Hair not growing back

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torigirl

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Hi everyone I'm new here. My parents have a Persian that's around 15-16 yrs old. I found her on the street and has been living with my parents for 8 yrs. I've been trying to groom her over the yrs but in February I couldn't get a matt out so off to the groomer's. They shaved her pretty good and the hair hasn't grown back. She's been eating ok and her poops are normal. She's the sweetest thing. Something has to be wrong for the hair to stop growing, and since she's pretty old I don't think my parents will pay for a ton of tests, blood work, urine test etc to say there's nothing they can do cuz of her age. What's your opinion for this kitty. Thanks so much!!
 
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torigirl

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She used her electric shaver, she was very careful with her due to her age. It was her first time there and she's the 'cat' groomer at Petco.
 

minka

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Sometimes, when you shave a cat or dog, something weird happens and the fur doesn't grow back. Sometimes for a month, sometimes a year, sometimes never. There's nothing you can do about it but wait and see. :nod:
 
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torigirl

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Thanks u guys. I thought it was her age or something's going on.

Your kitties are very pretty. I'll have to post about my cat Tori, The Queen!
 

emilymaywilcha

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I did not know one of Petco's groomers specialized in cats. I just assumed all groomers work with both cats and dogs because most of the time they're grooming dogs.

One of my cats had spots where fur never grew back, but almost everywhere, it did grow back. (He lost it because of allergies, not grooming.) Patricia, the only cat I have now, never grows her fur back when she loses it. Thank God she lost hardly anything because she is a beautiful classic tabby.
 

just mike

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Thanks u guys. I thought it was her age or something's going on.

Your kitties are very pretty. I'll have to post about my cat Tori, The Queen!
Hi ToriGirl
yeah sometimes when a dog or cat is shaved the fur grows back and sometime it won't.  Sometimes just patches of it will grow back.  I've asked groomers why this happens sometimes and they don't seem to have an answer.  Please do post about Tori
 
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torigirl

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Yes they have to be licensed to groom cats so I was lucky to find her rather then travelling 30 mins to another cat groomer.
 
 

rafm

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There is a product called Nu Stock that you could try. You can use it on any animal but it was originally created for use on horses. Humans can even use it. It smells terrible but it does work. I don't know how or why but it does. I've been using it on our small dog for a few months to grow hair back she lost due to Demodex mange, even the vet was surprised at how quickly her hair is growing back in. You have to buy it online unless there's an equine store near you.
 

maewkaew

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There may be various reasons why it takes longer for some cats hair to grow back.  but  one thing that comes to mind is some nutritional deficiency.    When it was taking forever for the hair to grow back on my elderly cat following an abdominal ultrasound,  the vet figured it was related to him not getting enough nutrition for hair growth, due to some chronic health problems like IBD and diabetes (and it was difficult to keep him tightly regulated due to the inflammatory disorders)  & he was also having trouble maintaining weight.     At that point we had his thyroid checked again  and found out he also had hyperthyroidism,  and put him on the medicine for that.  and that did help both with gaining back some weight and the hair started growing in faster and did totally grow back. 

I realise this is maybe not that helpful since I just pointed to various  possibilities.  But I would at least wonder if there is some kind of   disorder that might be preventing her from getting enough nutrition from her food.  But if they aren't likely to get any  testing done, there is no way to know.    I guess they might try giving some pet vitamins. 
 
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torigirl

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She has to get her nails clipped soon at the vet, so I think they will ask what might be the cause. She has been on Royal Canin then stopped liking so I got the food and started on Iams. I know it's not the best but that's the food she was started on and then switched to RC.

Thanks for everyone's input she means a lot to my parents since they're cat passed away. I actually found Cali on the street and gave her to my parents when I was moving out of my apt, it took 8 mos to find something, meanwhile my parents fell in love with her so she stayed there as her forever home. She's the sweetest cat.







this is what she looks like now, she's an indoor cat I just took her out for some air
 

rafm

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What is the time progression of your pictures? The reason I ask is that there are some differences in the pictures that I think lend themselves to a bigger medical concern than the hair regrowth, which may be a symptom, rather than the actual issue. But, if the timeline is years, then it could be just the natural age progression.
 
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torigirl

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Between the first 2 pics and the last it's 7 yrs.
 

rafm

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I don't want to be an alarmist but the kitty does not look healthy in the last pic. If you have the money, I would have some tests run as soon as possible. It may be something very easy to treat but it's worthy vet visit to at least check, IMO.
 

carolina

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IMHO she just looks like an older kitty...... I don't see anything wrong with her..... Her face looks pretty clean actually, for a Persian.... and older kitties do tend to be thinner..... To me, just a bad haircut - I bet if she had her full coat, she would look totally fine, a different cat :nod:
The OP says she is about 15-16, but she could be a bit older, since she was found on the streets.....
To the OP, if you think there is something wrong with her, do take her to the vet - Seniors should go to the vet 2x a year.... Quite a few problems start developing at older age, problems that are easy to treat, but if not treated, can develop to be very very bad, painful, let alone lethal.
One of the things that you should check regularly on an older kitty is thyroid.... It is not an expensive test, if she has problems it is cheap to treat, and it is life-saving. Thyroid does affect coat quality.
You have a beautiful girl! :wavey:
 
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torigirl

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She was at the vet earlier this year for a check up and to clip the nails. He has tested for Thyroid on a few occasions and it was negative. Like I said her nails need to be cut since they curl and I can't get to the nails easily like my cat and bunnies so an appointment is necessary this week. My parents are in their 80's so I've been pretty much pushing for her check-ups over the past few yrs and nail trims. I hope to get her in this week and will let you know how it goes.
 
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torigirl

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Ok I have an appointment this Thursday with the vet and I'll be there to ask questions.
 
 

rafm

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Sounds good. Like Carolina said, it can quite possibly be just an aging kitty. Let us know what the vet says on Thursday.
 

crickets mom

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Yes they have to be licensed to groom cats so I was lucky to find her rather then travelling 30 mins to another cat groomer.
 
 So, kinda off topic of your kitty here, but I just wanted to point out that there is no "licencing" for pet groomers.  There is the National Dog Groomers Assoc.  Groomers can be registered with them, and can become "Certified Master Groomers".  I was a dog groomer many, many years ago, and trained under a Certified Master Groomer.  To become a groomer though, I did not have to take any tests, or get a licence, or a certification, or even register with any one.  Any one can get trained as groomer, get some tools, and start grooming.  There is no one regulating that.  The best way to find a groomer is through references, and you can ask if they are registered with the NDGAA, ask about how long they have been grooming, ask for client references.  The most important thing is that they are gentle and kind to your pet. Ask to see the shop, see how dogs are reacting to them (cats are always in a bad mood at the groomer, but most dogs, if the groomer treats them right are going to be happy there). Just wanted to let you know. 

Very pretty cat by the way, I love the older kitties
!
 
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torigirl

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WOW Thanks for that info Crickets Mom. I had no idea about that I just heard from places that they weren't Licensed to do cats. Oh well live and learn right.
 
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