cat hair loss

[frankofile]

My 4 year old shorthaired tortoiseshell moggie has recently suffered hair loss on the insides of her legs, and the area is now almost bald. It is not bothering her, she is not grooming or scratching it. Is it anything to worry about, possibly the sign of any underlying condition. thanks in advance

[showcatbenga]

There could be a number of reasons; one is flea allergy & you won't necessarily see her over grooming.
Another could be a hormone imbalance. Although neither are immediately life threatening a trip to the vets is what is required to check out the cause properly. Make an appointment sometime next week & you will be surprised at how quick her fur grows back..

[frankofile]

thanks showcatbenga for your reply. I will take her to the vets but I'm not convinced about a flea allergy as she is very regularly treated for fleas and none of our other cats is affected

[showcatbenga]

As you flea treatment regimen is so strict I would agree that that is the most unlikely but hormone imbalance is surprisingly common in neutered cats - both male & female. Also possible but unlikely from these symptoms is a food allergy. sure it's nothing serious - x.

[Noweia]

This is the most common presentation in cats of a flea allergy dermatitis. The bald bits are bue to over-grooming, which you won't neccessarily see.

How often do you treat for fleas and what treatment do you use?

Failing fleas it could be another sort of allergy or behavioural issue, e.g. stress.

[frankofile]

thanx Noweia, Amber is flea treated every4-6 weeks for fleas and worms. She spends no time grooming her inside legs. I think my mane fear is an underlying hormone condition like diabetes as she is a great fat lazy tortoiseshell, tho' otherwise healthy. catches mice, runs up trees etc. I obviously don't want my pet to suffer, and she seems perfectly happy. but I am concerned about the cost of vets bills which I can't afford if there is nothing seriously wrong. Obviously if she needs treatment I will get it but that is why I am seeking answerbank answes first

[Noweia]

What flea treatment product do you use?

Do you see her scratching anyehere else, e.g. behind her ears? Do the insides of her ears look mucky?

And does it look like this?
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y55/Noweia/Ba ldcat.jpg

[frankofile]

Hi noweia, thanx for the pic, yes it does look like that though not so bad. what is it?

[Noweia]

You still haven't answered my question about flea treatment :P

The cat in the picture had flea allergy dermatitis.

[frankofile]

Thanks Noweia , We have our cats deflead with Frontline as per our vets recommendation . We don't go to the local supermarket and buy cheap deflearers but rely on our vet to give good advise . Frankofile

[showcatbenga]

if you are really concerned about the cost of a vet trip you can talk it through with them on the phone or in person before you even book an appointment. They should be able to outline the basic costs & you may be able to come to an arrangement to pay them in installments. If this still seems prohibative then you can contact the pdsa or the blue cross who will help you with the costs or provide free treatment
Don't worry about a hormone imbalance it's usually/ mostly just a course of 'ovarid' tablets which are relatively cheap - you can also ask your vet for just the prescription & then buy your cat's meds on the internet. My vets charged me over �9 for 8 'ovarid' this included a dispensing charge but I got them for about 65p each from an internet supplier, tou still have to have a prescription which you can scan & email or post.

[Noweia]

It's good that you're using a good flea control product. That doesn't rule out flea allergy completely (it only takes a few bites for a reaction to occur) but makes it less likely.

The reason not all cats in a house are affected is because not all cats have the allergy.

This type of hair loss using to be called 'endocrine associated alopecia' because it was thought that the symmetrical pattern was due to hormones. Now we know that its caused by an allergy or sensitivity to something the cat comes across and is usually caused by over-grooming of the affected area. Cats can be really secretive about this so you won't always see them at it!

There is a list of diseases here:
http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=1& cat=1338&articleid=195

Note that ones like Cushing's and hyperthroidis are not likely in a cat as young as yours.

In any event, it is likely your cat will require some form of treatment to break the cycle, so you'll need to go to a vet to get it sorted.

If there's anything on the list you don't understand, feel free to post your questions here and I'll attempt to answer them!

[frankofile]

Thank you eveyone for your advice. It's really good to know there are so many people out there prepared to answer other peoples questions. Tomorrow I'm going to bite the bullet and take Amber to the vets

[Noweia]

Let us know how you get on :)

[frankofile]

Amber saw the Vet today. He doesn't think it's flea dermatitus. Her skin shows no sign of scratching or redness. He mentioned ovarid but is reluctant to use it. for the moment we are going to watch and wait. he has changed her flea treatment to promeris

[Noweia]

Thanks for letting us know :)