my cat is licking his hair off...

[Masha]

I am making a vet appointment this week but wantedto pick your brains meanwhile. My male 7 year old cat is licking the hair off his body... his whole belly is smooth (thre is a layer of very short fine white hairs maybe 1 mm long but thats about it... and the inside of his back leg is liek that too). When we noticed it we observed him for a while and we see him actually licking the area frequently. He also vomits a bit more frequently now (getting all that hair out...).

is this stress? his food is the same as before (grain free wellness) and other than a new baby in the household since august, nothing new happened... i dont want to subject him to unnecessary vet tests becaue he is very scared there and if he ever has to stay at the vet he refuses to pee there and gets a UTI... do you have any experience with this? is this something that you think requires thevet to do a throrough investigation?

he is otherwise his usual self. eating, playing, cuddling, etc.

thanks,
masha