Seriously worried: cat with large bare patches in his fur

My black whippet loses fur on her bottom and back legs every winter. It happens to a lot of black or blue dogs: something to do with a colour dilution gene ( or something like that). I wonder if something similar happens to black or blue cats? (it grows back in the spring).

Apparently cats can get something called a hot patch, no idea how it starts but is made worse by the cat overgrooming. All I know for sure is that it is expensive!

Poor pusses! I'm glad our boy doesn't go out. I hope the vet gets to the bottom of your cat's problem.

Fleas and tapeworm are interrelated. Which is why regular worming is so important.

That was to LadyGracie.

Tell me about it!

When I had a dog and two cats thedog often got bald patches from the cat fleas although the cats didn’t and I had them all
de flead but it just didn’t help my lovely dog

He has a vet appointment soon I’ll have to ask if there is anything I can use to soothe his skin.
I think he must be the most expensive moggy ever.

I hope you soon see an improvement. It’s good that he isn’t breaking his skin. Poor little chap. Might the vet be able to prescribe a soothing lotion for the bald spots which won’t harm Paddy if ingested?

That’s exactly what we’re thinking Barleyfield and we’ve got the Feliway plug-in and spray which I use under the blanket in his bed so it doesn’t get on him and possibly cause more irritation. He doesn’t groom to the point of breaking skin, thank goodness.

I wonder if he’s stressed by something? Might a Feliway plug-in relax him a little?

If you’re asking about Paddy Barleyfields yes, his thyroid function has been tested.

Any other suggestions or advice welcome. We’re at the end of our tether.

Hope Tigger is OK. I try to worm out cats every 3 months to stop them getting worms - especially the one that goes outdoors

Has his thyroid function been tested?

This is my Paddy, he’s had every test known to man over the last few months, no ringworm, no fleas, he is flea’d monthly, wormed quarterly and there is no evidence of any skin condition, just constant over grooming.

Steroids and antihistamines do not help, it’s just how he is, unfortunately.

Thanks, Tigger is regrowing his fur, now we have got rid of the tapeworm. Not that that will last as he eats some of the mice he catches.
The vet said definitely not mange , and both cats have a pill against fleas every month.

We had a guinea pig which went bald in patches. It turned out he had mange from mites, probably from the straw I was using for his bedding, the vet said.

I had to put him in a bucket to shampoo him, not an easy task.

Hope the cat recovers well.

It can also be caused by an under active thyroid. A blood test will show that up. Easily corrected by tablets (probably for life).

One of dogs managed to contract mange, we had nesting foxes at edge of our garden. It looks awful, but can be treated.

I would have been worried it could be mange caught from foxes.

Our cats are regularly wormed and de-flead. Don't you do this on a regular schedule?

My cat overgrooms himself and has bald patches on all his legs.
He has recently been tested for ringworm and mites. He has a flea tablet every month and worm pill every 3 months, as recommended.
The vet thought it could be a food allergy, he now has hypoallergenic food, it’s made no difference, he is on a low dose of steroids and has salmon oil daily, his fur is in beautiful condition, black and silky.
My next step is to try antihistamines, fingers crossed.

I had this problem with George. He started going bald round his genitals and inner thighs.

The reason turned out to be hormonal, something to do with being castrated when he was too young. The people we got him from had told us he was older than he was and the vet didn't query if he was too young.

He had to take tablets daily for the rest of his life.

I repeat your advice to "get to the vet pronto" if your cat is losing fur.

Get well soon Tigger.

Thought I'd just bump this up.
Hope Tigger is OK.