# my cat has lost his voice and keeps coming home minus fur!



## Ev1uk (Mar 14, 2009)

Hi, I am new to this forum and would like some advice as to whether what is happening to my cat is normal? 
Yoda is a 2 year old ginger and white Tom, He is a normal healthy cat who goes outside during the day and recently he has been known to stay out all night and when he comes home in the morning he sleeps all day.
I know that as he is a Tom there will be a time of year when he will go off and try to find the female cats in the area however over the last 2 weeks everytime he comes home there are bald patches around the back of his neck and sometimes around the top of his front legs. in the beginning there where small amounts of blood in the area where the fur had gone from but now there isnt, just bald patches below where his collar sits and the patches are getting bigger.
Another problem is that he seems to have lost his full Miaow, whether it is a coinsidence with loosing his fur im not sure but his miaow has gone from a healthy, strong, tune-full one to only a weak pittyful miaow, that is not how it should be. im wondering is this all normal for Tom cats or should i take him to the vets? 
any suggestions or advice please


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## TrinityQuiet (May 18, 2007)

After approximately 1.5 years, all the unneutered toms that my family ever had began coming home with fur missing and with hoarse meows. Cats fight and fight hard, and they happily fight to the death. I've watched them lose most of their hair, and then watched golf-ball size abcesses grow where the fur was lost, deep infections occur, and eventually the cats pass away. We've had that happen to dozens of toms in our lives--there has never been an exception. They all died within three years, and they were ugly deaths.

I strongly recommend getting him neutered so he'll at least lose most of that desire to fight. Males should be neutered before they ever get that urge to fight--it's very hard to lose. He should stop roaming, stop most fighting, and become a healthy cat again. But the infections that have already set in, where hair is lost, should be seen by a vet (preferrably at his neutering).


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## Mitts & Tess (Sep 4, 2004)

You need to get your ginger cat neuter and shots right away. 
There are diseases gotten from fighting other cats
that can kill a cat that hasnt been vaccinated.

There are so many cats that cant find homes. 75% of cats that 
go into kill shelters are euthanized. Kittens born in the out of doors 
40% dont survive and have horrible deaths. Please dont let your
Tom cat contribute anymore to this problem.

You probably didnt know the state of affairs in the cat world. But 
now that you do I hope this motivates you to get your cat vet checked,
neutered, vaccinated, Checked for Felv, FIV, to make sure he hasnt 
contracted these diseases as they are fatal.


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## Jeanie (Jun 18, 2003)

I couldn't agree more. Ideally, cats should be neutered before they become sexually mature. I know you love your pet and want what's best for him, so I would have him neutered asap, and ask about his voice. I would also recommend keeping him indoors, where he will be safe from cars, dogs, other cats, and cruel people. I wish you the best!


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## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

If he is an unneutered tomcat I could see him fighting/yowling for extended periods of time and I would expect that to affect both his wounds/injuries and his voice. I do think a vet visit would be in order, most especially to have him neutered if he isn't already, but mainly to have a look at those bald/bare patches. I think it needs to be determined if they are patches coming out from fighting, abcesses (_which can make a cat ill or even cause death_) or if the cat has some other irritant causing the patches to grow larger. 
I am concerned because you mention the patches are growing bigger around his collar. This suggests to me that something isn't normal. I would expect a collar to help protect the neck area and if the patches are growing larger I would need to check the cat to be sure the collar isn't irritating his neck and then check to make sure the growing patches aren't a result of a bacterial or fungal infection.
Best of luck,
Heidi


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## coaster (Dec 1, 2004)

Oh, boy, both threads with replies. This oughta be fun. Who gets to do the merge? Don't fight over it. :lol: 

PS - If you haven't done one before, I'd suggest practice first. It's not quite straightforward in phpbb3.

(please delete this post when you're finished)


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## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

The other thread appeared to be locked so I copy/pasted my reply over here since the two threads weren't merged together.


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## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

Looking at the remaining posts in the locked thread, it doesn't look like there's any need to practice my merging skills.


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## coaster (Dec 1, 2004)

Ev1uk, don't pay any attention to me, I'm just playing the goof. It's a worthy question, and I think you've gotten well-thought advice so far. So, seriously now, I concur with getting your cat neutered, or one day he may not come home at all.

Welcome to the forum!!

Best wishes & good luck.


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