What would cause a cat to lose the fur on the top of his tail? (please see details)

Question

A white male cat has been roaming our neighborhood. He has a collar and is very friendly but emaciated and hairless on the top of his tail. I was going to take him to the vet or The Ark (a no-kill shelter for abandoned animals) but he took off and I've not seen him for several days. I just wondered about his tail. I checked for mites and bugs but didn't see any and the tail is the only affected area.

Answer 1

Probably a form of dermatitis on this guy. Could really be that or fleas, even if you didn't see any when you checked him out. If he does come back and you decide to keep him. Get him checked out as soon as  you can. He will most likely need medication for this loss of hair.

Answer 2

Most likely the cat has been chewing at itself because of fleas. Especially if its a stray cat. I would be very surprised if it's a stray and has no bugs whatsoever.

Answer 3

The lack of nutrition can cause their fur to fall out.  

Answer 4

This sounds likes a sad tail indeed. All that matters is the end result. How have you been? It is good to read a question by you again. Your questions are always the cat's meow.

Answer 5

could be fleas or even a condition called stud tail. stud tail is when a sexually mature male's scent glands go into overdrive. usually near the base of his tail or up to about the middle. the fur first gets all greasy looking and feeling and it smells very musky. sometimes the skin will scab up and the fur will fall out in those patches. neutering usually takes care of that problem but if it doesn't then a bath with medicated shampoo helps.

Answer 6

ok i volunteered at a vets office once...a kitten had the same exact thing...they had to amputate the tail because over time it became raw and huurt the kitten to movie her tail so the but it off at the tipp once you see him get him and take him to the vet...it could kil him if it gets to bad

Answer 7

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