I Have A Old Cat Losing Fur On Her Belly Between Her Back Legs?

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8 Answers

Anonymous Profile
Anonymous answered
This may be for a number of reasons and veterinary
advice should be sought.  A skin condition, underlying disease,
allergy, or parasitic infestation could be causing the fur-loss on
your cat.

One of my cats had the same problem.  In her
case, she was a compulsive groomer.  Some cats may overly-groom
themselves to the point of fur-loss, as their tongues are quite
abrasive and drags the hairs out.  The underbelly and hind legs
are the most accessible for licking and are therefore the first
places to manifest this condition.

Cats will groom themselves for comfort and this is
often seen in the more nervous types, when they are agitated or
suffering from stress.  My cat was for years a very touchy
little girl, very easily upset, nervous, highly stressed, and almost
crazy in her behaviour as a result of traumatic incidents inflicted
by my ex-partner.  She licked her tummy and hind legs to
baldness.  When I finally got rid of him, well, I can't tell you
how her disposition dramatically changed.  The compulsive
licking stopped practically immediately, and within months her nerves
settled down.  She is so far from the upset thing she was and
completely stopped the over-grooming.  All of her fur grew back
and she is quite happy.

Is your cat vomiting a lot of fur-balls?  Have
you observed his/her stools and noticed a lot of fur?  Is he/she
eating a lot of grass?  (Cats will eat grass to expel the hair
from the stomach where it becomes matted.)  If so, then it is likely
that he/she is over-licking.

If your cat is over-licking from stress, find and
rectify the problem.  Is it the environment, somebody causing her the
stress, another animal, or something that upset him/her that he/she
never got over?  Even something seemingly minor can trigger-off this
condition.  Some cats are terrified by the garbage truck coming every
week.  Some animals have been so terrified by firecrackers and never
got over it.  I know someone with a dog that is actually on tablets
because he was so traumatised by firecrackers that he flipped-out and
was never the same again.  Cats are very sensitive creatures.  Yet,
they are extremely tough all the same and will endure all manner of
hardship and discomfort.

If it is indeed stress, then give your cat lots of
love and a peaceful environment.  Cats need to feel secure and safe
in their home.

However, as I stated, please take your cat to a
vet as a skin condition, underlying disease, allergy, or parasitic
infestation could be causing the fur-loss on your kitty.
Anonymous Profile
Anonymous answered
I have had two cats that pulled out their fur. I took the first one to a vet and, although they did blood work and tried several medications, she pulled out the fur on her tummy right up until the day she passed away at the age of 13. My most recent cat started doing the same thing within a month after I brought her into the house (she was a feral kitten until I was able to tame her). I didn't want her to groom compulsively like my previous cat had done. Cats can have allergies too and they have extremely sensitive skin! I did a long study, taking away or changing things around her. I started with changing her food to an expensive prescription diet for a month. There was no change. I changed her kitty shampoo to a fragrance free brand. There was no change. I even changed my own laundry detergent.Than I realized that whatever was causing her pulling was only affecting the UNDERSIDE of her body. I changed the litter to a natural brand found at Sam's Club ( All Natural Litter Clean with Herbal Odor Control). It's good hard clumping litter and it's no more expensive than the Tidy Cats I used to use. You can find natural litter at any specialty pet store, but it will be more expensive. I haven't seen a bald spot since.
Anonymous Profile
Anonymous answered
I have left this same answer to a similar question at:- 
q9977049.html
The fur-loss may be for a number of reasons and veterinary
advice should be sought.  A skin condition, underlying disease,
allergy, or parasitic infestation could be causing the fur-loss on
your cat.

One of my cats had the same problem.  In her
case, she was a compulsive groomer.  Some cats may overly-groom
themselves to the point of fur-loss, as their tongues are quite
abrasive and drags the hairs out.  The underbelly and hind legs
are the most accessible for licking and are therefore the first
places to manifest this condition.

Cats will groom themselves for comfort and this is
often seen in the more nervous types, when they are agitated or
suffering from stress.  My cat was for years a very touchy
little girl, very easily upset, nervous, highly stressed, and almost
crazy in her behaviour as a result of traumatic incidents inflicted
by my ex-partner.  She licked her tummy and hind legs to
baldness.  When I finally got rid of him, well, I can't tell you
how her disposition dramatically changed.  The compulsive
licking stopped practically immediately, and within months her nerves
settled down.  She is so far from the upset thing she was and
completely stopped the over-grooming.  All of her fur grew back
and she is quite happy.

Is your cat vomiting a lot of fur-balls?  Have
you observed his/her stools and noticed a lot of fur?  Is he/she
eating a lot of grass?  (Cats will eat grass to expel the hair
from the stomach where it becomes matted.)  If so, then it is likely
that he/she is over-licking.

If your cat is over-licking from stress, find and
rectify the problem.  Is it the environment, somebody causing her the
stress, another animal, or something that upset him/her that he/she
never got over?  Even something seemingly minor can trigger-off this
condition.  Some cats are terrified by the garbage truck coming every
week.  Some animals have been so terrified by firecrackers and never
got over it.  I know someone with a dog that is actually on tablets
because he was so traumatised by firecrackers that he flipped-out and
was never the same again.  Cats are very sensitive creatures.  Yet,
they are extremely tough all the same and will endure all manner of
hardship and discomfort.

If it is indeed stress, then give your cat lots of
love and a peaceful environment.  Cats need to feel secure and safe
in their home.

However, as I stated, please take your cat to a
vet as a skin condition, underlying disease, allergy, or parasitic
infestation could be causing the fur-loss on your kitty.
Anonymous Profile
Anonymous answered
I have had two cats that pulled out their fur. I took the first one to a vet and, although they did blood work and we tried every medication the vet suggested, she pulled out the fur on her tummy until the day she passed away at the age of 13. My most recent cat started doing the same thing within a month after I brought her into the house. I didn't want her to groom compulsively like my previous cat had done. Cats can have allergies too and they have extremely sensitive skin! I did a long study, taking away or changing things around her. I started with changing her food to an expensive prescription diet for a month. There was no change. I changed her kitty shampoo to a fragrance free brand. There was no change. I even changed my own laundry detergent.Than I realized that whatever was causing her pulling was only affecting the UNDERSIDE of her body. I changed the litter to a natural brand found at Sam's Club ( All Natural Litter Clean with Herbal Odor Control). It's good hard clumping litter and it's no more expensive than the Tidy Cats I used to use. You can find natural litter at any specialty pet store, but it will be more expensive. I haven't seen a bald spot since.
Anonymous Profile
Anonymous answered
Hair loss in cats and dogs is usually associated with skin diseases. Many conditions and diseases can cause hair loss in cats. These are
  1. Hormonal imbalance
  2. Thyroid problems
  3. Cushing's disease
  4. Addison's disease
  5. Food allergy
  6. Contact allergy
  7. Skin parasites
  8. Ringworm
  9. Bacterial skin infection
  10. Autoimmune skin diseases
So, you should take your cat to vet for evaluation of the cause and accurate treatment of hair loss.
Bill Profile
Bill answered
Fleas could be the explanation, the cat has removed the fur by scratching and biting to try to get rid of the fleas.
KR- myopinions Profile
KR- myopinions answered
You should have her checked by your vet. That could be many things, allergy, infection, or even an indication of something like a metabolic/endocrine problem.
Anonymous Profile
Anonymous answered
Your cat has hyperthyroidism. This disease is common in cats. Its major symptoms are hair loss and weight loss. Other symptoms include curb, complete standstill in grooming, excessive thirst, urination and voracious appetite. It is not dangerous because it can be cured easily. Its medication includes radioactive iodine therapy. Take it to vet soon before it is too late.
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Anonymous
Anonymous commented
My cat also had this problem, where she licked all of the hair off of her back legs and belly. My vet said that she probably was impacted and since cats don't understand where the irritation is coming from, the will begin to lick constantly in that area in an effort to relieve the aggravation. The vet squeezed her anal glands and voila! No more licking and her fur grew back. He said that if I noticed her licking again in a few months, he would squeeze the glands again and all would be fine.

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