Hi,
Earlier in the year I took my cat to the vet on account of assumed litter trouble, but learned she just had a mouth of resorptive lesions instead. The vet booked her in to have some teeth removed, but she noted that her belly fur was completely gone and seemed concerned about it. I told her that she had always been like that, which was accepted and dismissed by the vet.
Today I found a photograph from 2012 that clearly shows her belly was completely furred after all, and I recalled incorrectly. Here is that picture, along with a newer one from a week or so ago.
Here is the old one from 2012 with the fully furred belly.
And here is the new one. While not perfectly on her back, you can see her lower belly area is free of fur.
I've never had a cat who over groomed before, nor any who had any health complications that caused fur loss in specific areas. Is this common? Should I be concerned, or at least interested as to why the vet would have brought it up on our visit?
The only behavioural thing I could think of that would cause this is from weight loss. This particular cat weighed 20lb at her heaviest, and since 2012 had been placed on a diet, managing to drop to 13lb earlier this year. This came after the three other household pets, two cats and a small dog, passed away within short succession from old age (all three over 15 yo, two bordering 20). For most of her life she could not groom herself due to the weight, so maybe she started over preening her belly once she could reach it as a form of stress from the environmental changes of suddenly becoming an only cat?
This is believable to me because she also went from a very quiet animal, never speaking, to a very vocal one once by herself. But if there is a possible health complication too, that shouldn't be ignored. Maybe from the resorptive lesions, or a way to make up for her boredom the diet cut backs? I am unable to say when her belly became furless, as I obviously thought it had always been that way to tell the vet as much, but clearly some time between 2012 and 2015. Heh.
Cheers,
Earlier in the year I took my cat to the vet on account of assumed litter trouble, but learned she just had a mouth of resorptive lesions instead. The vet booked her in to have some teeth removed, but she noted that her belly fur was completely gone and seemed concerned about it. I told her that she had always been like that, which was accepted and dismissed by the vet.
Today I found a photograph from 2012 that clearly shows her belly was completely furred after all, and I recalled incorrectly. Here is that picture, along with a newer one from a week or so ago.
Here is the old one from 2012 with the fully furred belly.
And here is the new one. While not perfectly on her back, you can see her lower belly area is free of fur.
I've never had a cat who over groomed before, nor any who had any health complications that caused fur loss in specific areas. Is this common? Should I be concerned, or at least interested as to why the vet would have brought it up on our visit?
The only behavioural thing I could think of that would cause this is from weight loss. This particular cat weighed 20lb at her heaviest, and since 2012 had been placed on a diet, managing to drop to 13lb earlier this year. This came after the three other household pets, two cats and a small dog, passed away within short succession from old age (all three over 15 yo, two bordering 20). For most of her life she could not groom herself due to the weight, so maybe she started over preening her belly once she could reach it as a form of stress from the environmental changes of suddenly becoming an only cat?
This is believable to me because she also went from a very quiet animal, never speaking, to a very vocal one once by herself. But if there is a possible health complication too, that shouldn't be ignored. Maybe from the resorptive lesions, or a way to make up for her boredom the diet cut backs? I am unable to say when her belly became furless, as I obviously thought it had always been that way to tell the vet as much, but clearly some time between 2012 and 2015. Heh.
Cheers,
