My cat has fleas, bald spots, and is losing weight. What's wrong?

Unfortunately fleas only hop on the body of your dog when they want to feed, then they hop off again and stay in Marley's environment. So you need to treat Marley as well as the environment (which contains the fleas, their eggs and larvae). First you will have to make sure that Marley indeed has fleas. You need to look through his fur, and hopefully find live fleas or at least a lot of flea poo, which looks like little black specs, Fleas can cause weight loss as well as loss of fur, however there are also other causes for that, and if you do not find fleas, then you should take him to your vet for a skin exam. Flea treatment: 1) Get some flea medication such as a Flea spray or a spot on from a pet shop or your veterinarian and apply monthly 2) get flea powder, put some in your vacuum cleaner bag and vacuum your house and furniture and also non-carpeted areas frequently to remove flea larvae and eggs which live off house dust., Dispose of the bag in the trash outside. Hot-wash all the pet's bedding, If you do this diligently for a few months you will get rid of the fleas. Flea products: Spot-ons: Advantage, Advantix Advantage Multi (Advocate in the UK) Frontline (ticks as well) Bravecto spot on (ticks as well) - for cats, in tablet form for dogs Revolution (stronghold in the UK) Tablets: comfortis (will only kill fleas once) Collar: Seresto (ticks as well) House spray: Indoorex

Not all flea medications are equal. I find that fipronil/Frontline products don't work very well. I would recommend that you talk to your vet about a prescription product like Bravecto or Revolution, or try a Seresto collar. Fighting cat fleas is tough, and even with excellent products, it may take 3 or more months to get rid of the fleas due to their life cycle and new fleas hatching. See the articles below. That being said, overgrooming (hair loss) and black skin (caused by chronic inflammation) can be caused by many things. Food allergies are possible, but Rengar is more likely to be allergic to chicken or beef than grains. Anxiety or pain are other possible causes. It would be a good idea to discuss this with your vet. https://www.petcoach.co/article/5-tips-to-get-rid-of-fleas/ https://www.petcoach.co/article/the-best-flea-prevention-plan-for-your-cat/ https://www.petcoach.co/article/excessive-grooming-in-cats-what-it-means-and-how-to-help/

Hello. I am so sorry for your poor Cheeto, his skin looks horrible. I think he would really benefit from antibiotics & treatment for a pretty significant flea bite dermatitis. Your veterinarian is the best person to help Cheeto before he deteriorates further. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

[Allergies](https://www.petcoach.co/cat/condition/feline-allergies/) are the most common cause of hair loss and [excessive grooming in cats](https://www.petcoach.co/article/excessive-grooming-in-cats-what-it-means-and-how-to-help), but there are several other medical causes as well - including [fleas](https://www.petcoach.co/article/5-tips-to-get-rid-of-fleas/), bacterial or fungal infections, or skin mites. I would definitely start your cat on a good monthly spot-on product such as [Advantage II](https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/cat/cat-flea-and-tick/cat-flea-and-tick-drops/advantage-ii-once-a-month-cat-and-kitten-topical-flea-treatment-over-9-lbs) to make sure fleas are not the problem - you can get this over the counter at many pet stores. If this doesn't resolve the problem, you will need to have your cat examined by a vet - he/she can do some testing if needed to diagnose the problem and get your kitty the appropriate prescription medications to treat it. Behavioral causes, such as stress or anxiety, can also lead to overgrooming. [Calming supplements](https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/category/cat/cat-training/cat-training-calming-aids/calming-cat-supplements) or [pheromone products](https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/brand/feliway) can be found at the lcocal Petco. If these do not improve the condition, your veterinarian may recommend prescription strength remedies.

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! George's itching can be caused by a reaction to the fleas, a secondary skin infection, ringworm, or other skin parasites such as mites. George may need antibiotics, medicated shampoo or ointments to resolve the issue completely. I recommend having her seen by her vet, who can take a sample of the affected areas to determine what is going on. I hope this helps and that all is well with you and George!

Fleas cannot be the cause for the breathing and other general symptoms, the scabs over the neck could be caused by the fleas. unfortunately this is not all, he seems to be suffering from an infection that is causing those symptoms, you will need to take him to the vet ASAP in order to get it checked and treated.

This sounds like a reaction to fleas or some other allergen. Fleas are the most likely. Fleas don't live on the animals so make sure you treat your house and yard for fleas as well. Make sure you have them both on a high quality flea preventative like frontline plus or comfortis or cheristan. The over the counter flea preventative like hartz don't usually work and can cause bad reactions. Finally, since you are seeing scabs and swollen bald areas, they likely have secondary bacterial infection. I would have your vet do an exam. They will be able to determine if they need an antibiotics or even an injection to help with the itching. I hope this helps.