My cat is losing her hair on her stomach, legs and under tail!?

Question

My cat licks herself constantly. I have taken her to the vet and he thinks it's dermatitis. She is losing her hair on her lower half because she is licking herself so much. I think I may need to get a second opinon because the meds he gave are not helping. He gave her a shot, that seemed to help at first, but now she's back at it again. They checked her for worms and fleas and found nothing. She's done this once before when I had new carpet in my house, but since had been fine. She's eaten the same cat food for years, so it couldn't be a food allergy all of a sudden could it? Please Help!!

Answer 1

could be a nervous disorder she's developed, in which case there is probably something that's triggered it (like the person above's cat picking on the other one), although without going into the cats mind it would be awfully hard to figure out just what did.

can't hurt to ask about it, but mange is very very rare in cats and generally hits the head first with scabs & lesions developing from the scratching.

i'd most likely suspect an allergy...most common ones are food, inhaled (like what prolly happend with your carpet as it releases fumes & chemicals when new ones are put in) & contact items (like flea collars). only thing required to develop an allergy is to have been exposed to it once before. (there was a vet who developed an allergy to animals after being in practice for over 15 yrs). not to mention, the food maker may have changed things on their end and you'd never know. so yes, it's possible that it's food related. duck and pea based foods are good for allergies, stay away from beef, lamb & dairy - try swtiching your cat over to something hypoallergenic and see if that changes anything. the shot was probably a cortisone-type med - maybe talking to your vet about a daily dose of something like benedryl would be beneficial? although you wouldn't want to give any meds during a trial with a new food. [ed. long-term steroids can cause health issues, but short term is not likely going to cause something like diabetes.] without getting the reason under control, you can't stop the cat from itching & licking.

there are allergy tests for animals, maybe you should look into one for your cat? it can be expensive depending on which test they try, but in the long run may be worth it.

Answer 2

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Answer 3

Cat Losing Hair On Stomach

Answer 4

Everyone who said it could be food allergy is absolutely right. When an animal has been on the same food for years is exactly when it is most likely to develop an allergy! Talk to your vet about a hypoallergenic diet trial with something like Hill's z/d or Royal Canin Sensitivity RD/VR (the latter is what my cats are on and they have done great!)
The problem may not be food allergy at all but you need to rule things out 1 thing at a time in order to help your cat and figure this out. If your vet seems unable or unwilling to help you with this problem ask for referral to a dermatologist or get a second opinion.

Answer 5

It actually could be an allergy as my cat did the same, on food she'd eaten for years. Allergies can take time to build up. What kind of shot did she get? If it was steroids, did your vet tell you that it can sometimes cause diabetes?

What is the food that she gets? If it has wheat, corn, beef or fish and is a dry food then your best bet is to try a canned food that doesn't have any of those ingredients and see if that works. It did for my cat and we've never regretted switching.

Edited to add
I wouldn't suggest Hills products even ZD as the ingredients really aren't species specific (ie they are crap). Instead you could find others like IVD that don't have grains, aren't dry food, and contain novel proteins like rabbit.

Answer 6

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RE:
My cat is losing her hair on her stomach, legs and under tail!?
My cat licks herself constantly. I have taken her to the vet and he thinks it's dermatitis. She is losing her hair on her lower half because she is licking herself so much. I think I may need to get a second opinon because the meds he gave are not helping. He gave her a shot, that seemed to...

Answer 7

One of my cats has periods of constantly washing and almost sucking at his fur, leaving bald patches.. My vet said it could be something he picked up in the garden, a kind of tick or similar. But it can also be a sign of stress and all my 3 cats are being bullied by at least one other cat who has on occasions come into our house. I'm afraid he is not the bravest! Could be that when you got the new carpet, the change affected her.
I should get a 2nd opinion.

Answer 8

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Answer 9

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Answer 10

Possibly she has another parasite bothering her or perhaps it is stress. My sister's cat did the same thing for a while and our vet said worms or stress. Stress can make a cat over groom causing the hair loss. I would definately agree with getting a second opinion from another vet. Other than that look for possible causes of stress. Good luck!! :)