# Losing fur around ears, brown spots on skin?



## HeartofClass

Okay so for the past week or two I've noticed Lena had a little less fur around her ears and eyes than usual, but I gave no notice to it as it didn't look too prominent. Today I've noticed that right above her left eye, there appear to be some brown spots on her skin. Anyone have an idea what this could be, and should I be worrying or not? I am afraid to google the symptons as then I'd probably figure out she had some sort of a rare deadly cat disease


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## Tobacat

Has she been scratching more than usual in the area which could cause marks? Do her ears look fairly clean inside, ie it's not a dried discharge from them?


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## HeartofClass

She hasn't. I see her scratching that are every now and then, but I think she always did that. Her ears seem normal, too. It's weird. Could it be spots because of the sun? (sorry, can't think of the English expression for that atm! damn need to work on my English more ) She's been staying out a lot lately and it's getting pretttty hot around here.


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## Paddypaws

Have you tried taking a warm, wet wash cloth and quite firmly cleaning the area? I know Mcwillow recently had a similar issue with her boy Rowan where he had a dark spot on his nose....and it turned out to be dirt! I used to clean all kinds of junk out of Paddy's ears and that same baldy area you show...it wasn't ear mites, just dirt!


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## Ianthi

I believe you mean freckles that people get from the sun! More likely to be induced by scratching etc judging by the photographs, which has resulted in a form of dermatitis. Are the spots raised? 

If localised it's possible something has irritated the area so I'd check it thoroughly for any foreign bodies like a thorn, for instance! If outdoor and with sudden onset, then I'm also wondering about an environmental allergy like pollen for instance, once the former has been excluded?


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## chillminx

Any of the above ^^^ or it could possibly be some kind of fungal infection -- I would get the vet to have a look at it if I were you.


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## HeartofClass

Ah yes, freckles! Well it's certainly not dirt, I've eliminated that. The spots aren't raised, they're just these dark markings on her skin. And believe it or not - I just found a tiny, tiny tick right under that area (just above the eye). I've removed it now - could it have something to do with that?

Lena has also had cat acne in the past (under her chin), which I succesfully treated with Plivasept, and those seemed to reappear recently a bit on one cheek, just a little, around the area where her whiskers grow out - the other side of the face where these spots have appeared. When she had acne we didn't really find out the ultimate cause, so... Could it be some kind of an allergy causing the acne and these spots now? But I wonder what kind of an allergy it could be, if it is, as then it'd have to be something that she's been exposed to about 5 months ago and now. Interestly enough, the time when Lena had acne is when I first joined this forum to look for advice - http://www.petforums.co.uk/cat-chat/23162-mange.html  looking at this old thread, I'm noticing she had red markings on the same spot at that time, I've completely forgot about that - I think I spent more attention to the black acne on her chin then! They must've gone away with her acne, as she had nice and clear skin ever since, until now. This poor girl! Always something - first there was mange (at the rescue lady), then cat acne, then I posted about a huge scratch on her face she came home with, then inflamed gums (which I've been meaning to post about), and now this. And the other two cats - nothing! She must be a really sensitive little thing


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## Treaclesmum

Could she have fleas? It may be their dirt or where they're biting her? :confused1:


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## gladysp200

Has she been scratching more than usual in the area which could cause marks?


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## HeartofClass

It's not fleas - I assume all three of my furry babies would have them then. And the scratching, she's not doing it any more than usual I think. Think I'll be phoning the vet and see if they advise me to bring her in.


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## Treaclesmum

HeartofClass said:


> It's not fleas - I assume all three of my furry babies would have them then. And the scratching, she's not doing it any more than usual I think. Think I'll be phoning the vet and see if they advise me to bring her in.


Some cats are more prone to fleas than others, so it still could be. Some can get a flea allergy which can be severe. My friend has 4 cats and always uses spot-on flea treatments, but just one of them, Giggsy her ginger one, always gets fleas again as soon as he goes out!


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## Ianthi

If you found a tick ( foreign body ) then I would be fairly confident you've found the cause of the scratching. Regarding the spots-are you sure these aren't just normal pigmentation spots you'd not noticed before until your attention was drawn to the area, owing to the current problem? If there no inflammation or redness or crusting normally, then this could just be the case here!


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## SirensCry

Hello HoC, 

I wonder, did you ever find the solution to this question? I notice this was posted 18 months ago, so I'm hoping that the outcome was okay - one of my 11month old kittens has exactly the same thing, and although I'm a very experienced cat owner, I have no idea what this is.

Jean.


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## HeartofClass

Hi - nope, I haven't, it turned out it was just the sun causing these spots. She gets them more in the summer time when she's spending more time outside. It's harmless


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## gify103

This was what I hoped for an answer, I've tried to keep her in during the heat and sun but she's still gained those markings. Are they like a sun tan? I was worried it was a burn or reaction to some plants but they don't look sore at all.

She wasn't very keen on me trying to wash them off with a damp sponge. :Shifty


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## chillminx

gify103 said:


> This was what I hoped for an answer, I've tried to keep her in during the heat and sun but she's still gained those markings. Are they like a sun tan? I was worried it was a burn or reaction to some plants but they don't look sore at all.
> She wasn't very keen on me trying to wash them off with a damp sponge. :Shifty


I can't actually see the marks in your photo. Do they look like large brown freckles or are they scabby?

If a cat spends a lot of time outdoors in the sun, or lying on a window sill indoors that gets a lot of sun, the ultraviolet radiation of the sun damages the cat's DNA, and its cells begin dividing and multiplying. Tumours can result from solar exposure and occur more commonly in white cats. But Squamous Cell Carcinoma can also affect dark-coated cats on areas of the face where there's not enough hair to protect the skin against the sun's rays. e,g, the area below the ears, or the tips of the ears or the nose leather.

Sun damage is not like a sun tan, it is more like 'sun burn' damage to the skin. It is best to get anything like this checked by the vet as soon as you can. If it were to be Squamous Cell Carcinoma it can be treated successfully if done as soon as possible after it's been noticed.

Hopefully it is not that anyway and they are just harmless marks on the skin, but I do recommend you get them checked.....just to put your mind at rest.


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## Liz555

My cat has a similar issue. But I'm worried that his brown spots are melanoma (skin cancer). He does sit in the windowsill every morning. Does anyone know how to visually differentiate between melanoma and sun/age spots?? Much appreciation!
I trimmed the hair in front of his ear determined to see what was going on. He has brown spots in front of both ears, but this side is the worst. He scratched this side bloody.
He's also been scratching. If it was an ear infection, wouldn't he be scratching his ear, not the space above his eye? The first time he scratched them (the brown spots) bloody like this a few months ago I treated him for ticks and ear mites. No effect.




  








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## OrientalSlave

Liz555 said:


> My cat has a similar issue. But I'm worried that his brown spots are melanoma (skin cancer). He does sit in the windowsill every morning. Does anyone know how to visually differentiate between melanoma and sun/age spots?? Much appreciation!
> I trimmed the hair in front of his ear determined to see what was going on. He has brown spots in front of both ears, but this side is the worst. He scratched this side bloody.
> He's also been scratching. If it was an ear infection, wouldn't he be scratching his ear, not the space above his eye? The first time he scratched them (the brown spots) bloody like this a few months ago I treated him for ticks and ear mites. No effect.
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I think a visit to your vet is called for


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## buffie

I cant access your photos but as @OrientalSlave says you need to make an appointment with your vet to have this looked at .


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## Liz555

buffie said:


> I cant access your photos but as @OrientalSlave says you need to make an appointment with your vet to have this looked at .


I needed to edit the album privacy, I didn't know that, you should be able to see the photos now. Thanks!
I did go to the vet, it was all very unhelpful. Vet basically said that it takes a trained skin doctor to differentiate between the two, but personally he thinks it's fine. He did not sound sure at all, and I was not convinced.


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## OrientalSlave

You could ask for a referral to a specialist, though it will cost.


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## buffie

Having had a cat with squamous cell carcinoma on his ear tips (a semi feral stray) that doesn't look like the same sort of thing as his were raised and scabby , that said I'm no vet so I really don't know.
If that reddish patch is where he has been scratching then something is bothering him. Are his ears okay?


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## Liz555

Thanks for all the replies. 
I've asked 2 more vets now, so 3 vets total. They've all said that they think it's just age spots, but only a biopsy can tell for certain. My cat got an ear swab and the vet said he had a very slight bacterial infection, and that could be why he scratched until he bled. (Although I'm not sure why he scratched in front of his ear/above his eye, not the ears themselves if it was an ear infection). But anyways, he was on 10 days of ear drops. I haven't seen him scratch his ears again. I'll share here if anything new comes up. 
Thanks again for all the replies!


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## Liz555

*Update/Follow-On (to help anyone with a similar issue):*
My cat stopped scratching his ears after the bout in Feb 2021, but I never found out what the issue was.
However, 1 or 2 weeks ago I saw him with bloody/scabby spots in front of his right ear, above his eye. Exactly the same as before.
I will post pictures below.

*Background Info: *
13-year-old cat who has been scratching at his right ear, causing scabs and redness in front of his ear, and some hair loss on the back of his right ear. He has been treated for fleas and ticks and is still itchy. He had the same issue about 4 months ago (Feb 2021), as well as other times before. He has Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and is on prednisolone every other day, fortiflora probiotic powder, and GI Biome prescription diet food.

*The specifics:*
His other ear, the left one, looks totally fine. ALSO, no brown spots! If I had not posted pics here last Feb I would not have realized this (that the brown spots, which the vet told me were age spots, are now gone.) Hmm.....

I'm back to the drawing board trying to diagnose his ear issues myself. Vets didn't know. So it's not worth it for me to pay to go back (a fourth time).

Last week I put flea & tick medicine on his ears. A week later and he is still scratching and bleeding.

Now I'm thinking maybe he has allergies.

I chatted with a Vet on the Chewy website today (it was free since I'm on auto-ship with them) and I shared my latest hypothesis about allergies. She recommended doing an ear clean. So I just now did that, with a pet ear cleaning solution I already had.

I found one dried-up flea on his generally-unaffected ear; his left. (I *think* it was a flea.) Seems like it was not bothering him though. And his affected right ear had so many little scab-crumbles it was hard to tell if any were bugs, but I don't think so. Unless they are microscopic, like ear mites, but idk... (see pics if you want to look too).

Here is my vet consult summary (from the chat support convo with the Chewy Vet): "The most common cause of ear issues in cats would be ear mites. If he has been treated for this - he may have an underlying allergy or infection. We discussed trying the ear cleaner below to use daily in his ears to see if that helps his itch levels. If the cleaner is not helping - then I'd recommend a visit with his veterinarian to have his skin and ears assessed for an infection. He may have a bacterial or yeast infection in his ears which requires prescription medicated drops or even antibiotics and other medications. The prednisolone he is on can help with itching. So if he continues to itch despite that and the cleaner - your veterinarian may recommend adjusting his dosage."

I'll keep this thread updated as I continue to sort this out. Hopefully, my journal of it helps others whose cat may be having the same problem! (And help my future-self!)

The below pics were taken after I cleaned (scrubbed) them with an ear-cleaning solution on a cotton ball.

His right ear (most affected):



















































His left ear (generally unaffected):


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## Nealh

Irritation likely flea or earmite.
Mr Tom had an exact similar issue earlier in the new year, slightly balding area near the ear opening, redness and scratching. His ears were generally clean though a mix mucky with wax further down. I washed them out with a proprietry cat ear cleaner and applied some mite oil treatment to the ears to help also soften any wax, however he still suffered irritation for another couple of weeks.
Before deciding on a visit to the vet I use cotton wool buds and a reasonably strong tepid saline solution and gently wiped out both ears over a few days, whatever the issue was it all cleared up and he has been fine since then.


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