Hairless Tummy and Hind Legs

KTWT said:

 
Hi everyone, just wanted to say I am in a similar boat and that's why I joined the forum.

I have been noticing a balding spot on the back of my cat's hind leg recently, but today I could see even more skin and took a closer look. It feels tender, but I attribute that to the baldness as his other hind leg feels like that too. I haven't noticed him licking excessively, and his tummy is not balding like some of the other cats mentioned here. He is not limping or acting differently.

I'd like to try to eliminate some of the possible reasons for this myself first, especially because my cat HATES the vet and is always very stressed after a visit even after sedation. I don't want to put him through that unless I have to. I'm going to start at what I feel is the bottom and get a new and super-clean cat litter box. Even though the litter is scooped daily, I've seen how he squats when peeing and can see how some chemical buildup on the corners (he uses these the most) could have gotten on his hind leg. Will update with results soon. Hope they are good.

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Update.

Got a brand new box, and cleaned my cat's legs and bottom well with a warm wet washcloth before I let him use the new box. After a couple weeks I noticed the hair on my cat's hind leg began growing back. By now there is no baldness at all. I am very glad (and lucky!) that a worrying problem had such a simple solution for us.

They sell 'calming treats' on Amazon that may help if it is from stress, otherwise you should invest in some Pill Pockets for cats. I just can't pill mine either, but with those pockets, they either gobble up the pill inside, or you can tear a piece off and 'cement' the pill to a favorite treat (or bacon) that is what I do, and my cat just gobbles it up! Good luck!

My cat hair is sheading on her tummy and hind leg.  It never ocurred to me that she was maybe eating it.  I just assume that since is was getting old she was sheading hair.  I have changed her cat food to Grain free.  I will see what happens.

Mybe I should try these treats.  I will tell you the results, if any.  Thanks

Frontline is available online, such as ebay, and it's cheaper that way

Hi I know I'm replying to an old post, I hope by now you have sorted out your kitty's problem but I think that this following link might be of help to some of the people posting here on the subject of hair loss on the stomach and thighs:  

http://www.canidae.com/blog/2012/08/psychogenic-alopecia-in-cats.html

One of my rescued kitties Leonard, after years of the same food, litter etc suddenly lost his hair on his tummy overnight, just pulled it out, next the hair on the inside and back of his thighs. The only change in his life, I was attempting to seduce a new feral cat. I had seen Leonard the day before staring at me with that accusing stare we cat lovers know so well. Since then, he has been by turns dismissive of me or extremely clingy and affectionate.  I immediately suspected an emotional cause, couldn't find any lumps tenderness or rash but took him to the vet who agreed that jealousy could be the cause. Poor Leonard! I felt terrible, have been giving him a lot of extra smooching, head butting and loving. He appears to be fine in every other way, eating with gusto being and apart from his obvious distress at the thought of a rival seems healthy. 

It may be that some of the other posters here have cats an emotional cause to their alopecia, it's worth considering if nothing else is obvious. I now just accept that Leonard has a new hair style and needs a lot of reassurance and extra love. Hope this helps.

My Kitty has managed to overgroom herself as well...  I was just looking at the avatar photo of her that I am using, and I see just how much hair she's licked away... 

I live in a busy city, and the apartment building right next door is being renovated.  The work started October of 2015, and it's been noisy and unplasant for me, and much moreso for Kitty.  She has the added stress of "1st Floor Cat", a little sweetie that I adopted from her owner who couldn't keep her anymore...  Kitty and 1st floor cat still do not interact.  Kitty is a tripod, and has decided she will not ever go downstairs, and she is not one to be picked up, held, or carried, so she's upstairs all the time.

I only first noticed her belly seemed a bit "bald" a couple months ago.  I thought maybe she was just a little fat, and her dragging herself around when playing or walking around was how she rubbed the hair off.  Now I see she has licked the entire inside of her rear leg, and she's done some bald spots on each of her front legs as well.  Very discouraging.  I didn't think she was doing this to herself until I couldn't sleep one night.  She was up in bed with me, and started grooming herself, and I observed it's the same spot, grooming for 5 minutes at a time.

We are using Feliway in the house; I now have 4 diffusers in service.

I am trying to add some "calming" treat (active ingredient is "Colostrum Complex" along w/ B vitamin and L-theanine.)  She won't eat the treats, but they are easily powdered, so I sprinkle and mix with her food.  I'm also moving her to duck and potato kibble, from ScienceDiet "healthy weight" chicken food, just in case it's a food thing, although I don't see her scratching much.

So frustrated, I cannot make the construction noise go away from next door, she has now rejected 3 of her old "hideaways" (2 closets and her "igloo" cat bed), so she's either out on her pillow, or under the covers in my bed, but on high alert so much of the time.  I can't even engage her to play, to maybe burn off some of that anxiety...

Mostly just venting here, but its at least reassuring to know this is somewhat common...

. 

You might want to check the food again---they now add peas in place of grains so they can still claim it is grain-free.  Don't think peas are what cats ate in the wilds----

It's been a few months since I last posted, but Kitty's hair is starting to grow back in on her belly and her legs! 

I think this was mostly a stress/anxiety reaction to a lot of loud noise and construction going on directly next door.  And by "next door", I mean about 2 feet away! Urban area here, lots are only 25' wide, homes usually 20', with ~3' on one side (the "gangway") and often a token space between buildings. I have a modest frame home, next to a brick apartment building that has been stripped/gutted.  There's been a lot of noise, inside and out, but things are starting to slow down now as they come to completion, and Kitty seems more relaxed, finally.

I am still so very disheartened that she has decided she will not try to go downstairs, as a tripod. She often cries now at the top of the stairs, and it breaks my heart, because I'm often just not able to go upstairs and keep her company. She does have me overnight, as my bedroom is upstairs, and she can make it up on my bed, and I try to engage her in some play every day, but lately she is bored with what I try to do.  She will not use the stairs.  And poor 1st floor cat (front declaw, adopted from a friend) is really pretty lonesome, as well, on days I'm working and all the time I'm sleeping upstairs.  At least she has not developed any nervous tics....

Dragonfly7 said:

 
You might want to check the food again---they now add peas in place of grains so they can still claim it is grain-free.  Don't think peas are what cats ate in the wilds----

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The foods are a mess. Try to find one with NO chicken ANYTHING, for example.  The "Duck and Rice", that's supposed to be "good for food sensitivities"?  It contains CHICKEN, just like what she's been eating.  I can't even find a kibble without chicken in it. 

The grain free stuff, where they put in peas or sweet potatoes or brown rice instead?  Yeah, I don't think they ate that in the wild, either.

If I could afford it, I'd mix up my own food, but it's work, I'm lazy, and it's not exactly cheap, is it?  I'd be happy to just get them off kibble, but these two are REALLY wet food resistant.  I've not found a thing, not even the oft hailed "chicken baby food", that they'll eat.

I am having the same problem with Reese. He is short hair orange tabby. I recently adopted my family toy poodle and noticed that Reese started itching a lot and licking. I took him to the vet and they found one flea that was driving him crazy. Well, the flea is gone but he still licks and licks to the point he has licked all his hair off of his stomach and off of his legs. I use LightWeight litter and am bad at changing his litter out. I am worried it is either stress caused by the poodle.

In the past he's been diagnosed as having food allergies because he would puke all the time after he ate. He has been on grain-free food for 4years now. Even his treats are grain free. No problem with puking anymore.

I use a calming spray to help with any anxiety he may have as well incase this hair loss could be related to anxiety.

Please help! I don't want a hairless cat.

ReeseOmalley said:

I am having the same problem with Reese. He is short hair orange tabby. I recently adopted my family toy poodle and noticed that Reese started itching a lot and licking. I took him to the vet and they found one flea that was driving him crazy. Well, the flea is gone but he still licks and licks to the point he has licked all his hair off of his stomach and off of his legs. I use LightWeight litter and am bad at changing his litter out. I am worried it is either stress caused by the poodle.

In the past he's been diagnosed as having food allergies because he would puke all the time after he ate. He has been on grain-free food for 4years now. Even his treats are grain free. No problem with puking anymore.

I use a calming spray to help with any anxiety he may have as well incase this hair loss could be related to anxiety.

Please help! I don't want a hairless cat.

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• reeseomalley
• Jun 22, 2016

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Calming spray? I never heard of that...but I would like to try it. Have a cat that is about 7 yrs old, and suddenly is hairless on her stomach and hind legs. The vet says allergy to fish...went with all chicken. What I understand is that you use grain free food? What brand... I guess I never looked for it. I have the 2 sisters, but only one is puking and licking. Vet suggested tranquilizers but I don't see any reason for stress. Not after 7 years of the lazy life they have.