Ask Me Help Desk

Ask Me Help Desk (https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/forum.php)
-   Cats (https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/forumdisplay.php?f=418)
-   -   Cat losing belly hair? (https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/showthread.php?t=151556)

  • Nov 13, 2007, 08:02 AM
    charlotte234s
    Cat losing belly hair?
    I have a little cat, she is about 3 years old but she was the runt of her litter. She lives in the house and doesn't have fleas or ticks or mange or anything like that, but the hair on her lower belly is getting thinner and thinner. She's not sick or anything, just losing hair/thinning hair, and it's strange. What might this be from?

    Her belly was covered in white fur but now I can see the pink and gray splotched skin underneath. She's brown and black striped/tabby with a white belly, white chin, white chest patch, white toes, could it have to do with genes or something?

    I just am concerned, I love that little kitty so much!
  • Nov 13, 2007, 08:11 AM
    charlotte234s
    Also I just took a picture of her belly area with my phone that I can upload if anyone needs to see it to help.


    *Also about a million and a half pictures of her just being precious... XD
  • Nov 13, 2007, 11:39 AM
    katieperez
    What kind of food does she eat? Diet has a great deal to do with the health of an animals skin and coat. I have a dog that if not fed Iams formulated for sensitive skin and stomachs, he looses his hair. Mainly on his hind quarters. On the special food, his coat is healthy and shiny. My older cat, Snoops, has a very sensitive digestive tract. It mostly came with age, he's 13. Anyway, he needs to be fed Purina Naturals. If not, he pukes at least every other day. The food he's on contains no coloring or additives. How old is your kitty? Do you bathe her yourself?
  • Nov 13, 2007, 09:27 PM
    charlotte234s
    She eats a mixed diet of tuna fish in water, tuna fish in oil, pink salmon, sometimes some jack mackerel.. and some hard cat kibble kind of food, (always has access to clean water)and every once in a while she gets a slice of ham shredded up. She's always ate the same thing though so I am wondering why it's just happening now.

    She is totally healthy and everything, so it's just weird.

    She is about 3 maybe 3 and a half now, she was born in our home, and she keeps herself pretty clean, but if she gets into something and gets messy I do bathe her myself, but I just fill the bathtub up a few inches with warmish water and drop in a teaspoon of baby shampoo and wash her with a towel.
  • Nov 14, 2007, 08:46 PM
    froggy7
    That's a lot of fish that your cat is eating. Tuna is really not all that healthy for cats (it lacks vitamin E, and if it's deboned, it's low in several minerals and calcium). Fish is also one of the proteins that are likely to cause allergies in cats. And one of the most common symptoms of food allergies is hair loss and itchy skin. And before you say that you have always fed her this with no problems: allergies tend to arise because you have become sensitized to the allergen. Which generally takes repeated exposures. So it could be that you have just now reached the point where the allergy takes affect.

    If I were you, I'd try cutting the fish out of the diet, go to a good-quality commercial cat food (and read the ingredients carefully, since a lot of them have fish in them), and see if that helps the situation.
  • Nov 14, 2007, 08:48 PM
    charlotte234s
    She eats about the same amount of commercial cat food as she does fish, I just vary the fish so she doesn't have the same kind all the time. I will try to reduce her intake, but it will be hard as the other cats will freak if I take away their fish. XD
  • Nov 16, 2007, 07:52 PM
    froggy7
    You might try giving them canned catfood instead of the fish. It's more balanced, and the cats will probably enjoy it just as much.
  • Nov 16, 2007, 07:59 PM
    charlotte234s
    We do feed her some canned cat food. I have been only feeding her commercial cat food since the suggestion was made but still her hair is falling out in that one little patch. I am going to take her to the vet next week to make sure she didn't get into something bad.

  • All times are GMT -7. The time now is 09:00 AM.