Go Back   Pet forum for dogs cats and humans - Pets.ca > Discussion Groups - mainly cats and dogs > Cat health - Ask members * If your pet is vomiting-bleeding-diarrhea etc. Vet time!

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old November 14th, 2009, 12:38 PM
TommyGirl226 TommyGirl226 is offline
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2009
Posts: 3
Arrow Cat pulling out fur.

I have a male cat that is 8 years old. He has been pulling out his fur for about a year now, it has been getting worse during the past month or so. There are some noticeable bald spots on the back and stomach. There are no fleas. I was wondering if it could be caused by dry skin. If not is there any suggestions of what could cause this.

Thanks Frances.
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old November 14th, 2009, 12:40 PM
sugarcatmom's Avatar
sugarcatmom sugarcatmom is offline
Senior Contributor
 
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Calgary, AB
Posts: 5,357
Have you seen a vet about this?

What does your cat eat?
__________________
"To close your eyes will not ease another's pain." ~ Chinese Proverb

“We must not refuse to see with our eyes what they must endure with their bodies.” ~ Gretchen Wyler
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old November 14th, 2009, 12:58 PM
erinjayne's Avatar
erinjayne erinjayne is offline
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Canada
Posts: 8
Could be allergies!
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old November 14th, 2009, 01:38 PM
Chaser's Avatar
Chaser Chaser is offline
Now I'm Mrs. Chaser!
 
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Hamilton, ON
Posts: 2,407
My cat does it when he's stressed. For him, stress = not getting tonnes and tonnes of love, but any upheaval or changes in your household could cause this.

I would rule out allergies with a vet and consider stress as a potential culprit.
__________________
Chase (Friendly Resident Wigglebum) - Border Collie/Lab/Shepherd X
Kailey (Misunderstood Gentle Beauty) - GSD & foster failure #1
Rupert (Gold-Medal Winner of the 3 a.m. Kitty Destruction Olympics )

Heidi - RIP my sweet baby girl
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old November 14th, 2009, 01:59 PM
catlover2's Avatar
catlover2 catlover2 is offline
Catlover2
 
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: GTA (Greater Toronto Area)
Posts: 1,031
Question Any changes?

TommyGirl226, Some questions: Any thing you can think of that happened in the last 2 months to make his condition worse? Changes in the household? --- of people (stress thro job loss, relationship issues), addition/deletion of other pets? furniture changes? different household products? In past couple months, our windows have been closed more--perhaps more toxins, allergens concentrated? Our furnaces have been on, so air is drier...did you try a humidifier?
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old November 14th, 2009, 06:03 PM
TommyGirl226 TommyGirl226 is offline
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2009
Posts: 3
He's eating special kitty gourmet flavor, its says its good for adult cats hairballs and that sort of thing. I haven't had him to a vet he seems just fine except for pulling out his fur. Nothing changed in his environment during the last year or so. He has some white flakes in his fur that looks like dandruff or dry skin, could that do something.
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old November 14th, 2009, 08:24 PM
sugarcatmom's Avatar
sugarcatmom sugarcatmom is offline
Senior Contributor
 
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Calgary, AB
Posts: 5,357
Quote:
Originally Posted by TommyGirl226 View Post
He's eating special kitty gourmet flavor,
That would be dry, correct? I'm willing to bet the farm that this is the source of the problem. I couldn't find the ingredients for the Gourmet version online, but the ones for the Urinary Tract formula are probably pretty close:

Quote:
Ground Yellow Corn, Corn Gluten Meal, Chicken By-Product Meal, Ground Wheat, Animal Digest, Animal Fat (Preserved W/Bha), Meat and Bone Meal,.....
Horrific. Cats are carnivores. Corn and wheat have no place anywhere in their vicinity accept as a source of cover while they're hunting mice. I urge you to change your kitty's food to a quality canned or even raw diet. Please read this website on why dry food is not an appropriate source of nutrition for cats: www.catinfo.org

Quote:
Originally Posted by TommyGirl226 View Post
He has some white flakes in his fur that looks like dandruff or dry skin, could that do something.
Yup, it means his health is poor, which is reflected in the condition of his skin and coat. And the basis of good health is good food. I guarantee that once you start feeding him better, the dandruff will go away and he'll probably stop pulling out his fur.

Hope that helps. Please let us know how the diet change goes. I have lots of tips if you have trouble converting him to wet food.
__________________
"To close your eyes will not ease another's pain." ~ Chinese Proverb

“We must not refuse to see with our eyes what they must endure with their bodies.” ~ Gretchen Wyler
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old November 14th, 2009, 11:31 PM
catlover2's Avatar
catlover2 catlover2 is offline
Catlover2
 
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: GTA (Greater Toronto Area)
Posts: 1,031
The coat always reflects the condition of a cat. Dandruff or flakes are the result of dry skin, and result of a poor diet. His skin is probably making his skin itchy and uncomfortable, so that's why he's pulling his hair out. SCM has excellent suggestion on improving his diet. I would start there first.
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old November 15th, 2009, 06:02 PM
TommyGirl226 TommyGirl226 is offline
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2009
Posts: 3
I'll try changing his diet and see if that improves his coat. Thanks for the suggestions and I'll update on how he does.
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old November 15th, 2009, 06:14 PM
beckiandthetrio beckiandthetrio is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 85
My cat does this too!! I did take him to the vet but nothing could be found obviously wrong with him. They suggested Hill's diet for allergens (forgot which kind) but instead of doing that I switched to a high quality diet. The effects were evident almost instantly. He does still lick alot on his belly but he has no dandruff anymore and is now a healthy weight (was 17lbs and now is 14lbs). Good luck.

Note of caution: When you take him to the vet they will probably suggest Hill's Science Diet food. DONT buy it. Sugarcatmom is an expert on feline nutrition (she helped me) so please talk to her about what to feed.

Some brands I use--

Wellness
Spot's Stew
EVO
Weurva

I dont know where you live but around here at Petco you can find alot of these brands otherwise just do a google search.

Becki
Reply With Quote
  #11  
Old November 15th, 2009, 08:43 PM
rainbow's Avatar
rainbow rainbow is offline
-
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Beautiful BC's Kootenay Country
Posts: 34,757
TommyGirl226, glad to hear that you are going to change his diet as that is surely the cause of your cat's fur pulling and dry flaky skin. I hope you follow sugarcatmom's recommendations.
Reply With Quote
  #12  
Old November 16th, 2009, 02:14 AM
growler~GateKeeper's Avatar
growler~GateKeeper growler~GateKeeper is offline
Moderator
 
Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 17,568
When was the last time your cat had bloodwork? Was his thyroid T4 level checked?
__________________
Avoid biting when a simple growl will do

The Spirit Lives As Long As Someone Who Lives Remembers You - Navaho Saying
Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
bald, cat, dry, fur, skin

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off


Forum Terms of Use

  • All Bulletin Board Posts are for personal/non-commercial use only.
  • Self-promotion and/or promotion in general is prohibited.
  • Debate is healthy but profane and deliberately rude posts will be deleted.
  • Posters not following the rules will be banned at the Admins' discretion.
  • Read the Full Forum Rules

Forum Details

  • Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8
    Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
    vBulletin Optimisation by vB Optimise (Reduced on this page: MySQL 0%).
  • All times are GMT -5. The time now is 04:17 PM.