Cat with hair loss on belly

hayoc

Ive noticed over the past 2 months that my cat seems to be suffering hair loss on her belly.

I know this can be stress related. She has had a lot of changes to her regular routine this year. She is fully indoor and has been for about 4 years, but this year I have moved house, suffered a traumatic event which has given me stress and anxiety, and then I have started working from home so I am in her space all the time. No other pets.

I have given her a flea treatment and have ordered Feliway. She seems fine, eating, drinking, pooping, playing, purring, all the usual stuff. She is still loving and not hiding or behaving in a stressed out manner.

I will take her to the vet about this but she gets VERY stressed having to go to the vets so it may make it worse.

Anyone suffered this with their cat?

Graces7

hayoc wrote: »

Ive noticed over the past 2 months that my cat seems to be suffering hair loss on her belly.

I know this can be stress related. She has had a lot of changes to her regular routine this year. She is fully indoor and has been for about 4 years, but this year I have moved house, suffered a traumatic event which has given me stress and anxiety, and then I have started working from home so I am in her space all the time. No other pets.

I have given her a flea treatment and have ordered Feliway. She seems fine, eating, drinking, pooping, playing, purring, all the usual stuff. She is still loving and not hiding or behaving in a stressed out manner.

I will take her to the vet about this but she gets VERY stressed having to go to the vets so it may make it worse.

Anyone suffered this with their cat?

Not ever in over forty years of cats and in stressful situations... I did a quick google and a vet visit would be in order. Given there are no signs of stress in her behaviour it may be something organic that can be sorted easily. Sooner is better?

mea_k

Any chance she got out? Or is she spayed?
Loosing fur frum belly can indicate pregnancy and impending labour too.

hayoc

mea_k wrote: »

Any chance she got out? Or is she spayed?
Loosing fur frum belly can indicate pregnancy and impending labour too.

No, definitely wasnt out. And has been neutered since I found her in a bin shed with 3 kittens 7 years ago.

When I found her, the kittens were only about 6 weeks old (I got them homed) and her belly "hung" a bit, despite being skinny, she had kinda a floppy belly, the vet said at the time it was from pregnancy/feeding. But that area was always a bit less fluffy than the rest of her.

hayoc

Graces7 wrote: »

Not ever in over forty years of cats and in stressful situations... I did a quick google and a vet visit would be in order. Given there are no signs of stress in her behaviour it may be something organic that can be sorted easily. Sooner is better?

Yes I also googled. Actually theres an old post on here about someone who followed it up with their cat and specialists etc and 8 years later they still had a cat with a bald belly!

Its not totally bald, but its definitely less fluffy than it should be.

In the absence of any other signs of stress I suppose Im reluctant to stress her with a vet visit.

Graces7

hayoc wrote: »

Yes I also googled. Actually theres an old post on here about someone who followed it up with their cat and specialists etc and 8 years later they still had a cat with a bald belly!

Its not totally bald, but its definitely less fluffy than it should be.

In the absence of any other signs of stress I suppose Im reluctant to stress her with a vet visit.

Your decision but I would play safe tbh. It is concerning you. A vet visit is a transient thing so not a major stress and you do not know it IS stress. There are many other possible causes. Mostly fixable.

hayoc

Graces7 wrote: »

Your decision but I would play safe tbh. It is concerning you. A vet visit is a transient thing so not a major stress and you do not know it IS stress. There are many other possible causes. Mostly fixable.

Yes, true.

Ill get her booked in.

sunbeam

One of my cats suffers from this. I first noticed it about a month after her brother died several years ago. They were a closely bonded pair. Vet suggested it might be parasite related and gave her a flea/worming treatment.

She was always a sensitive nervous cat. About a year ago her anxiety became much worse. She started refusing her food, throwing up what she did eat and eating her litter. She was always an indoor/outdoor cat. After a long saga where she sat terrified in a bush last October and refused to come in, I decided to keep her inside permanently. Vet did blood tests and could find nothing physically wrong with her. They gave her a steroid injection which helped to stop her licking her belly. She now eats Royal Canin Calm kibble along with her usual wet food and this has helped a lot. She is still nervous, but no longer throwing up her food or losing weight.

I am also keeping her sister in as she is now partially sighted. They are both fourteen. Her sister recently started to show signs of stress and more general overgrooming. Unfortunately she doesn't like the Calm Kibble. Vet suggested Kalm-Aid liquid which I add to her food and a Feliway plugin in, which seem to be helping. I also ordered Zylkene capsules from Zooplus, but haven't tried them yet.

hayoc

Thanks Sunbeam. I use a mix of Royal Canin Calm and Royal Canin Weight Management - but I notice she eats more of the Weight Management kibble and eats around the Calm ones a bit.

This girl has always been a bit anxious. She was very food anxious at first, no doubt from an early life of being hungry on the street. She used to throw up from gobbling her food too fast. Thats stopped, although she does throw up the odd hairball.

Ill look into the Kalm Aid liquid - sounds good.

the beer revolu

hayoc wrote: »

Yes I also googled. Actually theres an old post on here about someone who followed it up with their cat and specialists etc and 8 years later they still had a cat with a bald belly!

Its not totally bald, but its definitely less fluffy than it should be.

In the absence of any other signs of stress I suppose Im reluctant to stress her with a vet visit.

We also have a cat who lost the hair on her belly for no apparent reason. Some research indicated that the cause of this can be extremely difficult to pin down. She was on appaws kibble. We started supplementing this with raw chicken liver and heart. Hair grew back but we'll never know if it was connected to the food.
The hairless belly was lovely, though - like a puppy!

Then, my mother's cat started pulling his hair out. Easily to put down to stress as my father was very ill at the time and in and out of hospital and care homes. All very stressful, all round. He'd pulled out virtually all his fur apart from on his head and a strip down his back.
However, the vet diagnosed a thyroid problem, put him on medication and the problem went away!

hayoc

the beer revolu wrote: »

We also have a cat who lost the hair on her belly for no apparent reason. Some research indicated that the cause of this can be extremely difficult to pin down. She was on appaws kibble. We started supplementing this with raw chicken liver and heart. Hair grew back but we'll never know if it was connected to the food.
The hairless belly was lovely, though - like a puppy!

You know, someone who used to live in the house we moved from used to give her little slivers of raw chicken or raw turkey mince almost daily.

I dont. Maybe I need to start giving her little bits of raw food. Ill try this too - thanks for the info.

The hairless belly IS lovely -

Graces7

All my six cats get a raw chicken joint, bones and all, every day and have done for many years.

Supervalu have a permanent offer of 2 trays of portions for E5 or I cut up a whole bird. Also tinned cat food as their other meal. They enjoy the chicken more than the other.. I avoid dry food except for one of the new cats who refuses tinned. She was almost skeletal when I took her in and is clearly part Oriental. Now she has filled out well.

The cats are healthy and energetic, lovely thick coats and their teeth are grand. ( NB as I am sure all here are aware, raw bones are grand; it is cooked that are dangerous)

hayoc

Graces7 wrote: »

All my six cats get a raw chicken joint, bones and all, every day and have done for many years.

She's a picker Graces7. She will eat 1-3 slivers of raw meat (chicken or turkey, spits out liver!) and then refuse more.

I never tried her on raw chicken bones, maybe Ill try a chicken wing and see does she go for it.

Graces7

hayoc wrote: »

She's a picker Graces7. She will eat 1-3 slivers of raw meat (chicken or turkey, spits out liver!) and then refuse more.

I never tried her on raw chicken bones, maybe Ill try a chicken wing and see does she go for it.

Fingers crossed. I may sound hard but I don't allow pickers... Only if there is a physical problem, as with Selkie.

Boycat( aged 16) has a sweet tooth so I have to guard cake etc. He loves cheese. But the basic food is what matters. As with us of course. These cats of my old age are the healthiest I have ever been blessed with. Delighted with them

Oh and the first time I gave Tonto a chicken wing! He flew up to heaven. lol..

hayoc

Graces7 wrote: »

I may sound hard but I don't allow pickers...

Oh shes not a picker for her wet food or kibble.

But with raw meat she has only ever wanted a little bit and just leaves it after that. I think she likes the smell of it more than the taste of it!

I have come across discarded slivers of raw chicken on the kitchen floor in the past that I thought she had eaten.

I dont do treats, just basic food. But raw meat slivers were a treat for her - I just dont prep as much plain raw chicken or turkey as my former housemate so I havent been giving them. But maybe I need to just get on with it and actually prepare a bunch of little amounts and keep them in the freezer.

Graces7

hayoc wrote: »

Oh shes not a picker for her wet food or kibble.

But with raw meat she has only ever wanted a little bit and just leaves it after that. I think she likes the smell of it more than the taste of it!

I have come across discarded slivers of raw chicken on the kitchen floor in the past that I thought she had eaten.

I dont do treats, just basic food. But raw meat slivers were a treat for her - I just dont prep as much plain raw chicken or turkey as my former housemate so I havent been giving them. But maybe I need to just get on with it and actually prepare a bunch of little amounts and keep them in the freezer.

Maybe try a wing? it surprised me the first time. Like if they catch a big bird or rabbit?

hayoc

Graces7 wrote: »

Maybe try a wing? it surprised me the first time. Like if they catch a big bird or rabbit?

Yes, Ill definitely try this.

Now fingers crossed she doesnt grab it, dash off onto some item of furniture and drool bits of chewed up raw meat all over

Graces7

hayoc wrote: »

Yes, Ill definitely try this.

Now fingers crossed she doesnt grab it, dash off onto some item of furniture and drool bits of chewed up raw meat all over

lol! Selkie has a special corner near the stove where she eats HER chicken. The rest just pounce and crunch. I once accidentally left a chicken out to defrost overnight. In the morning it no longer had any breasts..:eek:

Have to go to sleep; not doing well at all these days. Wil be fine. All the cats are out enjoying the sun!

Stay well; stay safe..

XxMCRxBabyxX

One of our boys had this happen a few years ago and despite vet visits and food and lifestyle changes etc. we never did work out why. It comes and goes for him but we haven't seen any other issues with him in that time.

hayoc

XxMCRxBabyxX wrote: »

One of our boys had this happen a few years ago and despite vet visits and food and lifestyle changes etc. we never did work out why. It comes and goes for him but we haven't seen any other issues with him in that time.

Given that she is eating/sleeping/pooping/playing/purring/snuggling and nothing else seems amiss I may try some of the suggestions on here before booking the vet. She's right here beside me giving out yards for her dinner which is due in 5 minutes time.

Ive no issue taking her to the vet, but she HATES the car.

I was kinda hoping someone would suggest some kind of cat jumper or babygrow that covered the belly just because she would look so cute in it Mind you, I might not have any arms left if I tried to put her in something like that.

feargale

I have cats coming to my garden and I encourage them with milk. The most regular visitor has mange. I read that it is contagious. Could other cats get it by drinking from the same vessel as the mangy cat?
Thanks.

hayoc

feargale wrote: »

I have cats coming to my garden and I encourage them with milk. The most regular visitor has mange. I read that it is contagious. Could other cats get it by drinking from the same vessel as the mangy cat?
Thanks.

Thats a question for a vet I think, but I did read somewhere about someone who was feeding mangey foxes and they added some vet meds to the food and it cured the mange without harming the non mangey ones.