Cat Fur Not Growing/growing Super Slow

[mikameek]

I'm not really sure if this is where I'm supposed to put this or not.

My cat Mika was missing fur when I first found her and with her recent issues with health, the vets have had to shave her in multiple places. (Would be better to name her patches at this point )

She has no food allergies or other issues with her skin that I'm aware of but her fur just isn't growing in well.

Her belly and back of her legs are patchy and while it has grown some, it's barely there. Most of her side and belly were shaved for her procedures and her front arm was shaved for an IV which was a month ago. Both have little to no hair growth at all. I'm a first time cat owner and have no idea what to do about hair growth.

I'm looking for recommendations on how to get her hair to grow back! Thank you!

EDIT: I was told she was pregnant and had a litter of kittens before she came to me (she was apart of a TNR program.) and the vet told me it wasn't uncommon for street cats to lose fur on their stomach and back of legs when they don't get proper nutrition for the kittens. However, that was easily over a year ago that she had kittens and the fur is not growing.

 

[Kieka]

How long has it been since she was shaved?

 

[mikameek]

How long has it been since she was shaved?

Her arm and belly/side has been just a little over a month. The vet told me when I asked her because her legs and underbelly weren't growing hair that cats can take up to a month to regrow all hair, not start growing hair.

 

[Kieka]

When I had to shave Link it took about a month for fuzz to be noticable. It really felt like he had a chicken leg for months and suddenly it was fully furred again. Here is his chicken leg in all it's glory.

20161013_050229.jpg

• Kieka
• Oct 26, 2016

I am fairly comfortable with malnutrition and caring for kittens being the cause of the hair loss on her tummy. It could be she pulled out the hair in getting ready for the kittens which also could cause slower regrowth, especially if she had multiple litters and plucked them multiple times. In all seriousness, I believe it took two months for Links fur to be noticably regrown. Just focus on low stress and good nutrition and she'll get there.

 

[mikameek]

When I had to shave Link it took about a month for fuzz to be noticable. It really felt like he had a chicken leg for months and suddenly it was fully furred again. Here is his chicken leg in all it's glory.

20161013_050229.jpg

• Kieka
• Oct 26, 2016

I am fairly comfortable with malnutrition and caring for kittens being the cause of the hair loss on her tummy. It could be she pulled out the hair in getting ready for the kittens which also could cause slower regrowth, especially if she had multiple litters and plucked them multiple times. In all seriousness, I believe it took two months for Links fur to be noticably regrown. Just focus on low stress and good nutrition and she'll get there.

Should I be worried about her grooming it? Will she pull out what little fur she does have there with grooming?
She does a full body groom at least once a day where she spends lots of time on her belly. Is there anything nutrition wise I need to be giving her specifically?

Also, Link is adorable. I love his coloring! Is the name for the The Legend of Zelda or no?

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

Her arm and belly/side has been just a little over a month. The vet told me when I asked her because her legs and underbelly weren't growing hair that cats can take up to a month to regrow all hair, not start growing hair.

For a cat that has been under a lot of physical and health issues, sometimes it can take a while for hair regrowth. A month is too short a time to say that she'll regrow all of her hair! For a healthy cat, it can take 3 weeks up to a few months, but it really depends on the cat's history.

My cat had two leg surgeries but they were spaced one year apart. After her first leg surgery, the hair on her back leg and on her forearm (where the IV meds &C were given) grew back fully within about 2+ months.

For her second leg surgery, her back leg hair was slower to grow in... and they shaved the very same forearm to give the IV meds and fluids. One crinkle in my cat's story is that she has allergies/asthma that is being treated with a small amount of Prednisolone and also some inhaled steroids (Flovent w/ the Areokat inhaler). Increased corticosteroids in the body can affect hair regrowth (slow it down or cause hair loss), and so by the time she'd had her second leg surgery, her hair grew in a bit slower.

If your cat is licking the area, any new hair growing (and new hair is somewhat "fragile" in a health-compromised cat or in a STRESSED cat that has an increase of cortisol in their system) could be licked away. For my cat, after the 2nd instance of her right forearm going through being shaved again at the surgeon's, she kept licking that area and it has taken EONS for her to gradually let that area alone! It is only now that her hair is finally regrowing on her right forearm around the "IV meds" area, and her surgery was in September!

Hang in there! Try to distract your cat with toys to lick, like toys with feathers on them. If you can get her to "groom" something other than her arm or tummy, it may give that area a chance for hair regrowth.

 

[Kieka]

Should I be worried about her grooming it? Will she pull out what little fur she does have there with grooming?
She does a full body groom at least once a day where she spends lots of time on her belly. Is there anything nutrition wise I need to be giving her specifically?

Also, Link is adorable. I love his coloring! Is the name for the The Legend of Zelda or no?

Link is from the Zelda reference. I also have Nightfury (How to Train Your Dragon) and Rocket (Guardians of the Galaxy/Marvel). There is a current naming theme going on in our house. Although somehow the rabbit is just Peter.

I wouldn't be overly worried about regular grooming. If she is obsessive on an area then try to distract her as PushPurrCatPaws said. It could be that over grooming the tummy area is a stress having from her time on the streets. If there isn't improvement in a few months you can see if she will tolerate a shirt to allow the area to regrow without being over groomed. But I'd give her at least four-six months for nutrition and a stable home to help her first.

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

It's hard when a forearm on a cat is shaved, as cats use their front paws to wash their faces and whiskers. Sometimes it seems like they are always bathing, using their forearms! It's very hard to keep them from overly licking a front forearm.


Milly's back leg hair grew in well, but that dang right forearm! You have to really watch overgrooming as they can develop some skin issues there if one is not mindful.
- again -

 

[mikameek]

Link is from the Zelda reference. I also have Nightfury (How to Train Your Dragon) and Rocket (Guardians of the Galaxy/Marvel). There is a current naming theme going on in our house. Although somehow the rabbit is just Peter.

I wouldn't be overly worried about regular grooming. If she is obsessive on an area then try to distract her as PushPurrCatPaws said. It could be that over grooming the tummy area is a stress having from her time on the streets. If there isn't improvement in a few months you can see if she will tolerate a shirt to allow the area to regrow without being over groomed. But I'd give her at least four-six months for nutrition and a stable home to help her first.

Ah, Zelda is my absolute favorite series of all time! I am also in love with the other names you have going on -- Even Peter!

I'll give her the 4-6 months to settle in. She's definitely had a stressful 2 months with me considering how sick she's been. After that we'll look into shirts (always wanted to clothe her anyway. She'd be so cute in them if she's okay with it! )

It's hard when a forearm on a cat is shaved, as cats use their front paws to wash their faces and whiskers. Sometimes it seems like they are always bathing, using their forearms! It's very hard to keep them from overly licking a front forearm.


Milly's back leg hair grew in well, but that dang right forearm! You have to really watch overgrooming as they can develop some skin issues there if one is not mindful.
- again -

I'm not too worried about her forearm (the word I was totally looking for in my original post, thank you!) because she seems to use her paw more than her arm. It has some small little fuzzies. Her back legs (inside towards the stomach and up to her bum) are still bare.
I don't have a photo to show the back of her legs.

 

[MoochNNoodles]

Mooch's belly took a long time to fill back in after an Ultrasound. A good 4-6 months I think. By the time it was almost fully she ended up with another shave for another procedure. She did seem to groom it a bit extra too. It must feel odd to them. She sometimes over-grooms a bit where it was shaved even though it's been a few years.

 

[LTS3]

I wouldn't worry about it. Sure, your cat looks funny with missing fur but missing fur doesn't bother your cat in any way My Aby still has a shaved belly and front legs from a biopsy 3 months ago.

 

[AbbysMom]

Abby is currently part of the club -

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

That has ultrasound written all over it! Hang in there, Abby and AbbysMom

 

[AbbysMom]

That has ultrasound written all over it!

Yep, two weeks ago.