My newly adopted cat of 2 months came to us with a hair problem. He is hairless on his underbelly and it goes up his sides some and seems like he loses more hair all the time. He just has a pink belly with a little bit of fur. The lady I got him from said he did this last summer also, but he is getting worse now and fall is upon us. He is the sweetest cat with the best temperament. We are strapped for money big time or I would take him to the vet. Just wondering what causes this malady and if we can help him any.
Lori from AR
I agree that he needs to be seen. Perhaps call a local vet in your area and describe your cat's condition and you could get an idea of what the cost might be. It's possible they'd be willing to give you some free advice over the phone if you said you couldn't afford to come in.
Is your cat licking/cleaning itself in this area too vigorously? Do you have other cats? Children? Could he be nervous? Like maybe he's neurotic about something and cleaning too much. Is he eating well and otherwise seems in good health?
We had a wonderful cat years ago that had almost a bald tail. It looked like a rat's tail and was pretty awful looking. She was actually nibbling on the hair when she cleaned herself and so she was just wearing the fur right off her tail. We couldn't get her to stop, but then because of bad teeth and having to have some pulled, she stopped doing it and all the hair grew back. She also lived to the ripe old age of 19!
I hope that might help, but really none of us here are experts so it's in the best interest of your pet to have him looked at by a professional. They might let you make payments if it's going to cost more than you can pay at one time. Pet ownership does come with responsibilities and is not without cost. Been there, done that! (09/06/2006)
I had a cat for 18 years and when she would get fleas she would get bald spots on her. Once I treated her for fleas the hair would grow back. (09/06/2006)
Stress can cause cats to overgroom themselves to the point of baldness. This kind of stress licking usually is seen on their belly and/or on their inner thighs. Here in Denmark, we can buy a stress reducing product available for cats called "Feliway", that you just plug into any power socket.
If it isn't stress, it could be some dermatological problem or something else somatical, so you really should see a vet. Better safe than sorry. (09/06/2006)
By Vicki
My cat goes through this every year in the summer and through the fall months. (I am in Florida). I took her to the vet, he thinks it is allergies. He gave her a steroid shot and that helped very much. She is chewing the fur off. We no longer let her out in the lanai and that helps some. We have other critters going in and out so they bring the problem in as well.
All the same things that would give us a skin condition.
(09/10/2006)
By Laura
I have a cat who had the same problem. During some months she would have hair loss on her belly and the back of her legs. I thought it might be an allergy because cats will over groom themselves in areas they can't reach to scratch when they are itchy, so I changed her food to IAMS sensitive stomach. It's the pink bag. All her hair grew back immediately! Plus she never throws up now. (05/21/2008)
For the past year, the vet and I have been trying to help my 4 yr old cat's belly and leg hair loss (from itching, over-grooming). At first prednisone shots and Feliway seemed to help. Because of potential side effects (diabetes and weight gain) the pred was discontinued. At first vet said he found demodex mites (only "one" mite in three skin scrapings). He gave me lime-sulfur dip, skin turns nasty yellow, smells horrible, and it made her belly bright red and hot after second application. More prednisone and oatmeal baths.
I discontinued prednisone. Vet suggested Ivermectin (potential to cause comas in cats, I said "no way"). We went through allergy testing and blood work next. Turns out my cat is allergic to practically everything. We started a routine of duck and green pea cat food, bi-weekly baths, allergy shots which have continued to cause excessive itching as dosages increased.
By BJ
I had the same problem for years with my female cat until 3 weeks ago. I bought a Dyson vacuum on a whim. A week ago I noticed a black spot on my cat's belly. I thought she had got into something, but when I flipped her over she had hair again. Short fuzz, but hair! The only change I did was the vacuum, same diet, same furniture, etc. I am so happy! Now the expensive vacuum seems like a bargain. She must have been allergic to dust mites in the rugs and since she is an indoor cat my variables were pretty limited. Best of luck. (05/17/2009)
By Amber Kirsch
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