Hair loss in HyperT cat

Preface: we're going to the vet on Saturday...

PJ has HyperT, and has for 2.5 years now. She's managed on liquid methimazole and has been fine for quite a long time. Normally, the only symptom that she's getting out of whack is that she loses weight - which she doesn't seem to be doing.

Instead, this time, she seems to be losing hair. She's a huge belly rub cat, so we've gotten a really good look at her belly over the past few days, and it's... hairless. You never used to be able to see her nipples or belly through her hair, and now, a lot of it is just exposed, revealing a nice little pink belly!

She does not constantly groom, and I don't think she's grooming any more than normal. She has no hairloss anywhere else on her body. I think she's starting to eat a little more than usual, so I'm sure her HyperT is on the upswing again. There have been no changes in environment or food.

My question: have any of you with HyperT cats seen something like this, and will adjusting the dose of medication cause her hair to return? Like I said, we're taking her in to get tested, but I figured it couldn't hurt to ask about other people's experiences!

Thanks!

I think the tests will likely give you the answers you need. Hairloss can actually be a sign of hypothyroidism, so it's possible her medication dose is a bit too high. Spot never had that particular side effect, but I would imagine that normalizing the levels would result in the hair growing back. Has PJ gained any weight?

Originally Posted by cloud_shade

I think the tests will likely give you the answers you need. Hairloss can actually be a sign of hypothyroidism, so it's possible her medication dose is a bit too high. Spot never had that particular side effect, but I would imagine that normalizing the levels would result in the hair growing back. Has PJ gained any weight?

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She's gained to get almost back to normal (she'd lost 4 pounds as this was all starting up and was never able to gain it back until now). She has gone hypo before, but maybe it's more severe this time. Then again, she's not acting hypo (at least from my human with HypoT perspective - she's active, playful, etc).

She just looks weird without hair... it finally got me worried.

When Spot was hypo briefly, he was still agitated. He was wandering around meowing like crazy. When I told my vet his symptoms, she was sure his thyroid level would be high. I had a feeling it was low because his ears were really cold--when his T4 was high, they would get really warm. Sure enough, his level was 0.3.

The tests will tell you for sure which it is.

Originally Posted by cloud_shade

When Spot was hypo briefly, he was still agitated. He was wandering around meowing like crazy. When I told my vet his symptoms, she was sure his thyroid level would be high. I had a feeling it was low because his ears were really cold--when his T4 was high, they would get really warm. Sure enough, his level was 0.3.

The tests will tell you for sure which it is.

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Well, we visited the vet - and PJ is fine, thyroid-wise.
(even better, she's up to 11.75 pounds, which is fantastic!)

We're thinking it's an allergy (less likely) - or possibly stress. We'll work with that from there and see how things go. I really hope her hair grows back as we sort her out - her poor belly is cold!

That's great news! Congrats on the extra pounds, PJ! What food are you feeding her? Perhaps switching will help (but as my vet always reminds me, changes from a food change can take up to 3 months to take effect).