[shapeshifter]

Hi all,

Wondering if any of you might know what this is.... I have a rescued (from feral colony) desexed 3 yr old boy who in the past year has been losing a large amount of fur including guard/outer layer hairs from his lower back and tail. I thought he may have been pulling it out because I find clumps of it where he sits but when I pat him a lot comes away with my hand as well. Over the same period of time he also been what seems to be over-secreting an oily substance from the tip of his chin which forms black lumps and sticks to his fur. I had a search through the site and wondered if it might be 'stud tail' www.cat-world.com.au/stud-tail-in-cats He's still so timid/wild so am keen to avoid a vet trip unless absolutely necessary. Would really appreciate if anyone has any ideas regarding what this is and whether there's anything we can do at home about it.

Jo

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[fleabag]

Rightio ..I suspect the chin stuff is feline acne ..often cats get it from plastic bowls ..so try enamel or glass bowls. The chin can be cleaned with a saline solution.The tail..well it's hard to say...why not take him to a vet for a checkup.

[Kelanrowe]

Sounds a bit like stud tail. It seems often those with bad stud tail get the acne as well. You probably should get the vet to have a look as sometimes stud tail can become ulcerated if left.

There is a product you can use (the name escapes me at the moment) which disolves the black lumps quickly, but it is expensive. $50-$60 from memory.

[Furkidz]

The chin deffinitely sounds like acne.
I have used Malaseb lotion wiped on with a cotton ball, then rinsed off with warm water - it soon clears up.
You will also need to get rid of any plastic bowls he might eat/drink from as this can make it worse.
Not sure about the tail - if he is desexed I wouldn't think he'd get the hormonal "stud tail" as such - you sure they got all his "bits"??
Have you also checked him and treated him for fleas/mites? They often like the rear end to nest in!

[shapeshifter]

Thanks so much guys. I really appreciate it. We haven't done a vet trip since he was desexed when he was still a kitten and I've been dreading the day I've got to get him into a cat carrier but I think I may as well bite the bullet and do it now! So... any advice on taking someone still quite wild to the vet? Might post a separate topic...