Fur loss on legs and paws

About three weeks ago I noticed my cat scratching her head a lot more than usual and biting, licking her paws and legs. When i looked at her paws and legs i noticed small patches of fur loss. I took her to the vet who thought maybe it was ringworm. He gave her a cortisone shot for the itching and medication to start in case the results of her hair sample confirmed ringworm. She seemed to be doing better until the past couple of days. She started the scratching and licking again. I took her for her follow up today. My vet said that the ringworm is negative. He performed a skin scraping for mites and said that appears negative as well. He gave me lime dip to use one time a week in case there is anything there and to follow up in one month. I asked him is it could be stress related as she is a very nervous cat and he did not believe so, but said that medical problems need to be ruled out first. Curious if anyone has thoughts about this....food allergy or seasonal? My vet doesn't seem to think so....oh, it's definitely not fleas. Thanks for feedback!

Since you have ruled out the most common causes, I would think allergies. What is her current diet? Is she allowed outside? Any new changes in her environment?

Having the vet rule out certain things like parasites/mites and fleas is a great start. I'm a huge advocate of blood work, so I always make sure my cats get a blood panel done when I take them in for a certain issue. Some might say this is overkill, but we've caught a lot of issues early on due to proactive blood work.

I am not a vet, but it sounds like contact or food allergies to me, especially since the cortisone shot did work temporarily. It takes some trial and error (and patience) to figure out what the allergen is, but oftentimes the location of the itching/hair loss can be helpful. My sister's cat had hair loss on the belly and inside of legs. Turns out he was allergic to clay, so she had to purchase an alternative non-clay litter. Itching of the face, ears and neck can be an allergy to food, which may or may not be accompanied by gastrointestinal distress. I witnessed this in my Sebastian, who tore his neck up due to a food allergy. Once I switched foods, he stopped scratching. However, this is not to say that a food allergy doesn't show symptoms on other parts of the body, because it can. Cats can pretty much have an allergy to anything...just like humans. (I know this is not what you want to hear!) Some cats are allergic to plastic and certain fibers like wool.

Chemicals can also cause dermatitis. Cleaning products, carpet powders, laundry detergent, insecticides, etc. can cause itching and discomfort if there is a sensitivity.

Try feeding a single protein food like Nature's Variety limited ingredient. Feed only that food for 3 months and see if it clears up. If possible pick a protein your cat has never had before.

My cat had two small dry patches with hair loss and the vet thought it might be a food allergy. Since the diet change it has cleared up and all his fur grew back.

I also started using natural laundry detergent on the sheets because he sleeps in bed with me. Just in case it was a contact allergy.

Thank you for all the feedback! She eats fancy feast poultry and beef (I know it's not the best). I've tried better foods, but she refuses to eat them. Shortly after noticing the fur loss I bought high quality food (duck meat), she didnt eat it. I will certainly try changing her diet again. She's also an indoor cat who occasionally sits on the balcony with me outside, but only for short periods of time. She's definitely not feeling well today, I can tell by her temperament. The vet visit yesterday was fairly traumatic for her having the skin scrape done so this may explain why. I will definitely try to rule out other allergens...maybe the detergent and fabric softener I use is bothering her. Thanks again for the replies, I appreciate it!

jmiller652 said:

My vet said that the ringworm is negative. He performed a skin scraping for mites and said that appears negative as well. He gave me lime dip to use one time a week in case there is anything there and to follow up in one month.

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Huh? I wonder why he would recommend a Lime Sulfur dip once weekly when the RW came back negative. :scratch: I would think that would just make irritated skin even more so. Did he say what his reason was for the weekly dip? I wonder if he is thinking Mange as a Lime Sulfur dip would be for that as well. Just curious on that one. I would also suggest a blood panel.

I agree! I kind of feel my vet wants to rule EVERYTHING out.....but my cat will never tolerate a weekly bath, which I tried to tell him. He said it could be metabolic? Btw, she did get a lion cut in June, subsequent ear infection...nt sure if its related

jmiller652 said:

I agree! I kind of feel my vet wants to rule EVERYTHING out.....but my cat will never tolerate a weekly bath, which I tried to tell him. He said it could be metabolic? Btw, she did get a lion cut in June, subsequent ear infection...nt sure if its related

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If he thought it might be metabolic, then I'm not sure why he wouldn't order blood work. Many metabolic disorders will show up in blood work.

Yes, ear infections can be a result of an allergy.

jmiller652 said:

I agree! I kind of feel my vet wants to rule EVERYTHING out.....but my cat will never tolerate a weekly bath, which I tried to tell him. He said it could be metabolic? Btw, she did get a lion cut in June, subsequent ear infection...nt sure if its related

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Ask the vet why the lime dip and if he mentions mange - then ask about using Revolution for that condition. It is a topical application you dispense on the back of the head and for mange I think it needs to be three weeks apart. The vet will be able to explain all of this to you. Keep us posted!!!

I also think blood work is needed.

Thank you for the information, I will definitely ask my vet about that. I will keep you posted!

I just went through this with my older cat. The vet did scrapings and found no mites or fleas. Asked if I changed food or anything else. I hadn't . At any rate, I got revolution for all three cats, one is the same age as the one taken to the vet and one is a feral kitten I took in. Neither of the other cats had any itching or hair loss. Well, fast forward a few days later and now I have bites and tiny crusts on my back. Even though the kitten was treated days ago, NOW she is starting to scratch, she hadn't before. I looked up mites on the internet and apparently they are not always evident in scrapings, especially if you have a nervous cat (just like mine) with sensitive skin. In other words, she could have scratched them all off.  After application of revolution, my  one cat  seems better, with less insane itching. The vet gave her an antibiotic shot because she had scratched so much the sores could have gotten infected. I don't know why the baby is now scratching like crazy since she also had the revolution. I'm in the process of tearing the house apart. Bagging clothes and some things that can't be washed. Cleaning floors and vacuuming every day and I am exhausted. Be aware that there are some mites that you can get from cats and that the vets can not always find them if the animal ripped itself apart. I'm not trying to scare you, but if you begin to get itchy, then you might have a case of mange on your hands. Not sure what I'm going to do going forward. I bought some neem soap  and gel and seems to help the itching  but the tiny bumps haven't gone away. I'm waiting for a return call from my vet today.

I just wanted to clarify that the neem soap was for myself, not the cats. It can be deadly toxic for them

Oh no, I'm sorry you are going through this. I'm hopeful it is not mites....we just applied revolution to both to cats last Thursday. I will keep a look out for other signs. Thank you for your information, good luck

I think it will be okay. The worst thing ever that we had one year was bird mites. They are different and tough to get rid of. So any sign of something amiss, I go into high gear, just in case.  Supposedly, the mites you can catch from cats will resolve on their own, eventually, since humans aren't a natural host. But you still have to clean the environment just like with fleas, otherwise, they might keep coming back.

Good luck to you. If you're not itchy, it does sound like an allergy.

Just an update....my cats temperament has changed and I observed other symptoms the past few days: increase respiration, weight loss although eating normally, seeking out cool areas to lay down, and her unkept fur. My other cat had hyperthyroidism years ago and i thought some of these symptoms looked similar. I took her back to the vet this morning to get complete labwork done. The vet ran her fingers along the thyroid and did say that although she cannot diagnose a thyroid problem without lab results, she did feel the thyroid and suspects something may be going on. She ordered the routine t4 and additional thyroid labs for more accuracy. The results should be in in 2 days. Just wanted to post an update. I wish I asked or labs to be taken at the first appointment. My cat is so stressed from these visits!

I hope the results help to pinpoint the issue so that you can get her back on track!

You did the right thing and don't blame yourself for not considering EVERYTHING. You thought of it quick enough. I hope that kitty gets better and that her parent has less stress.

Hope to hear on the results and that you will have some answers. It is scary for the kitties having to go back and forth to the vet but it is the only way to get to the bottom of this so don't be hard on yourself! Your doing all you can and your cat knows how much you are trying to help her. Hang in there!