[Catsnotkids(yet)]

Hello everyone, I'm a first time poster but have had kitties for about seven years now.
We adopted Lazarus Long in February. He was nine months old and just a little love sponge (still is, hooray!) When I first adopted him I noticed his little belly was practically bald. I asked the vet about it, and he was tested for ringworm (negative) so the vet shrugged and suggested it might be a nervous habit. Hmmm. Now it is December and Lazzies bald patch goes down the inside of both back legs and is present in his ('armpits?'), just from his licking. He is not itching, and the skin only appears reddish where he has been licking extensively - one of the poor lil' guys' nipples looked a little bloody last week!
We have not moved anything, changed anything around the house, or done anything, as far as I can tell, that might have upset him. He seems to have been doing this since we adopted him, and I was just to dumb to notice. The vet perscribed Amitriptyline, an anti-anxiety pill, and it was with great reluctance that I finally caved and gave him a quarter of one, to check his reaction.
Does anyone else have this problem? Any suggestions or ideas anyone has about why this is happening to Lazzie would be GREATLY appreciated.

 

[Aonir]

I have this problem with my Rescue senior - Clyde. His tummy, hindlegs and lower tail is bald. I've done some research and found several things it could be. But I took him to the vet and he said he was allergic to fleas and gave him flea meds. This was 2 months ago. His hair is now slowly growing back - but I honestly don't think that's the problem. A second vet said it was stress. I honestly am not sure.

 

[Bean]

Not saying this is needed, but I've heard of cats being given drugs like valium and things before. You cat seems normal, but it could be a cat who is easily worried or worked up.

Not that I would want my cat to take that anyway, but if there doesn't seem to be any logical answer...

 

[Lori]

Not sure the cause, but I know another cat that did the same thing. My husband's brother's cat did the same thing right after their first baby was born. They took her to several different vets and no physical problems were found. The conclusion was made it was probably from the stress of the change in her life. This was 10 years ago. She continues to lick her tummy nearly bald, but does fine otherwise.
Good luck! I will be curious to find out if any other cause is found for your kitty.

 

[Impudent_rabbit]

Maybe you could try a homeopathic remedy?

I took my dog to a homeopathic vet for seizures that the regular vet had no idea what was causing. With a diet change and one of the remedies he prescribed, we've never had another occurance.

I always worry about strong anxiety drugs for animals or humans (this may be a gentler alternative) sometimes meds are needed though for the animals best welfare.

 

[Catsnotkids(yet)]

Well, we went to the vet today....something I forgot to mention is that Lazarus has stomatitis which flares up every month or so, and we go to a special vet to treat it. I finally got smart and mentioned his bald belly and legs, and the vet suggested that he might be licking off his fur because his tummy hurts - which may in turn be related to the stomatitis. She compressed his abdomen and sure enough, he seemed uncomfortable. She suggested that I hold off from giving him the anti-anxiety medication, and see if his licking stops while he is getting treatment for the stomatitis. Problem is, he almost never does it in front of me, so I'm not sure if I'll be able to see an improvement. Anyway, it was a nice idea and it would be great if that were the case (not great that his tummy hurts, but great that there might be an explanation) - unfortunately, it doesn't explain the missing fur from his legs or his (armpits?). Hmmm. He may be licking in response to his being in pain? Anyway, I'll keep an eye on him and let you all know if I notice anything. Thank you for the responses!

 

[cntrygrl]

i am a latecomer to this forum but if you have not had a mckenzie toothbrush test done on your kitty, please have the vet do one. my kittens tested "negative" for ringworm as well with the wood's lamp and not until my entire family was covered with ringworm did a different vet to a mckenzie test which of course turned up positive for ringworm. our entire county was infected with ringworm through a local adoption agency that adopted out infected cats.

happy trails,
cntrygrl

 

[Anita]

Her reaction to Freshflow Fountain

:?:I missed out on this Fresh flow Fountain, sounds great, how do I get a couple? I have five indoor cats and need one upstairs and one downstairs.

 

[Anita]

Her reaction to Fresh-Flow Fountain

Looks like I put this question in the wrong forum, sorry.

 

[Wayne]

The Novemnber 2003 issue of Cat Fancy magazine has a sizable article on homeopathic medicine, also they discuss some of the problems that you are mentioning with Lazarus.