can try a Seresto collar that lasts 8 months as it seems to have less reaction on the skin.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. From the pictures, it appears that there is "dirt" in the affected area you are referring to. This could be dry blood from a scab that was previously there or it could be what we call "flea dirt" which is dry blood from fleas. I would recommend administering a flea preventative such as Frontline and see if this helps. If the area becomes larger or multiple more areas begin to develop, I would recommend having a vet take a look at Soya so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. I would keep the collar off of her as well. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This could still be allergies that are not responding to therapy as expected. Since your veterinarian was able to actually take a look at Sophia, I would believe their diagnosis. It could be that a lack of consistent response to therapy could be that the allergic component is not yet being addressed. Her staying in the litter box is likely due to discomfort which is why re-evaluation at this point is indicated. Your veterinarian could consider referral to a veterinary dermatologist for further recommendations. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing her allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. There are many things that can cause allergies though in most cases they can be broken down into 3 big categories: flea, food and environmental allergies. Allergies are usually worked up in a stepwise fashion starting with flea allergies as this is the easiest and cheapest to take care of. If not on a flea preventative, then it would be a good idea to get started on one. If already on one then it would be a good idea to change to something else (there are many new products out in the market). If not improved in 1-3 months then it is time to move on and check for food allergies by switching to a novel diet (new protein and new carbohydrate). If that does not seem to be the issue then you are left out having to check for environmental allergies which require blood and/or skin tests. Allergies can be very frustrating to deal with at first but so rewarding at the end when we are able to treat them effectively!