# Cat losing fur on belly



## seven (May 22, 2009)

I have a vet appointment set for later today, but I just thought I'd ask someone about this.

My 12 year old cat Boots has always been quite healthy. He eats well and is extremely energetic for his age. About a month ago I noticed that he began to vomit hairballs, which was odd as he's a short haired cat and he's never had an issue with this before. I figured it was because winter was ending and he was losing his winter coat, so maybe that had something to do with it. 

Last week I was playing with him, and at one point he rolled over on his belly and I saw that he was missing large chunks of fur. On further inspection he's also missing fur on the insides of his hind legs. Other than this and the hairball issue his health seems fine. He's an indoor cat and the only pet in my household. I DID move with him to a new apartment, but that was almost 6 months ago so I don't know if that could be related. 

Any ideas would be great. Like I said I have a vet appointment for later today, so I can post the results if anyone likes in case anyone else is having similar issue.


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## nanook (Jun 12, 2005)

Yea, licking the belly and back legs is a classic sign of allergies. Could be flea, food or environmental. Your vet will probably give him a cortisone shot but, although it will alleviate the symptoms for now, it won't solve the problem and can have bad side effects if used long term, so it's important to do some detective work. Obviously, you must rule out fleas. Are you using a new litter? If it's scented, switch to an unscented, low dust one. What are you feeding now? If you're feeding dry, this would be a good tie to switch to wet. Find a food without the major allergy triggers: chicken, fish, corn, glutens or soy. Try to find one that has meat (not by products) as the first ingredient and low or, even better, no grains. You can even go straight to an allergy diet like Natural Balance Duck and Pea. Do the food switch slowly and give the new food at least 8 weeks to see if you notice a change. 
When my cat had this with my cat I was lucky and a simple change to Wellness wet food cleared it up. I never found out exactly what he was allergic to but it was something in his old food (Science Diet). Probably corn. Often, it takes a lot more trial and error to pin down the problem.
Lastly, I would try to remove as many possible triggers from his environment as possible: air fresheners, scented candles, laundry detergent, fabric softeners and carpet cleaners.
It is also possible that this could be caused by stress from the move but, because of his age and that it is that area he's licking, I suspect it's allergies.
Good luck!


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