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Old October 7th 06, 12:10 AM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
T
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Default My cat has "bald-belly syndrome"

In article ,
says...
One of my three DSH's, a black 9yo neutered male named Ted, recently started
licking the hair on his tummy excessively, leaving a large, downy area of
near-baldness. He also "scrubbed" a couple spots bald on his right foreleg.

I took Ted to the vet yesterday, and was told he doesn't have any sign of
any dermatitis or allergy or skin problem -- it's "bald-belly syndrome."
The vet prescribed 2mgs of Valium for one week, 1 mg for an additional week,
then recheck.

An Internet research reveals that bald-belly syndrome is basically the
feline equivalent of obsessive-compulsive disorder. I read that Valium and
Prozac are sometimes use to treat it.

I've been under a lot of stress in recent months-- personal and family
tragedy, illness, and loss, etc. And stress is contagious. Poor Ted caught
it from me. I feel guilty, I guess.

This particular cat and I are very close. F'rinstance, he sleeps on the
pillow by my head at night. His "baseline" personality is that he is very
vocal, skittish, and goofy -- and he only lets me and sometimes my SO touch
him. Now, with a snootful Valium, he's more whiney, less skittish, clumsy,
and totally glued to me -- on my lap or underfoot at all times, crying when
not.

I would be glad to hear from anybody who has been through this with a cat.
It's just breaking my heart.

ep


Ny little DSH Emily did the same thing. Took her to the vet and the two
prevailing theories were that it was either fleas, which my eldest cat
Randy did not have, or stress. The sold me 6 pack of Advantage flea
control saying that it sometime shelped a nervous cat too.

Trust me, it was stress. Emily is a 1.5 person kitty, mostly Keyron's
but I'm a surrogate when necessary.