Why is my cat losing hair, bleeding, and has red spots from fleas?

Question

My cat is 11 years old. He lives indoors and outsdoors. We have a flea problem. Over the past month, I've noticed my cat losing some hair on just his back near the tail. He started to have a few balding spots. Recently, I've noticed red dots scattered along these spots. Yesterday, it seemed like there was some minor bleeding on these problematic areas and I became very concerned. I put bacitracin and it seemed to help. Could it be worse? Any ideas or suggestions as to what it is? Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Male | neutered | 9 lbs

Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS · Accepted Answer

Poor Strom Shadow! It sounds like he does have a bad flea problem, and that would cause him to have balding spots and bite himself to the point of bleeding. I will give you a flea treatment program for him that should help. First, I would give him Capstar. It's a one time pill that starts killing fleas within 30 minutes. Then follow up with a spot on treatment, such as Advantage or Revolution. This is a treatment that has to be used once a month. You will also have to disinfect the environment. Wash his bedding in hot soapy water, and vacuum the furniture and carpet surfaces. You can use a spray to kill fleas in the house, such as Indorex, or a flea bomb would work well to kill the fleas in the home. When cats have bad flea problems, they can develop a flea allergy, which would cause Storm to continue to itch. I would also have him seen by a vet, who can diagnose if he does have a flea allergy. If he does, the vet can prescribe medications for him.

Why is my cat losing hair, bleeding, and has red spots from fleas?

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