cat health problem

Question
My friend has two cats- one is a 16 yr old female, has scabbing badly on the top of her head, side of her face, under her chin, and side of her shoulders-the other cat is a 10 yr old male, scabbing a little on side of face under chin and on shoulders. What could be wrong? The older cat has been losing weight for about a year and the other one hasn't. The older one has had a slight fever and little appetite but drinking normally. The other one has no fever and normal appetite. They are indoor cats but live with dogs that go outside. I'm trying to get my friend help before he takes them to the vet. Can you tell me any information that might help? Thanks!!!!  

Answer
If both of the cats are having hair loss and scabbing, I would definitely take both of them in to the vet to check for mites.  If they have fleas that can also account for hair loss, though usually it happens on the rump area first.  I would definitely take the older one in if it has a fever.  Other than eliminating any fleas, I don't know that there is much that can be done at this point without a doctor's exam first to pinpoint exactly what the problem is.

Amanda