Worrisome Hair Loss
 

Hello,

My cat lost a lot of hair on her belly a few months ago. I noticed that the baldness is now creeping down the inside of her back legs and she has a spot on the back of one of her front legs. The skin is pink, looks healthy, no scales, no sensitivity. The newer spots still have some 'peach fuzz' but her stomach is completely bare. The skin does not look dry. I have not noticed any excessive scratching or licking.

She is 7 years old, has been eating the same food for years. Her belly has gotten droopy (hanging) but she hasn't gained any weight. She is strictly an indoor cat and there are no other pets in the household. We haven't moved in a couple years and there has been no redecorating or moving around of the furniture. Her view from the window is a rooftop, so all she sees are pigeons and squirrels. We live on the third and top floor of an apartment building, so there are no neighbours on top.

Thank you!

[QUOTE=Genie;1056262]Hello,

My cat lost a lot of hair on her belly a few months ago. I noticed that the baldness is now creeping down the inside of her back legs and she has a spot on the back of one of her front legs. The skin is pink, looks healthy, no scales, no sensitivity. The newer spots still have some 'peach fuzz' but her stomach is completely bare. The skin does not look dry. I have not noticed any excessive scratching or licking.

She is 7 years old, has been eating the same food for years. Her belly has gotten droopy (hanging) but she hasn't gained any weight. She is strictly an indoor cat and there are no other pets in the household. We haven't moved in a couple years and there has been no redecorating or moving around of the furniture. Her view from the window is a rooftop, so all she sees are pigeons and squirrels. We live on the third and top floor of an apartment building, so there are no neighbours on top.

Thank you![/QUOTE]

Does your cat go right onto the rooftop, or just look out a window from there?
I would bring her to a vet and have her thyroids tested ,this can cause a cat to lose fur.

[QUOTE=Barkingdog;1056265]Does your cat go right onto the rooftop, or just look out a window from there?
I would bring her to a vet and have her thyroids tested ,this can cause a cat to lose fur.[/QUOTE]

Thank you for taking the time to answer, I really appreciate it!

She just looks out the window.

I've made a vet appointment for her... but I'm very worried. My budget is limited and I'm not ready to lose my companion.

[QUOTE=Genie;1056268]Thank you for taking the time to answer, I really appreciate it!

She just looks out the window.

I've made a vet appointment for her... but I'm very worried. My budget is limited and I'm not ready to lose my companion.[/QUOTE]

Maybe you could see if the vet will let set up a payment plan. I hope your cat at will be OK.

My first suspect in cases of fur loss and/or excessive grooming is always diet. You say you haven't changed her food in years, but most allergies come about from repeat exposure to the same ingredients (typically inferior ones like grains or highly rendered meat, such as would be found in most dry foods). What exactly does she eat?

A vet visit is a good place to start for sure, although I have to warn you that most conventional vets just tend to throw steroids or antibiotics or crappy prescription diets at the problem without really looking at the WHOLE cat. Having said that, if your kitty hasn't had a thorough check-up recently, with blood work and a urinalysis, that might be a good idea. Then depending on what she eats, I think a diet change to a high quality, meat-based, grain-free, fish-free WET food, perhaps with a novel protein source like venison or rabbit, could really help.

Her diet consists of dry food which contains only chicken, brown rice, and added vitamins & minerals. She drinks a lot of water.

My worries about the upcoming vet appointment is that they will not be able to examine her properly. Daisy does not like other people (other than me) and will be overly aggressive towards them, even in her own home. She's always been like this. Veterinary appointments are always difficult because it requires an assistant wrapping her in 2-3 towels in order to immobilize her and both the assistant and the vet need to handle her with gloves.

[QUOTE=Genie;1056275]Her diet consists of dry food which contains only chicken, brown rice, and added vitamins & minerals. She drinks a lot of water.

My worries about the upcoming vet appointment is that they will not be able to examine her properly. Daisy does not like other people (other than me) and will be overly aggressive towards them, even in her own home. She's always been like this. Veterinary appointments are always difficult because it requires an assistant wrapping her in 2-3 towels in order to immobilize her and both the assistant and the vet need to handle her with gloves.[/QUOTE]

I think the same as sugarcatmom that this could be food related, but better have the vet check on her.

Have you tried flower essences for her? I give my pups the rescue remedy to calm them down when going to vet, or grooming or any other kind of unpleasant experiences for them; I think that by immobilizing Daisy with towels they may only be making the experience even more traumatic for her, or at least that's how I feel, I would hate going to the dentist even more if they tide me up every time :rolleyes:

[QUOTE=Genie;1056275]Her diet consists of dry food which contains only chicken, brown rice, and added vitamins & minerals. She drinks a lot of water.

My worries about the upcoming vet appointment is that they will not be able to examine her properly. Daisy does not like other people (other than me) and will be overly aggressive towards them, even in her own home. She's always been like this. Veterinary appointments are always difficult because it requires an assistant wrapping her in 2-3 towels in order to immobilize her and both the assistant and the vet need to handle her with gloves.[/QUOTE]

[url]http://cats.about.com/od/thyroiddiseaseincats/p/hypothyroidism.htm[/url]

cats with thyroids issues will drink more water

Might just be mites or lice. Best way to treat is to use Frontline or Revolution (Advantage will not kill them). The cheap way is spray her with cheap store bought cat flea spray that has pyerthin as the active ingredient.

[QUOTE=Hazmat;1056290]Might just be mites or lice. Best way to treat is to use Frontline or Revolution (Advantage will not kill them). The cheap way is spray her with cheap store bought cat flea spray that has pyerthin as the active ingredient.[/QUOTE]

The Op posted this "Her belly has gotten droopy (hanging) but she hasn't gained any weight" . I don't think mites or lice would cause that to happen.
The cat is drinking a lot of water and losing fur, it sounds like there some kind of medical issues going on.

[QUOTE=Genie;1056275]Her diet consists of dry food which contains only chicken, brown rice, and added vitamins & minerals. She drinks a lot of water.
[/QUOTE]

She may have developed sensitivities to chicken, which is very common since chicken is so over-used in pet food. I strongly suggest switching to a wet food with a different protein source, and one without grains. Nature's Variety Instinct Rabbit, Duck or Venison, or ZiwiPeak Lamb, Lamb/Rabbit, or Venison are some really excellent alternatives.

Thank you everyone for your input. Appointment is Thursday morning. Hoping it will be something simple like allergies. This is causing me a lot of anxiety though... I just want my 'baby girl' to be okay. :pray:

[QUOTE=Jull;1056276]Have you tried flower essences for her? I give my pups the rescue remedy to calm them down when going to vet, or grooming or any other kind of unpleasant experiences for them[/QUOTE]

Where does one find these flower essences?

[QUOTE=Jull;1056276]I think that by immobilizing Daisy with towels they may only be making the experience even more traumatic for her, or at least that's how I feel, I would hate going to the dentist even more if they tide me up every time :rolleyes:[/QUOTE]

I agree, but there's not really any other way to do it without getting severely scratched and/or bitten.

[QUOTE=Hazmat;1056290]Might just be mites or lice.[/QUOTE]

I highly doubt it since she lives indoors and doesn't come in contact with other animals; these are also rarer in the winter months. Plus, she is not itchy.

[QUOTE=Barkingdog;1056281][url]http://cats.about.com/od/thyroiddiseaseincats/p/hypothyroidism.htm[/url]
cats with thyroids issues will drink more water[/QUOTE]

Thank you for the link!

I can't really say she's been drinking 'more' water. She's always been a good drinker, which I believe is important when a cat is on a dry food diet.

hmm have you changed your cleaning stuff? Bach's Rescue Remedy can be purchased at most drug stores. Shopper's carries it. I would be guessing thyroid, supposedly the pills aren't expensive and you can get them at the drugstore, which is usually cheaper than getting them from the vet. Keeping fingers crossed it's nothing major for you both!

It's over for now, thank God. Vet wasn't really able to examine her, she was too aggressive and traumatized. She was able to see the hairless patches properly though. She thinks it's probably allergies, so we're trying the Hypoallergenic Medi Cal food for 6 weeks. If that doesn't stop the hairless spots from spreading, we'll go back for a full exam under sedation. She only charged for half a consult, since she wasn't really able to check her out, I thought that was nice of her!

I hate seeing my baby girl like she is when she goes to the vet, it breaks my heart :cry2: She makes me smile though, because whenever I have to bring her in the cage somewhere, it's always for something really stressful (fire alarm, move, veterinary appointment, etc.) but when we get home, she'll go back in the cage on her own and lie down. Even though the cage is always accessible and open for her to go in, she rarely does, except on these occasions. :lovestruck: