We have been plagued by a mysterious health scare, and the solution is like the plot twist in a good thriller. It all started a few weeks ago with Target losing some tail fur.
My first thought was that he’d been in a fight. Most of his quarrels are confined to exchanging insults with Charlie, the cat who lives across the street. However, when the claws do come out, they pull tufts of fur out of each other’s coats.
There had been no caterwauling though, and when I checked him over anxiously, there were no scratches or other injuries.
The next worry was that he had fleas. In some cats, an allergy to flea bites causes Flea Allergy Dermatitis (FAD), a hypersensitivity that affects the skin and leads to bald patches.
Much to their disgust, all our kitties are treated for flea prevention. Still, no method is foolproof, so I checked over Target’s fur carefully. He was totally clean.
I looked in his ears, in case he had some kind of mite. Zip. Then I went to the cat litter tray and raked through it, checking for worms. I also peered at his bottom, an indignity that really rankled. Zilch.
I offered treats as compensation for the invasive prodding and watched him closely for a day. Our boy was playful, cheerful, eating well, not biting, itching, scratching or getting into barnies with Charlie or Swooner. His playfights with Tic Tac are so gentle, they could not be the issue.
With concern, I noted his age. As you may know from our social media, Target’s 13th Gotcha Day was two weeks ago, so he’s quite a senior kitty. I worried that the missing fur might be a sign of some dread geriatric kitty issue.
When the bald patch began to spread up his bum, I hauled out the carrier and rang the vet.
Target loathes going to the doctor, and so he sang protest opera all the way. With all the SOPs, we got there on the dot and went straight in, but my fluff wasn’t impressed: I had to dig into the carrier and pull him out.
We have a great vet and thankfully, the visit was thorough and painless. Target’s personal physician combed through his fur to look for bugs, checked his ears, used a purple light to check for fungus, and asked a lot of questions.
By the end of it, he suggested that some older cats have hormone issues, but Target wasn’t showing any other symptoms, so it was unlikely. Also, while cats can develop allergies, it didn’t seem likely, considering his overall health.
He asked how Target was getting along with Tic Tac and Swooner, in case our old boy was stressed in some way. Or whether we had new cats in the street, who might be stressing him, causing nervous hair fallout or him biting himself. But we came up blank.
Then, suspecting a contact issue, he wondered if we had any new cushions, or perhaps had washed his throws with new soap. We did have a new cushion, so the second we got home, I washed it. Apart from that, the advice was to watch and wait.
We waited and watched, but Target seemed fine. He was totally unstressed. In fact, he was enjoying the cold snap and snuggling more than usual.
Reaching for wild and unusual, I wondered if it was pure nerves, if somehow the strain from the pandemic affecting us humans was transmitting to the cats. It didn’t seem likely, except that I wasn’t quite my usual self. My face felt rough and so did my neck.
Putting dry and rough skin down to stress, I loaded up with moisturiser. It didn’t help. In fact, it got worse. I noticed strange red patches.
Concerned, I went to see our family doctor. She didn’t put me under a purple light but it was pretty much the same conversation as we’d had at the vet, including, “Are you using any new products?” As I use common brands and have been for decades, that was a no. Still, the doctor said it was a reaction and to consider my skincare products.
I called my mum straightway. She developed allergies when she was my age, and it seemed likely I was following in her footsteps. We had a mutual moan and it tickled me when she apologised for it.
But my mum also came up with a good suggestion: if I wasn’t using any new products, had I bought any new bottles? If I had, had they changed the formula? Or had there been news of a bad product batch? My mind went straight to my moisturiser. It was a new bottle.
To confirm, I spread some on part of my face. A half hour later, it was ever so slightly redder than the other half. I binned the bottle and haven’t looked back.
But here’s the kicker: the day I chucked out my moisturiser, Target’s bum hair began to grow back.
At first I thought I was imagining it. However, all the bare skin is covered and his guard hairs are growing back. It’s 100% certain that our pet is on the mend.
Thinking it through, my moisturiser was to blame. You see, when we go to bed at night, Target sleeps on my pillow. He sticks his paws in my hair, and I curve an arm around him. And I put moisturiser on my arms as well as my face.
I don’t think me and my kitty have developed allergies at the same time; it’s more likely we had a bottle that was faulty, perhaps it was stored badly or was part of a bad batch.
Whatever it was, it’s good news all round. I’m back to my usual self and Target is back to handsome.
Most of us are happy to pet a cat’s soft fur and be happy. However, experts talk about cat coats in terms of down hair, awn hair and guard hair.
The down hair is a super soft undercoat. It works to insulate your pet from heat loss when in cold weather.
Awn hair lies on top of this, protecting the soft undercoat and providing more insulation.
Finally, there is guard hair, the long hair that makes up the outer coat. It insulates your pet against the wet.
Target is a kuching kampung, with a typical domestic shorthair style coat. He has an undercoat made up of down and awn hair, covered by guard hair.
However, not all cats have all these different hairs. For example, the Javanese cat that comes from our tropical part of the planet, doesn’t have a layer of down hair.
Similarly, oriental breeds like the Siamese tend to have very light undercoats, so they feel smoother. Presumably, they have evolved this way as it’s not likely to be super cold.
On the other end of the scale are the long-haired breeds like Persians and Ragdolls. They have super long hair that needs daily brushing as it tangles when not maintained with a bit of help.
Other unusual cats like the Sphinx have super thin very short hair that makes them appear hairless, whereas the Devon Rex has a genetic mutation that gives it a unique curly coat.
Whatever kind of coat your pet has, a healthy pet has clean fur that’s soft to the touch and the skin underneath should be soft and smooth. Just like human hair and skin!
Tink is three months old, male and he’s had his first vaccination. This boy has a big personality with a loving nature. Tink loves to play ball and looks at you with beautiful big eyes. He’s a classy boy who was rescued from Petronas Twin Towers. Interested adopters please contact Sherrina in Petaling Jaya (tel: 012-202 6384).
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