Why is my 15-year-old cat losing hair on her legs, tail, and stomach?
Updated On September 23rd, 2025
My cat is 15 years old and for the past 6 months she has slowly begun to lose her coat from her legs, tail, and stomach. Whats left is a short, prickly layer of hair. what could this be? Thank you. craig d jones
2 Answers
Most Helpful Answer
Published on April 1st, 2017
Hello. Decreased hair quality in cats, especially of her age, could be due to hyperthyroidism, kidney disease, diabetes, liver disease, parasites, and overall poor health and grooming habits due to arthritis or obesity. I would suggest getting her checked by a vet, and having bloodwork done to test for these conditions as some have easy fixes. Good luck with her!
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Related Answers from Veterinarians
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Published on May 29th, 2019
Poor Luna! There could be a few different reasons for this abnormal hair growth. She may have problems with allergies and this could be to fleas, the environment or something in the food. A thyroid condition or an inappropriate diet can also cause abnormal hair growth. Your best option is to have Luna examined by the veterinarian and her thyroid levels tested. This will help to narrow down the potential causes quickly. A good diet for skin and coat health in general is Royal Canin or Nutro. You may try switching her to one of these diets. Best of luck.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Health & Wellbeing
Cat(male, 12 years old) overgrooms and has hair loss. I’ve taken him to the vet last month, did blood test, unwilling to do ultrasound test. Blood test came out fine. Besides this, he’s lost 0.3 kg since I moved to a bigger home last year. The way he
If he seems to be losing weight, I would make sure her thyroid level was tested. If so, the skin could be due to an allergy or other skin condition. Thyroid level being high can cause skin and hair changes so I would first get this level checked out. As for the skin, you can use Douxo PS calm shampoo and mousse, both of which can be found online quite easily. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Food & Nutrition
Hello, my Kitty was born in 2000. She has been very healthy her whole life. I've just noticed a bald patch on her front neck/chest area (she has long hair). For the past month or so, I've been giving her fancy feast gourmet cat food 3 oz. a day, in
Older cats like your kitty often get an overactive thyroid which will show weight loss, a really fast heart rate, sometimes vomiting, and more vocalisation than usual. Some cats get skittish as well. Hyperthyroidism can actually cause heart problems and mask kidney disease. Hyperthyroidism is easily diagnosed with a clinical exam and a little blood test and there are various treatments available, varying from Methimazole transdermal ointment or tablets to slow down thyroid hormone production, surgery to remove the overactive thyroid gland or radiotherapy. If your kitty is suffering from hyperthyroidism your vet will discuss the various options. I suggest you make an appointment tomorrow.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Food & Nutrition
My 17 year old cat suddenly quit eating Blue Healthy Aging after 3 years. I changed to Merrick. He has lost a lot if weight. I tried to add wet food. Now that's all he wants. His hair is still coming out.
Hello, thank you for using Boop by Petco. So sorry your cat is having this issue. I suggest you get him to your vet for a check up and some blood testing. Thyroid disease is very common in older cats as is kidney disease and diabetes. All of these things can cause similar symptoms and all are easily diagnosed with simple blood testing. You need to realize that at 17 years old he is about 85 in human years. At this age, things start to fail and go wrong. You need to find out what is wrong so you know how to best treat him. Some things are very easily treated with daily medications. I don't think this is something you are going to be able treat at home without knowing what the underlying cause is. Hope this helps. Best wishes!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
Dutchess. Cat. 14yo. No previous vet care but also no previous problems. Now is losing hair and weight- about a month or so. She is pooping in litter box and not covering it up. Also peeing in house more than usual. (She always marked occasionally n
Duchess needs to visit her veterinarian. Changes in her coat can indicate many things including thyroid disease, stress or allergies. The weight loss is most concerning for a many conditions including thyroid disease, kidney disease, cancer or diabetes. Changes in her litter box behavior could also be explained by any of the above listed health conditions. Best to play it safe and have her examined by the veterinarian. They will check her blood and urine for any abnormalities and this will give you a better idea of the cause and treatment. Best of luck.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My cat is 15 years old and have been experiencing more matted hair clumps and recently certain areas of hair loss in circle patches. Her bowel movement is normal and eating habits is normal
Older cats are often not as good at grooming themselves due to pain or arthritis. She may have difficulty reaching the usual spots. You can help by brushing her more often but if she's painful I would talk to your vet about pain management. Good luck!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
Hi, My cat is about 10 years old. He recently had flees, but now after treatment has lost large patches of hair. He has become extremely skinny over time. He's been have regular accidents of liquidy diarrhea. He seems to be in pain, he refuses to sit
Kitty should be examined by a vet to determine the cause. He could have hyperthyroidism and your vet can run blood-work to test his thyroid level. Once your vet determines the exact cause, he/she can recommend a treatment. Hope he feels better soon.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
Good day. My cat is 11 years old. She has two baldish spots on her back thighs, one on each side. The spots become slightly more visible. It started 4-5 months ago. I would appreciate any help. Thank you.
Risia could be overgrooming, and that can occur due to stress, fleas, mites, allergies, or a medical illness like hyperthyroidism. I'd have her seen by a vet on Monday for a health check and a geriatric blood panel and urinalysis. Once a cause is found, the vet can discuss treatment options. I hope this helps!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My 16yo cat is missing about a 3” x 1/2” strip of hair next to her anus (totally bald with maybe two small scans on it). Note that her brother died of nasal cancer two weeks ago and then we went on vacation for two weeks and made sure she had lots o
I would assume that this hair loss is due to excessive grooming/licking in that area. It may be due to an allergy or skin infection, or she could be having an issue with her anal glands. Because of her age and the fact that she has had some major life changes recently, I would recommend taking her to the vet to be checked out. She may simply need to have her anal glands expressed. Best of luck.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
I have two cats. One is very chill and the other is neurotic. The neurotic always acts like she is in heat. She now is losing hair behind her hind legs. There is no red or signs of irritation. What should I do? The other is completely fine.
I am sorry to hear that Kitty is expecriening these issues. If these hanged in behaviour are new and happened with the changes in coat quality, It may be a good idea to have Kitty checked out by your vet for a condition called hyperthyroidism. Hyperthyroidism is common in cats. It can affect behaviour, coat quality, can cause increase in urination, drinking and appetite. Your vet will be able to rule out this disease with a simple blood test and it can be treated in a number of ways including tablets, radioiodine therapy, special prescription diet or surgery. I hope that is a helpful answer and that Kitty starts to feel herself again soon.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My 10-year-old male cat who lives with us with his littermate brother, has taken to pulling his hair out on his side above his right rear paw and eating it. When we catch him we stop him from eating it. He starting to get a bald spot where he pulls m
This can be a sign of a medical disease such as hyperthyroidism, which can be common in senior cats. I'd have Sweetie seen by a vet for this behavior. The vet can do a physical exam, geriatric blood panel, and urinalysis. I'd take him into a vet today if possible. Best of luck.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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