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#1
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Hair Loss
My long haired 4-5 yr. old Isabelle is losing more hair around her hind
quarters. We adopted her around 2 years ago and she came with a bald belly (they had shaved her to look for her spay scar) but long hair everywhere else and thick hair on her hind legs. Her tummy hair appeared to be making a come back but she only seemed to grow back a fine, sparse underfur. Now she's losing hair from her hind legs, around her anus and the underside of her tail where it joins her body. She had a vet visit very recently to get her shots and I asked the vet about the bald belly then. He said not to worry it would grow back when she went through the next shed. Sounded like a lot of BS to me and I'm thinking a change in vet is in order. She is an inside only cat as are all of my cats so it's not fleas (I checked anyway). The skin looks healthy and is soft with no dryness or flaking. She has lost a little less than 2 lbs over the last year but we had her on a diet (no free feeding, less dry, more canned) so she now weighs a little better than 12 lbs. and appears to be at a healthy weight (still has meat on her bones but she has a waist and you can find ribs if you go looking). I've increased her food intake a little recently to maintain her weight where it is. She has started that cough/gagging again just recently too. When I asked the vet about it before he said it was hairball related. She has never gagged one of them up though. She doesn't do any coughing over the summer or winter so it could be related to seasonal sheds. I've been giving her petromalt in case that is what it is. She is in the same room with us most of the time and I don't see her doing excessive grooming. She's been a lot more affectionate since we had Tigger PTS and had been getting a lot more attention than she used to as a result so it doesn't seem to be stress related as nothing else has changed around here. Any thoughts? W |
#2
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Hair Loss
"Wendy" wrote in message . .. My long haired 4-5 yr. old Isabelle is losing more hair around her hind quarters. We adopted her around 2 years ago and she came with a bald belly (they had shaved her to look for her spay scar) but long hair everywhere else and thick hair on her hind legs. Her tummy hair appeared to be making a come back but she only seemed to grow back a fine, sparse underfur. Now she's losing hair from her hind legs, around her anus and the underside of her tail where it joins her body. Wendy, you may recall that my shelter cat came with a bald "bikini" area and I thought it was odd that the fur never grew back. Like your Isabelle, there was just fine, sparse fur there for three years after her spay. As it turns out, she was licking it off! She began doing this after she was spayed, and continued. How do I know? Because when she began licking a spot on her side bald, I figured out that there was something bothering her, fixed it, and the hair on her side AND her belly grew in! (Her much more assertive sister was invading her turf, including lying on her very own guest room bed, trying to get closer to me. I fixed this by seeking out the other cat and spending time with her elsewhere.) That was issue number 1. Issue number 2 is that my cat has that EGC complex [Look he http://www.marvistavet.com/html/eosi...granuloma.html so often seen in cats that have both allergies and asthma, so in addition to the anxiety grooming, she is itchy and overgrooms in between Depo shots. When I notice it I give her Chlortrimeton (2 mgs every twelve hours for maybe two days) and it seems to relieve her itchiness. Do you ever notice bumps on the backs of Isabelle's legs, or sores on her mouth? You mentioned that she is coughing. It sure sounds like the EGC/asthma combo my cat has. I have to agree that it is time to get a new vet, given your other comments. When you said this: She doesn't do any coughing over the summer or winter so it could be related to seasonal sheds. I thought to myself, "or, to seasonal allergies that exacerbate asthma." Also, allergies without asthma produce enough mucus to choke cats up. Just as with us, when there is an irritant there mucus is produced to salve it. She's been a lot more affectionate since we had Tigger PTS and had been getting a lot more attention than she used to as a result so it doesn't seem to be stress related as nothing else has changed around here. Could it be that the death of Tigger has stressed her out more, causing the overgrooming that then causes both the baldness AND the hairball coughing? |
#3
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Hair Loss
"cybercat" wrote in message ... "Wendy" wrote in message . .. My long haired 4-5 yr. old Isabelle is losing more hair around her hind quarters. We adopted her around 2 years ago and she came with a bald belly (they had shaved her to look for her spay scar) but long hair everywhere else and thick hair on her hind legs. Her tummy hair appeared to be making a come back but she only seemed to grow back a fine, sparse underfur. Now she's losing hair from her hind legs, around her anus and the underside of her tail where it joins her body. Wendy, you may recall that my shelter cat came with a bald "bikini" area and I thought it was odd that the fur never grew back. Like your Isabelle, there was just fine, sparse fur there for three years after her spay. As it turns out, she was licking it off! She began doing this after she was spayed, and continued. How do I know? Because when she began licking a spot on her side bald, I figured out that there was something bothering her, fixed it, and the hair on her side AND her belly grew in! (Her much more assertive sister was invading her turf, including lying on her very own guest room bed, trying to get closer to me. I fixed this by seeking out the other cat and spending time with her elsewhere.) That was issue number 1. Issue number 2 is that my cat has that EGC complex [Look he http://www.marvistavet.com/html/eosi...granuloma.html so often seen in cats that have both allergies and asthma, so in addition to the anxiety grooming, she is itchy and overgrooms in between Depo shots. When I notice it I give her Chlortrimeton (2 mgs every twelve hours for maybe two days) and it seems to relieve her itchiness. Do you ever notice bumps on the backs of Isabelle's legs, or sores on her mouth? You mentioned that she is coughing. It sure sounds like the EGC/asthma combo my cat has. I have to agree that it is time to get a new vet, given your other comments. When you said this: She doesn't do any coughing over the summer or winter so it could be related to seasonal sheds. I thought to myself, "or, to seasonal allergies that exacerbate asthma." Also, allergies without asthma produce enough mucus to choke cats up. Just as with us, when there is an irritant there mucus is produced to salve it. She's been a lot more affectionate since we had Tigger PTS and had been getting a lot more attention than she used to as a result so it doesn't seem to be stress related as nothing else has changed around here. Could it be that the death of Tigger has stressed her out more, causing the overgrooming that then causes both the baldness AND the hairball coughing? I would be amazed if Tigger's passing did anything more than make Izzy a happier camper. They both wanted the position of big-kahuna-queen-of-household-I-eat-first and as Tigger had claimed that position many, many years prior, she wasn't giving it up just because the newer, younger whipper-snapper came in the house. Isabelle has always gotten along with the two boys and has played mother to both of them since they were kittens. I don't know what it is that could be stressing her out. I'll have to ask around and see if I can get a recommendation for a vet who is good with allergy issues then. I'm really annoyed that the regular vet just blew it off W |
#4
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Hair Loss
I wouldn't complain if she is losing hair around her anus. I have to
have Tiger groomed in that area to prevent "klingons". Tiger is not cooperative about this so he has to be tranquilized. ---MIKE--- In the White Mountains of New Hampshire (44° 15' N - Elevation 1580') |
#5
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Hair Loss
"---MIKE---" wrote in message ... I wouldn't complain if she is losing hair around her anus. I have to have Tiger groomed in that area to prevent "klingons". Tiger is not cooperative about this so he has to be tranquilized. ---MIKE--- In the White Mountains of New Hampshire (44° 15' N - Elevation 1580') lol I was thinking about that this morning. Isabelle never had any dingleberries though, so there isn't any up side to her looking bald from behind. |
#6
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Hair Loss
"Wendy" wrote I would be amazed if Tigger's passing did anything more than make Izzy a happier camper. They both wanted the position of big-kahuna-queen-of-household-I-eat-first and as Tigger had claimed that position many, many years prior, she wasn't giving it up just because the newer, younger whipper-snapper came in the house. Isabelle has always gotten along with the two boys and has played mother to both of them since they were kittens. I don't know what it is that could be stressing her out. You have probably noticed what creatures of habit cats are. The same school of thought that tells humans that any change is stressful, even "good change" may apply here. I'll have to ask around and see if I can get a recommendation for a vet who is good with allergy issues then. I'm really annoyed that the regular vet just blew it off You deserve a better vet and so do your cats. Have you noticed any bumps on Isabelle's legs, on the back of her back legs? |
#7
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Hair Loss
"cybercat" wrote in message ... "Wendy" wrote I would be amazed if Tigger's passing did anything more than make Izzy a happier camper. They both wanted the position of big-kahuna-queen-of-household-I-eat-first and as Tigger had claimed that position many, many years prior, she wasn't giving it up just because the newer, younger whipper-snapper came in the house. Isabelle has always gotten along with the two boys and has played mother to both of them since they were kittens. I don't know what it is that could be stressing her out. You have probably noticed what creatures of habit cats are. The same school of thought that tells humans that any change is stressful, even "good change" may apply here. I'll have to ask around and see if I can get a recommendation for a vet who is good with allergy issues then. I'm really annoyed that the regular vet just blew it off You deserve a better vet and so do your cats. Have you noticed any bumps on Isabelle's legs, on the back of her back legs? I checked last night - no bumps. No nothing except normal looking kitty legs with sparse hair and nice soft pink skin showing through. |
#8
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Hair Loss
"Wendy" wrote I checked last night - no bumps. No nothing except normal looking kitty legs with sparse hair and nice soft pink skin showing through. Well, good! That at least means that Isabelle has no active linear granuloma lesions. Of the skin bumps that EGC causes, these are the rarest, though. (The name comes from the fact that they are in a straight line up the back of the cat's legs.) Anyway, "granuloma" is just a fancy word for BUMP. ("a solid grouping of inflammatory cells coming together in a lump or solid structure.") Maybe she has no EGC at all! But the good thing about a cat having EGC is, even though it is annoying and makes for an itchy cat who needs steroids or other anti-imflammatory drugs, it is pretty much harmless. Here is that site again that explains the itchiness of EGC etc.: http://www.marvistavet.com/html/eosi...granuloma.html Two other signs of EGC are the plaque and the ulcer. The ulcer starts as a swelling on the lip and gets nasty pretty quick unless you get some steroids into the cat. The plaque, from the above web site: "THE EOSINOPHILIC PLAQUE This lesion typically looks like a raised thickened raw area of skin usually on the belly, inner thigh, or throat area. Cats with these lesions are commonly extremely itchy. A microscope slide pressed onto the affected area often picks up numerous eosinophils which can be detected under the microscope thus confirming this condition. Cats with this condition generally have increased circulating eosinophils in their bloodstreams as well." It could be something else, but hopefully it is EGC, stress, or allergy because all are treatable and you can find relief for Isabelle and for yourself, having to look at a half-bald kitty. Let us know what the new vet says, and good luck. |
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