My feral cat has neck hair loss. Can I give flea medicine in food?

I would be concerned about fleas and allergies foremost, and recommend she be on a high quality flea preventive (seresto collar, revolution topical, bravecto topical are all good, or your vet can recommend one they carry - avoid the pet store for this because there are some sold there over the counter that can actually cause seizures in cats. The seresto collar lasts 8 months, so might be a good option for handling her less, but she may also find a way to get it off). If she's already on a preventative, I'd recommend talking to her vet about testing/treatment for allergies. There are many different ways to approach this and you're going to be significantly limited by her feral status.

There are a couple different kinds of mange so in order to treat it, you need to know what kind it is. The best option would be to trap the cat and get it to the local Humane Society or your vet so they can spay/neuter the cat (mange is passed to offspring), test for mange and then they can dispense the appropriate medication. There are no over the counter treatments for mange. Trapping is stressful for them but trust me, they get over it quickly. ( https://pets.webmd.com/cats/cat-mange-scabies#1 )

Probably just flea dirt and it sounds like she actually has a flea allergy. Flea collars do not work with the exception of the Seresto Collar. One Seresto Collar works for 8 months so it is comparatively inexpensive compared to other products. I suggest you get her some better flea control. You also need to treat every pet in the household to keep them from bringing fleas in the house and you need to treat the house/yard too. I suggest these products. ( https://www.allivet.com/p-3445-seresto-for-cats.aspx ) ( https://www.allivet.com/p-1389-knockout-es-area-treatment.aspx ) ( https://www.allivet.com/p-9065-vet-kem-yard-spray-32-oz.aspx ) Here is some information on flea infestations in cats: ( https://www.petcoach.co/cat/condition/flea-infestation/ ) Hope this helps. Best wishes.

This is probably caused by an allergic reaction. first of all make sure you de-flea Ciciregularly every month with a high quality spot on (ex. Advantage) as fleas are by far the most common reason for these reactions. If the fleas are not the problem, it could be an allergic reaction to food or an environmental factor. this is more complicated to treat and will sometimes require medications such as Steroids, anti histamines or cyclosporin in order to stop the allergy. This isn't an emergency by any means.

Flicka may have allergies or some other skin condition that allows her fur to pull out or break more easily than it should. She might benefit from a diet high in omega fatty acids or a food allergy specific veterinary diet as well. The best place to start would be an exam by your vet to evaluate her skin and see if she needs diagnostics like a skin scraping or food allergy trial. Hope that helps!

If Morris is not on any sort of a flea control I strongly suspect this may be flea related. Cat skin off and have a flea allergy wear just the bite from one or two fleas will cause them to break out and scabs around the head and neck. Because cats groom so much you may not necessarily find any fleas or flea dirt on his body. If he is not on flea prevention I strongly recommend a product such as advantage board vantage multi for cats or Bravecto for cats if you have any problems with ticks in your area. It can take up to 3 to 4 months to get rid of a flea infestation by treating only the pets. If Morris is very itchy a veterinary visit for medication to help relieve some of the itching and assess for infection may be necessary while you get the fleas under control. If fleas are not a problem then other allergies can possibly cause the same type of skin lesions. I hope Morris gets some relief soon, thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Typically a flea allergy causes scabs at the base of the tail if a pet is allergic. A flea product (from a vet- not over the counter) would not hurt her, even if there isn't fleas. And even if you don't see a flea, it doesn't mean they aren't there. If it doesn't help, she may need an antibiotic if there is a skin infection. Good luck and kisses to Minxy!