My cat has lost his hair at the rear of his back to the point he has gone bald - cure?

Question

My cat has been like this for over 2 years - at times it is worse than others. He repeatedly licks his fur, as if aggitated by something, to an extreme that he makes himself totally bald. This is only around the rear part of his body and at the base of his tail. I have taken him to different vets, but none of which have cured his condition. Does anyone else have a similar problem with their cat and do you know a cure?

Answer 1

Could be an allegic reaction to flea bites.

If it is not fleas, your cat is stressed out about something. I adopted an adult cat from the shelter and he had a lot of bald spots and had them for a couple of months. He also threw up a few times and would run around the house with his ears pinned back like he was afraid of being hit. I think whoever dumped him at the shelter used to hit him for normal cat behavior and he was traumatized by the previous owner and by being in a shelter. Once he settled in and realized he wasn't going to get smacked for throwing up or get dumped back at a shelter, he stopped gnawing on himself. Poor guy. Cats can't help being cats, I feel so bad that this one apprarently was abused for just being a cat.

Answer 2

I would say your cat as a allergy to something,maybe fleas.If this is not the answer a vet can refer him for a allergy test if needs be.Do you have any plants around in the house or garden which could be the cause?this can be a very likely cause.We had a cat which had a similar condition and thats because he was going into next doors who owned quite alot of plants and since we discouraged him from going the problem healed by itself eventually after so many trips to the vets and he got better.If this is not helpfuli would reccomend you take your cat to the vets and demand a answer.Hope all goes well

zoe

Answer 3

This behavior is referred to as "over-grooming." Felines tend to do this when they are stressed out about their living conditions. It is your job as the owner, to figure out what your cat is stressed about and how to fix it.

Ask yourself these questions:
1) Does he like his litter box, food, toys, etc. and does he seem to play a little everyday?
2) If there is not another pet in your house, is he lonely? If there is another pet in the house, do they get along? If they get along, is he at the bottom or the top of the pecking order?
3) Does he have fleas or get mosquito bites (cats can be very allergic to mosquito bites and fleas, especially around their butts)?
4) Does he hide quite a bit?
5) Have you witnessed his over-grooming or does he tend to do it at night when everyone is sleeping and he is awake?

Specifically look for signs of loneliness, nervous behavior or bugs of some sort. Once you have targeted the problem areas, then you can do something about it. For instance, if your cat is lonely, at night, leave Animal Planet on the TV and make sure he has access to you while your sleeping in case he wants to curl up next to you. If he is nervous, you could try to figure out what makes him nervous by observing him and then remove the thing that makes him nervous.

The bottom line is, there is something you can do about it, it will just take some time. And I would say that unless there is another pet involved, you should be able to rectify the situation very easily and quickly.

Until then, there is a product you can use called "Feliway." It is a feline hormone and calms the cat down. You should be able to get it from your vet or PetSmart. I think it's about $8 a bottle. Follow the instructions on the bottle.

Good Luck!!

Answer 4

That is almost certainly an allergic reaction to flea bites - it's a classic pattern. Make sure he is protected against fleas. If he's an outdoor cat, use a flea protection medication regularly. If he's an indoor cat, you'll have to do the same, plus you'll need to get rid of flea eggs in your home. Best way is to spray carpets with a flea killer that also kills eggs; vacuum furniture and throw the bag away IMMEDIATELY. Also, get some "flea bomb" cannisters and set them off - you'll have to leave the house for a few hours, but they work very well to deal with fleas and their eggs. I can't emphasize enough that the sprays and the flea bombs MUST have ingredients to kill eggs AND adults - otherwise, you'll just be dealing with the same thing three weeks from now when the eggs hatch.

Answer 5

i just got this when I googled the condition:
I do hope it helps a bit. I hope your cat gets much better in time.

Cats are extremely sensitive to any changes in their environment: i.e. food, litter, house guests, new pets, new furnishings etc. They may experience anxiety due to these changes. Anxiety may further be evidenced by self-mutilation, obsessive grooming (barbering) or repetitive behaviors.

If you have ruled out any changes in her environment, you might consider some physiologic conditions. Some cats suffer from allergies, either seasonal or environmental. These allergies may sometimes stimulate excessive grooming and cause focal hair loss. These are usually easily managed after establishing the identity of the allergen, although this usually requires a referral to a dermatologist.

Another possibility lies in hypersensitivity to external parasites. Both fleas and mange mites are capable causing rapid hair loss. Parasitism usually has other symptoms though and usually does not affect just one area of the body. Still you should consult your veterinarian to completely rule out parasites.

Some sub-clinical urinary and kidney infections may cause low grade "dull" pain to the abdominal area and cause the cat to "worry" about the area with excessive grooming. Your veterinarian should be able to easily rule out these conditions with laboratory tests. If there is evidence of disease, often the behavior ceases when therapy is instituted.

Finally, the possibility exists that this is a behavioral problem (although you see no other indications of aberrant behavior) called Psychogenic Alopecia. Most times it is impossible to establish with absolute certainty the impetus for the behavior, but we have found certain medications very helpful in suppressing symptoms. Your veterinarian should be able to discuss these with you, or you may wish to be referred to a specialist in these cases....


Best of luck..

Answer 6

I have a long haired tom and he kept on going bald on his back. He was constantly licking and pulling out the hair. It seems that he is allergic to something that he lays in. The only cure for him is injections and he has them at least 6 times a year. I've tried to follow him but he's quick and it's not fair to keep him in so I don't know what it is that he's allergic to.

Answer 7

your poor cat have you tried being firm with your vet and insisting a resolution u say you have tried lots of vets have you tried calling a animal charity to c if they can recommend a highly recommend vet may b costly but if your cat has suffered for two years must b worth it i would say mites but something that simple like mites or flea allergy would be the first thing any vet should check for best of luck

Answer 8

2 years? Have you yet to take him to a vet? Its either an allergy or cat mange. Its suffering, take it now and get sone medication for his poor rear.

Answer 9

Whatever this problem is, everything you learn on here, or even by calling your own vet will be a guess, he needs to be examined. You must take him to the vet for examination...NOW. If he has been like it for two weeks he must feel awful. It could be infestation of something or an allergy?? The vet will find out and treat him accordingly.

Answer 10

Take him to the vet. If it's not due to bugs it could possibly be due to stress,anxiety, or some sort of allergy. My cat developed an allergy later in her life so that could be a possiblity.