Cat: hair loss - help?! (male, weight, vomiting, carpet)

[Idaho]

Okay, here's the stats:

Pet: Creamy Calico Cat
Age: 7 years, Female
Diet: Strickly dry food, Trader Joe's brand; Petromalt (she loves this stuff)

Symptoms:
1. Spots of hair loss on back of legs, as if she has taken a clipper to herself - no sores (no we don't have small children who might do such to her).
2. Upon petting her, the hair loss is suddenly significantly more overall, than usual.

Random thoughts:
Switch to new food . . . but which one?
Willing to pay more, but what will give her the best 'bang' of nutritional value for her skin and hair,
particularly in the dry environment of the Southern Arizona desert where we live

[clawson26]

I had a hair loss problem with my cat a couple of years ago and realized he was biting it off and pulling it out. It started on one back leg and eventually spread to the whole back half of his body. Do you think it is falling out or your cat might be pulling it out? (If you don't have time to watch the cat for over grooming check the poop for extra hair )

[Sam I Am]

Also have her thyroid checked - that's more of an all-over than spotty loss...but the dramatic increase you are seeing could be hypothyroidism, easily cured with a little pill!

[Katie1]

Have her checked for ringworm too!

[Sam I Am]

I was going to say hot spots - but I don't know if cats GET hot spots like dogs? My kitty days are long over.....but if that's it, and you can try this anyway, it won't hurt her - half Listerine and half water in a spray bottle, and spray her good a couple of times a day. Is there a raw area at all, like she's been gnawing at it?

You most likely would not be seeing massive hair loss with hot spots, but the summer has been strange here this year and my dogs are just now fully blowing their coats...so you could have two separate things going on, whatever is making the spots and just the general summer blow.

[Marylandkitten]

Ya, good job guys.

Top Reason for Cat Hair Loss are as follows!!!!

- Allergies (to their food, try another food please!)

- Ringworms. (easily diagnosed by a vet, easily treatable with over-the-counter medication)

- Hormonal imbalance, most commonly seen by hyperthyroidism

- Psychogenic Alopecia (kitty stress) she is over grooming. to her own detriment For treatment, you either need to isolate the stress cause and get rid of it, or... the vet might prescribe KITTY-ONLY anti depressants.

Location, location, location. If the hair loss is someplace you see your cat licking, biting, or scratching regularly (leg, paw, or side, for example), it could be a "hot spot" that is stress-induced or a reaction to bites from fleas or mites. Check your cat's coat for parasites. If it's a flea-bite allergy, you'll have to get rid of the fleas before you can hope to have the hair grow back. If the hair loss is in a hard-to-reach place (between the shoulder blades, for example) or in many places, it's probably not the cat doing it to herself. If the hair loss seems limited to one area of the body (for example, on the legs from the paws up to the "elbows"), suspect a "contact allergy" or something similar. (Hair loss on the lower legs may be a reaction to new carpeting.)

You are what you eat. Have you been cutting corners on food costs by giving Tabby an off-brand or trying to go with table scraps only? Hair loss can be a sign of improper nutrition, so make sure your cat is getting the nutrients she needs.

Less stress is best. Actually, this advice could be added to every remedy! However, once your cat develops the habit of chewing, licking, or pulling out hair, it might be hard to break even after you cut down on stress. Do not scold or otherwise punish your cat when you see her working on a "hot spot" or pulling out hair. Scolding just adds more stress. Instead, try some behavior modification. Give her something else to do: Engage her in active play, pet her, open a securely screened window and let her sniff the great outdoors. Substituting a happy and fun activity for the bad habit redirects her attention and energy.

When to Call the Vet

A cat with hair loss plus other signs of disease--fever, loss of appetite, weight loss, vomiting -- needs to be seen by a veterinarian immediately. Certain kinds of alopecia are caused by parasites or fungus that can be passed to people, so the sooner a cat with no other symptoms than hair loss is seen by the vet, the better.

DANGER LEVEL: Alopecia by itself is not dangerous, although it may be a signal that internal organs are not working right -- a condition that could be moderately to very dangerous.

Kiss the kitty for me. and Good Luck to the both of you. keep us posted

[Idaho]

Thanks for the quick thoughts EVERYONE! "+" ratings all around! Kitty gets new food today.
The 'stress' note reminded me that she's not gotten her fresh catnip for awhile.
Our extreme heat burned what we had in the garden - She's probably on withdrawls Poor, poor kitty cat!

Going with a Science Diet brand food, i think . . . she loved that once upon a time . . .
I got into a lazy habit of Trader Joe's brand, as it was too convenient to my house (shame on me).

Thanks for straightening me out, guys!

Hugs

[cleosmom]

Originally Posted by Idaho

Thanks for the quick thoughts EVERYONE! "+" ratings all around! Kitty gets new food today.
The 'stress' note reminded me that she's not gotten her fresh catnip for awhile.
Our extreme heat burned what we had in the garden - She's probably on withdrawls Poor, poor kitty cat!

Going with a Science Diet brand food, i think . . . she loved that once upon a time . . .
I got into a lazy habit of Trader Joe's brand, as it was too convenient to my house (shame on me).

Thanks for straightening me out, guys!

Hugs

If Trader Joe's is an organic food like I'm thinking they are, I don't think you want to go with something as adverse as Science Diet which is chemically preserved, however it's clearly your choice. Myself, I'd go with Eagle Pack, Nature's Variety, Innova Evo or Felidae.

[lilypad]

I had a cat with allergies and anxiety (kitty stress), she also had hair loss, "hot spots" and would lick herself raw on her tummy. Very distressing to me, so she would get a steroid shot every 6 mos. Seemed to clear everything up! She also had some bowel disorder which went along with the anxiety, etc. so the vet put her on dry food pellets of duck and peas. She seemed to love it, and had minimals problems as result.

[Idaho]

Gosh! Everyone's insight is wonderful! Thank you so much. I had not realized Science Diet was chemically preserved, but after you (cleosmom) point it out - of course it is! My cat loves fruit & veggies, so I can see her maybe interested in a duck/pea pellet thing (lilypad) . . . hmmm . . . I'm feeling the love! Thanks everybody! :-)