cat losing hair?

[joyfulmama]

I wonder if any of you have any suggestions for me. I have a 2 year old cat that has started loosing her hair. The bare patches are on her rear and belly. She seems to be scratching a lot. I thought maybe fleas were the problem, but flea treatment didn't seem to help.

Anyone know what this is? Lice? If so how do I treat that on a cat?

Thanks for any help.

[insocal]

Cat vet here, time for 20 questions:

Is your cat indoors only or in/out or strictly out?
Exactly what brand of dry food do you feed?
If you feed canned food, exactly what brand and what flavors?
Do you feed ANYTHING else at all? If so, what?
When you say you treated for fleas, exactly which brand of product did you use, what size, and how did you apply it?
How much does your cat weigh?
Is the cat licking/scratching to cause the fur loss or is it seeming to just "fall out"?
Does the skin where the fur has been lost look normal, or it it reddened, dry/flaky, moist/weepy, or otherwise abnormal?
Is the cat eating ok? Any coughing/sneezing/vomiting/diarrhea/recent weight loss?
Any change in bowel or bladder habits?
What kind of fur does the cat have - is it shorthaired, medium, or longhaired? Is the fur "clumpy" or matted at all?

Once I know all this then I can offer an educated guess. Happy typing!

[joyfulmama]

Is your cat indoors only or in/out or strictly out?
She is normally indoor only, however she got out twice recently so she could have picked up something outdoors.
Exactly what brand of dry food do you feed?
I am feeding a store brand that is supposed to be a Science Diet knockoff.
If you feed canned food, exactly what brand and what flavors?
Not feeding any canned food.
Do you feed ANYTHING else at all? If so, what?
Nothing else, just the dry food and fresh water. Well, and the occasional mouse that she comes across.
When you say you treated for fleas, exactly which brand of product did you use, what size, and how did you apply it?
It was Hertz brand flea treatment for cats. A small tube that I applied to the back of her head. That was about 1.5 weeks ago.
How much does your cat weigh?
This is a "guesstimate" but I would say 8-10 pounds. She is tall and long, but not heavy.
Is the cat licking/scratching to cause the fur loss or is it seeming to just "fall out"?
I believe the hair loss is due to licking/scratching.
Does the skin where the fur has been lost look normal, or it it reddened, dry/flaky, moist/weepy, or otherwise abnormal?
The skin looks normal.
Is the cat eating ok? Any coughing/sneezing/vomiting/diarrhea/recent weight loss?
Seems to be eating normally. No respiratory or digestive symptoms.
Any change in bowel or bladder habits?
No changes.
What kind of fur does the cat have - is it shorthaired, medium, or longhaired?
Medium
Is the fur "clumpy" or matted at all?
Not clumpy or matted.........but it just doesn't look as healthy and shiny as normal. I had thought at first that was just due to her shedding her winter coat but maybe not.
Once I know all this then I can offer an educated guess. Happy typing!
Thank you so much for your help!

[Becky H.]

I'll try to help until insocal gets back. There are lots of reasons to lose hair in a cat. Nutritional, toxic, physical etc. with the loss of hair being a secondary ailment. The cat may very well have had fleas in the beginning but that's not it now.

By your response I saw a few things that triggered in my mind. One would be the mice it caught. If those mice had eaten some type of poison before the cat got to them. There are no mice poisons around right?

The other would be the brand of food the cat is eating. It may have taken some time to get a nutritional deficiency even though it can be a trusted brand sometimes it's made not quite right.

Another toxin would be if while the cat was outside it came across a plant and ate it (or has access to toxic plant in the house.)

Did you stick that flea drops on the head head or between the shoulder blades. It's been awhile since I dosed a cat I thought they could get to it if it's on the head.

With the symptom of hair loss with not healthy coat I would say you could switch brands of food (give the cat a wet can of oily tuna cat food asap is what I would do) and switch to a different brand (100 complete) to see if there is a nutritional deficiency most notably something that is not maintaining the quality of the fur or the skin, making the cat itchy enough that it wants to lick and scratch itself bald.

Cats lick and lick themselves and will lick themselves bald if there is any discomfort. If the skin and the fur is not healthy I can see where it would go bald! Perhaps the food is the culprit you can find out by process of elmination. Check for toxins though too, and hope it's not something else physical.

[Pa funnyfarm]

Just a personal experience with DD one cat, in his case the hair loss in those same areas was food allergy. As long as she is careful that he get nothing with fish as an ingredient, his coat is fine. In her case, a vet checkup showed nothing parasitic causing him to scratch, lick and rub the hair off. Vet said either food related or nuerotic cat. First step was to find a food with limited ingredients, a flare up when he got into some treats with fish confirmed it as the culprit. She feeds a nutro max food because around here it is one of the few without fish listed. She was told that it wasn't uncommon for allergy to develop in young cat that had been fine on the food. (she also said with her boy, the only skin discoloration was the tips of his ears turned red)
DD works in a pet supply store and says that off the record, she has had about a dozen customers this summer with the same type of problem after using Hartz product. (didn't show up until a couple weeks after applying) She said they always tell customers that some cats don't react well to topical applications. (and she tries to discourage it's use and recommends a trip to the vet if there is any reaction following it's use) Good luck on your detective work to make you cat comfortable.

[insocal]

Here's my educated GUESS: when the cat got out she picked up fleas, and might be allergic to them so she could be VERY itchy from just a few. The flea product you used (Hartz) is neither safe nor effective, and has been recently implicated in cat injury and death. I think a Google search could prove helpful. I NEVER EVER recommend that cr-- to my clients, and it turns out for good reason. I have had several of my patients come in sick after the owners used it. And they always still have fleas.

This is a situation where you really do get what you pay for, and it is well worth paying more to get an extremely safe and effective product like Frontline or Advantage. In your case I would say Frontline because the cat is around 9 lb but not sure if slightly over or under 9 lb. Advantage dose is small size for under 9 lb and large size for over 9 lb so it can be hard to judge which to use. Frontline, IIRC, has just the one size for adult cats so you don't have to know the exact weight. As with all pesticides, read the label carefull and follow all directions exactly. Don't get innovative or try experiments. These products are EXTREMELY safe and effective as long as they are used AS DIRECTED and not misused. Of course, use of pesticides in a manner inconsistent with labeling is a violation of federal law, so be good or I will sic the feds on ya, lol.

Anyway, it's worth it to try the flea control first, and if she stays itchy then you can go to Plan B, a trip to the vet. Oh, and by the way, read your cat food ingredient lists very carefully (the tiny fine print). Don't be feeding a cat with skin problems anything with fish. There is no easy way to test for food allergy, and no meds will straighten it out if yo keep feeding the offending food. Fish is the most common food allergen in cats in my experience. So just avoid it.

Good luck!

[joyfulmama]

Thank you for your thoughts! I will get some Frontline to try and I will also check her feed ingredients for fish.

My small animal vet is on vacation right now. If my cat isn't better in a few days I will see about getting an appt. when the vet returns.

Thanks again!

[insocal]

I found the info on the Hartz Flea drops for cats, here's the link:

http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/factsh...tick-drops.htm

I can't for the life of me fathom why they didn't do an immediate recall. They are going to be able to keep selling this stuff for a profit through 3-06, even though they KNOW it kills cats.

Please please please, people: don't buy your veterinary care at the pet store, feed store, grocery store, drug store, or swap meet until and unless you have discussed with your own vet who knows your pets. Cats in particular are extraordinarily sensitive to lots of things we think of as harmless. Be careful.

[francope]

Rocky was 7 years old 2/28/09. Last August we took him to the vet because he was losing hair, it would just fall out in clumbs. His weight went from 24 lbs (yes he was big) down to 17. Now the vet told us Rocky had been bitten by a flea and was allergic to flea bites. It took 6.5 years to become allergic???l
Now it is March and Rocky still is losing handfulls of hair and continues to lose weight. He also has decided he likes to sleep in the bathtub and do his thing on the bathroom rugs. He also likes to drink from the bathtub spigot. All rugs have been thrown away due to Rocky doing his thing.
Keeping litter fresh for him is a problem. Each morning I empty a litter box with one or two piles, plus 2 to 3 urine soaked areas. Then at least once and sometimes twice I go through this again before bedtime. He seems to like to do his thing while I am making our supper. The smell is very strong.
I have been giving him a mixture of cat treats which he loves. After reading the postings, I am going to remove any with fish particles or flavorings.
Any more suggestions since I am not interested in taking him back to the vet. He has had all his shots and does not go outdoors. In fact, he seems afraid to go out the door.
Frances

[culpeper]

It could also be a thyroid dysfunction.

Time to see the vet.

[GoldenMom]

He has diabetes. I'd bet the farm on it. And yes, I'm a vet.