Feline Hair Loss On Legs
Why is our cat losing hair?
Our cat seems to be losing a large patch of fur above his hind leg. It started out about the size of a nickel, but now it’s about 3 inches in diameter. He doesn’t appear to have fleas or any other parasite problem, so I don’t think it has anything to do with that. I did a little research on feline hair loss but nothing seems to match. He doesn’t have any type of lesion or any symptoms of increased lethargy, only this one patch of missing hair. Anyone have any ideas as to why this is occurring?
Yes, I understand that the vet can help…we’re going on Tuesday. Between now and then I thought I’d do some research on my own. Helpful answers would be appreciated!
Oh I feel your pain here. I have a tortie cat that does this. Yes, take the cat to the vet, but be prepared to never have an answer to this question. We were told by multiple vets that the cat was probably allergic to something but there was really no way to figure out what. But – here are some things that other cat people I know have had (the cats, not the people) that kind of fit what you’re talking about.
Flea allergy disease. The cat is allergic to fleas, you may not even see a flea on the cat because the cat only needs like one flea bite before they have a reaction and start loosing hair. They generally get scabby before they lose the hair.
Ringworm – don’t really need to say more on this one.
Protein Molecule Allergy – I mention this one because even though I think it’s kind of rare, if there really are no fleas (and it is winter) this one is possible. What happens here is the cat is allergic to the protein molecule (food) and they for whatever reason begin to lick their hair off. If this is what happened you might mention it to the vet and have them test the cat. Kind of a long shot, but worth a mention. It’s fixable, you just have to buy special food.
Stress – I suspect this is the root of my own cat’s hair loss. I have known cats that are sort of “ball of nerves” cats and they can become fixated on grooming and will literally lick a patch of hair off. If your cat has been on edge recently or just has this type of nature then this could be it.
At any rate, unless it’s an identifiable allergy, the vet will probably give the cat a steroid shot and the hair will grow back.
Good luck.
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