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Barnyard Buddies:  naked cat !  |
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Lovin Life
True Blue Farmgirl
103 Posts
Lisa
New Hampshire
103 Posts |
 Posted - Jan 27 2007 : 4:18:35 PM
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My poor cat has started losing his hair. I'm starting to think he may be biting it out because it looks that way when he cleans himself. So far he has the whole inside of one leg bald and his entire stomach is bare, now he's working on one side. He seems fine in every other way. Is this weird or what? What could be causing this do you think?
I'd rather live my life with a "full plate" than an empty one. Life is not a rehearsal... eat up! |
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FarmGirl~K
True Blue Farmgirl
512 Posts
Kelly
TX
USA
512 Posts |
Posted - Jan 27 2007 : 4:39:22 PM
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Lisa...One of my friends has a cat & does this every year. Cleans herself right to the skin from her belly on down her legs. I believe she has some type of allergy. I sent her an email to find out for sure & will get back to you on what she says.
"Work as if you were to live a hundred years, pray as if you were to die tomorrow." ~Benjamin Franklin~
http://wandascountryhome.com/forsale/index.html |
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MsCwick
True Blue Farmgirl
775 Posts
Cristine
Farmville
Virginia
USA
775 Posts |
Posted - Jan 27 2007 : 8:01:08 PM
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How old is this cat? I have a 10 yer old cat that started doing this, and it got really bad with sores and it was yuck, so I took him to the vet and he is allergic to fleas! So he ended up with a staph infection, and after 3 months on anti biotics(which I thought was WAY too long) it cleared right up, and I had to bathe him every few days.
Well, now it's very gradually coming back, so I brought him back to the vet, and he said he must have more the just a flea allergy...so back on the anti biotics and bathing, and he got a hormonal shot(which I think was just coritsone, even though I shared my thoughts on the problems that occur with using cortisone too much) and then he also has an allergy pill called Ovaban to take every other day for the first two weeks and then once a week.
Hope this helps. Ive been dealing with this problem for about 6 months, so let me know if you have anymore questions.
Cristine |
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Annab
True Blue Farmgirl
2900 Posts
Anna
Seagrove
NC
USA
2900 Posts |
Posted - Jan 28 2007 : 03:47:01 AM
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AH HA! I have a cat going through this same thing. Ever hear of MANGE?? There are 3 types with the most common that is a tiny parasite that burrows under the skin and causes bad itching and loss of fur from scratching.
Our inside/outside cat, Sam has bare inner legs too. It's puzzling since I do apply Frontline monthly, but the infestation might be too much. Ivermectin is too much for a cat's sensitive system. Sometimes you have to do a shampoo/dip to get rid of this. For a cat and water.....I'd rather find another remedy and not get all cut up trying to pin down a 13 pound cat!
I'm currently looking up herbal remedies, but will put on my "tough shoes" tomorrow and ask the vet for something topical to apply.
Cats and dogs that spend lots of time outside are going to sooner or later pick up cooties of some kind!
Good luck!
anna |
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Tina Michelle
True Blue Farmgirl
6948 Posts
Tina
sunshine state
FL
USA
6948 Posts |
Posted - Jan 28 2007 : 10:39:41 AM
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I had a cat that started having that, she was allergic to fleas. Vet clinic gave her a steroid shot. I used a flea spray for her/safe for cats.After about a week her hair started growing back.
~Seize the Day! Live, Love, Laugh~ |
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Lovin Life
True Blue Farmgirl
103 Posts
Lisa
New Hampshire
103 Posts |
Posted - Jan 28 2007 : 12:32:36 PM
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Fleas?? Eww, he's been hopping into bed with me every morning to snuggle. Yuck! I guess we'll try some flea spray. I didn't think fleas were out in the winter. How do they survive the snow?
We never see him scratching himself, it's always just the licking and biting, but you could be right about some parasite under his skin.
If the spray doesn't work, we'll take him to the vet. He's been an expensive pet this year, he broke his leg in June, poor guy. But that's all healed now. He's going to be 14 this summer.
Thanks for your help everyone
Lisa
I'd rather live my life with a "full plate" than an empty one. Life is not a rehearsal... eat up! |
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MsCwick
True Blue Farmgirl
775 Posts
Cristine
Farmville
Virginia
USA
775 Posts |
Posted - Jan 28 2007 : 12:41:47 PM
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What color is he Lisa? Mine is white, and animals with lighter skin and fur tend to have more health issues. My cat did the same thing with biting his hair out. Killing the fleas won't necessarily fix the problem. As cats age, they can develop allergies, and my vet said my cat may even be allergic to the protein in his food. Also, you should try using a cat little with little to no clay content. Mange isn't generally something that a well maintained older cat will randomly pick up, unless he's coming into contact with uncared for cats outside. I'll put money on an allergy just like what mine has.
Best of luck,
keep me posted :)
cristine |
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FarmGirl~K
True Blue Farmgirl
512 Posts
Kelly
TX
USA
512 Posts |
Posted - Jan 29 2007 : 08:09:17 AM
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Lisa... here is what my friend said about her cat
"The vet said it was her hormones. The vet I went to years ago gave me something called ovaban (sp) & it worked great & as a bonus she loved it so much she would do tricks to get her pill, basically acting like a drug addict for them.
Well when I moved from CA. the new vet wouldn't give me those pills because they said the side effects would be worse than the licking - the new report said it was very bad for the kittys liver. So they gave her something else & it really didn't work. Moving up a few years they checked her thyroid & said it could be from the thyroid being out of balance effecting her hormones - well let me tell you that was expensive & the pills for her thyroid are expensive - now that shes an old cat 14)I don't torture her with any more pills. I give her hairball medicine & clean up after her with her hair piles & cat yak." Hope that helps
"Work as if you were to live a hundred years, pray as if you were to die tomorrow." ~Benjamin Franklin~
http://wandascountryhome.com/forsale/index.html |
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country lawyer
True Blue Farmgirl
1022 Posts
1022 Posts |
Posted - Jan 29 2007 : 1:22:59 PM
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Here's another thought on it. My sweet cat Elvis (picture on my blog, btw)did exactly the same thing five years ago. It was stress related. He was apparently having emotional issues revolving around me having my "human" baby. We went out of our way to give him extra attention and he eventually left his fur where it belongs...on that cute tummy and those legs of his. Are there any new stressors in your cat's life right now?
"The secret of life is enjoying the passage of time."
James Taylor
www.ragstoroses.blogspot.com
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horse
True Blue Farmgirl
371 Posts
laura
pontotoc
mississippi
USA
371 Posts |
Posted - Jan 29 2007 : 2:04:21 PM
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We had a naked cat in our family but it was only because SOMEONE shaved it. hahaha Hope you get things worked out on your cat.
Laura
www.2lmzfarms.blogspot.com |
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Annab
True Blue Farmgirl
2900 Posts
Anna
Seagrove
NC
USA
2900 Posts |
Posted - Feb 02 2007 : 04:01:27 AM
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Who'd have thought stress??? Very interesting as we have had a new puppy for almost a month now and the bald patches seem to have gotten worse.
I now think this problem might be more related to the cat food. It's all garbage, but I just can't bring myself to feed our cats anything organic or higher priced than wht it is already.
I did notice the lesser package listed corn as the first ingredient, so when I got a new bag, turkey is now the main ingredient.
Sammy is pretty laid back, and just wants to be everybody's buddy, so I'm not sure how "stressed" over this new pup he actually is. I'll give this a week or two then maybe call a vet.
Oh, and 'ole Sam is a champion mouser, so he gets more than his fill of organic food! |
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gregs_lil_farmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
219 Posts
birdi
hartford
me
USA
219 Posts |
Posted - Feb 02 2007 : 5:30:17 PM
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mine has this same prob....vet gives shot...goes right away....happens every year.
-Simple pleasures make my heart smile- |
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shelle
True Blue Farmgirl
404 Posts
Shelle
oklahoma
USA
404 Posts |
Posted - Feb 02 2007 : 9:06:11 PM
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Poor kitty! I hope you figure out what is wrong and get her fixed up soon.
Shelle |
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Annab
True Blue Farmgirl
2900 Posts
Anna
Seagrove
NC
USA
2900 Posts |
Posted - Feb 03 2007 : 03:33:21 AM
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Shot, eh? Out of desperation we may just have to go this route. I think that's what the vet said too, but she used the vet jargon and I should have asked for clairification.
I once had a cat that would loose fur off her ears each year right around when leaves on trees would start to drop, but no other hair loss anywhere else. Weird but maybe similar.
Coat on Sam otherwise feels very soft and thick and has a great sheen. Must be all the mice. |
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gregs_lil_farmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
219 Posts
birdi
hartford
me
USA
219 Posts |
Posted - Feb 03 2007 : 1:47:14 PM
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I have a very long haired , Maine Coon Cat. He is an indoor cat and always has been. Every year in the winter, he would start to get naked. I too thought that this was to him cleaning himself so much. And partly, the vet said this was true., but mostly because the cat thinks that he can fix the problem by doing this. He told me that there are several causes for this and there is no real way to know which it is exactly...could be allergic reaction to one flea, or a skin condition much like ours in the winter where the skin dries out... at any rate a shot to the cat stopped it almost overnight. The vet told me that the shot was similar to a cortizone shot thtat we would get... but basically it stopped the itch, allowed it to heal and stop driving the cat crazy. Also that it would probably come back next year... and it has...every year around the same time. The shot cost me about 40$., but probably varies among vets.
-Simple pleasures make my heart smile- |
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Annab
True Blue Farmgirl
2900 Posts
Anna
Seagrove
NC
USA
2900 Posts |
Posted - Feb 04 2007 : 11:52:42 AM
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Thanks for the info
Makes sense as our new pup has a case of the flakies too She scratches a little but not enough to cause major hair loss like the cat The dog was just at the vet, said it was due to the dry weather
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Barnyard Buddies: naked cat ! |
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naked cat !
