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Why is my cat losing weight, thinning hair, and has neck scabs?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | American Shorthair | Male | neutered | 3 years and 3 months old | 4 lbs

My cat has been loosing weight, his but and back of legs hair is thinning, eats n drinks fine , poop n pees fine , has horrible scabs around his neck under jaw from scratching n is spreading

3 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Daniel Fonza, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on November 18th, 2017

Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. What you are descri bing could be secondary to a bacterial skin infection or allergies. I would recommend having a veterinarian take a look cheech to try and figure okkut why he is losing weight and why he is scratching. He may need s course of an antibiotic if this is a skin infection. I would check his thyroid level as well to make sure the weight loss is not from hyperthyroidism. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns.

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Other Answers

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    Answered By Alysia Van Scoy, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on October 23rd, 2017

    It sounds like Zoe has a lot going on. Poor girl! I am not sure how old that she is. That changes what could be the problems. Senior cats are susceptible to things like hyperthyroidism (causes vomiting, weight loss and skin problems), and kidney disease (can cause vomiting ,reduced muscle mass) I recommend taking her to a veterinarian for an exam. She sounds like she could use some blood work to help figure out why she is vomiting. The skin problems could be due to allergies. Although some endocrine problems will show some symptoms in the skin. A veterinarian should be able to help you localize the problem or problems and work on a treatment plan to get Zoe feeling better. Thanks for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

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    Answered By Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA

    Veterinarian, Certified Dog Trainer

    Published on March 9th, 2017

    Poor Ruby! I'm not sure how old she is, but depending on her age, some common causes of weight loss in cats would include chronic kidney disease, diabetes, hyperthyroidism, inflammatory bowel disease, or gastrointestinal lymphoma. Many of these illnesses can also cause skin problems, such as areas of hair loss and scabs. It's unlikely that a skin condition alone (such as allergies or fleas) would cause her to lose weight, so I would be concerned that something more serious is going on. Many of these problems are very treatable once a diagnosis is made, so I would recommend taking Ruby to the vet for an exam as soon as you are able to. He/she can do blood work or other testing if needed to help determine the problem and get her started on appropriate treatment.

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