Surely you are going to need a vet visit?  I know money can be a problem,
BUT you should try your hardest to arrange a visit.  Can a friend or
relative help?  Perhaps you could find an understanding VET who will let you
pay later?  Do you or your friends have any vet friends?

Lastly, and morally wrong, you could always get your cat insured which will
cost very little, and THEN take him to the vet with an insurance claim form.
be very careful if you take this approach, and check the period of time you
need to have the policy before being allowed to make a claim.  I have a
cockatoo insurance policy, and it has a two week non-cover window when first
setup to stop it being abused in this way.

Hope your cats OK.

Gary.

Hi,

Shadow really ought to be checked by a vet as there could be so many reasons
for hair loss.  It's worth having a close look at the naked area of her
back, not least because the vet will ask you questions  ...   Q1  Is there
any stubble/broken hair left?  or  Q2  Does the hair appear to have fallen
out at the roots?  Q3  Is there any rash?   Q4  Is/are there any broken
skin/weeping sores?   ... also ... Q5  Has your cat vomited more hairballs
than usual? (This would happen if your cat was biting the hair away and
ingesting it).  Q6  Is Shadow's behaviour normal? ie is she playing, eating,
sleeping as usual?  Q7  Could Shadow be forcing herself under a fence (or
through a tight cat flap) regularly, which might cause this 'baldness'?   Q8
Is it possible Shadow has suffered some form of stress recently?

Cats can lose hair due to parasites/allergies created by same; thyroid
problems (this happened to my female cat); and feline alopcea (sp?).  These
are just within my range of experience, and I daresay there are others.

I am in the UK, and I am sure I could ask advice from a local cat shelter if
vets' fees were difficult now.  Most shelters would be only too pleased to
know that an owner was caring properly for their cat.  However, the shelter
would certainly suggest that you see your regular vet as soon as possible
and this is still the best course of action.

I hope Shadow soon regains her full coat of hair.  Do let us know how you
get on.
Spider

What do you feed her?

Don't feed her dry food.  Read the following article, at least the part
about carbohydrates.

http://cats.about.com/od/catfoodandnutrition/f/byproducts.htm

Mine had this and we (the vet) found out he was allergic to fleas.