Bald patches

Thread view:

Enable EMail Alerts

Start New Thread

Thread rating:

Victor Martinez - 23 Jan 2004 14:08 GMT

I just noticed Luna has a couple of bald patches in her tummy. The skin
looks normal and not irritated at all. I'm calling TED today to make an
appointment, but I wanted to check with the group to see if anybody had
experience with this.
My guess is that it's stress related, since the boys like to pick on
Luna and she is incredibly sensitive (she will start growling if one of
the boys does as much as look at her, which causes the boy in question
to chase her).
Any advise would be most appreciated. We have a Feliway diffuser running
in the living room now, and I'll put another one in the back of the house.

Signature

Victor Martinez
Owned and operated by the Fantastic Seven (TM)
Send your spam here: uce@ftc.gov
Email me here: pistorLITTER@BOXaustin.rr.com

Reply to this Message

Marina - 23 Jan 2004 14:36 GMT

> I just noticed Luna has a couple of bald patches in her tummy. The skin
> looks normal and not irritated at all. I'm calling TED today to make an
> appointment, but I wanted to check with the group to see if anybody had
> experience with this.

Nikki used to overgroom the bottom half of her tummy and her back legs, and
it turned out to be hyperthyroidism. In Luna's case, it does sound more like
stress, if she still isn't comfortable with the boys.

Signature

Marina, Frank and Nikki
Email marina (dot) kurten (at) pp (dot) inet (dot) fi
Pics at http://uk.f1.pg.photos.yahoo.com/frankiennikki

Reply to this Message

Victor Martinez - 23 Jan 2004 19:49 GMT

> it turned out to be hyperthyroidism. In Luna's case, it does sound more like
> stress, if she still isn't comfortable with the boys.

It's weird, she used to let them suckle from her!!! But she rejected
them a few weeks later and then the cycle began: she growls at them and
runs, they chase her. It's not like they fight much, it's mostly just
Luna being loud and chased around the house. Maya will sometimes also be
the victim. Fez and Rufous have not joined in the chases, which is very
good news. Perhaps as they grow older the dynamics of the group will
change for the better.

Signature

Victor Martinez
Owned and operated by the Fantastic Seven (TM)
Send your spam here: uce@ftc.gov
Email me here: pistorLITTER@BOXaustin.rr.com

Reply to this Message

Marina - 24 Jan 2004 06:05 GMT

> It's weird, she used to let them suckle from her!!! But she rejected
> them a few weeks later

Maybe their fangs grew so big that it hurt to suckle them, and she now
connects the hurt with them. Purrs that she calms down.

--
Marina, playing cat psychologist

Reply to this Message

EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque) - 23 Jan 2004 16:10 GMT

> I just noticed Luna has a couple of bald patches in her tummy. The skin
> looks normal and not irritated at all. I'm calling TED today to make an
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
> Any advise would be most appreciated. We have a Feliway diffuser running
> in the living room now, and I'll put another one in the back of the house.

Unless you have a flea problem, it's probably stress-related
over-grooming. I had a cat whose tummy was always close to baldness.
The vet gave her a cortisone shot once or twice (I think it was
cortisone - some steroid they give for allergies, anyway). I didn't
notice much difference, and the shots were expensive, so I didn't
continue with them. The cat didn't appear to be in any distress, and
the skin never appeared irritated, just bare.

Reply to this Message

polonca12000 - 23 Jan 2004 22:18 GMT

I have no experience with this, but I'm sending best wishes and Soncek is
sending his purrs that Luna's problem is solved quickly and easily,

Signature

Polonca & Soncek

Reply to this Message

CATherine - 24 Jan 2004 03:43 GMT

>I just noticed Luna has a couple of bald patches in her tummy. The skin
>looks normal and not irritated at all. I'm calling TED today to make an
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
>Any advise would be most appreciated. We have a Feliway diffuser running
>in the living room now, and I'll put another one in the back of the house.

Maybe she needs her own space where she feels safe in her little
kingdom. Cats are so territorial. I have this problem with Sheba. It
is not nearly as bad now as it used to be. Djoser would chase her and
she would overgroom, pulling out tufts of hair. But I made some rules
that certain portions of the rooms are hers and he is not to trespass.
I have smacked him a time or two to drive the point home. Now he
usually respects her when she is in her space. But then, he now has
Robin to occupy his territorialism. And Robin can hold his own.

CATherine

Reply to this Message

Victor Martinez - 24 Jan 2004 18:01 GMT

> Maybe she needs her own space where she feels safe in her little
> kingdom. Cats are so territorial. I have this problem with Sheba. It

We have so many cat trees and high places to hide... but we also have a
lot of cats... ;-)
Luna will claim our laps as soon as she can, and nobody will bother her
while she is there. Also, she sleeps between us, usually in a pile with
Fez and Rufous. She is the only one that likes to nap on our bed during
the day too, the rest of the gang like to sleep in the living room or on
top of the aquarium (favorite nap spot since winter started).

Signature

Victor Martinez
Owned and operated by the Fantastic Seven (TM)
Send your spam here: uce@ftc.gov
Email me here: pistorLITTER@BOXaustin.rr.com

Reply to this Message

Stacey - 24 Jan 2004 04:15 GMT

> I just noticed Luna has a couple of bald patches in her tummy. The skin
> looks normal and not irritated at all. I'm calling TED today to make an
[quoted text clipped - 9 lines]
> --
> Victor Martinez

Last time I took Patrick to TED, she asked if he was a licker, because his
tummy is bald and pink (er, and big). I said "Nope, not that I notice". I
just thought he was going bald on his tummy from old age and fatness! I've
been watching him and he's not bathing anymore than usual...

Stacey :)

Reply to this Message