My cats pulls out his back hair. Can’t figure out why.

[Kelly111222333]

We have a 18 year old Egyptian Mau. He’s been pulling out his hair in and off for months now but the last two months he was really good and didn’t pull out his hair. Now he went back to it. Nothing has changed. We moved about three months ago but he was pulling out his hair then stopped during that time. No new things in the house,no new people or anything that could cause stress aside from the move. At first we thought it was an allergy in our old place but obviously not since he’s doing in here too. I’ll attach some pictures. Any help would be appreciated. I’m trying to get him to the vet but my father in quite stubborn and says they won’t be able to help and just say that will want to put our cat down.

 

[Norachan]

Hello K Kelly111222333

There could be lots of reasons for you cat to pull his hair out. Over grooming can be a sign of stress, but it can be caused by allergies too. Cats can develop food intolerances over time, so even if you're feeding him the same food he always ate there could be something in his diet that's affecting him. It could be an allergy to flea bites. One of my girls is super sensitive to insect bites, one tiny bite from a mosquito and she starts scratching herself raw. If he got even one small bite it may trigger skin sensitivities.

It's very unlikely that any of this would make your vet suggest you have him put down, so please don't worry about that. At 18 he should be having regular check ups and blood work done. Cats can suffer from impaired kidney and liver function, arthritis and diabetes, just as elderly people can. I suggest you work on your dad and try to get your cat seen by a vet. Ask them to do some blood tests and take a skin scraping to check for any obvious reasons for him to be over grooming. There could be a very simple way of treating this, but your vet will be able to tell you for sure.

Good luck, please keep us posted.

 

[Kelly111222333]

Thank you for the info! I’m going to keep trying with him to take my baby to the vet and see what they have to say. I definitely will! Thank you again!

 

[heyitskevinn]

If he's okay with it, oatmeal bathes work wonders for itchy dry skin. It is used regularly for eczema in humans, issues in dogs, and of course cats.. You can buy it in powder form or cook it yourself and blend it for a thick hair conditioner.

 

[di and bob]

it does look like an allergy. To something he is eating maybe, or to something he is coming into contact with. New litter, new food, new detergent on his blankets? I have seen this with topical and oral flea medications too, I had a cat that pulled most of his hair out from that. i hope you find some answers!