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My cat has unexplained hair loss around her tail and legs. Why?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Female | spayed | 4 lbs

My cat has lost a lot of hair around her tail/butt area and LegS. What could cause this? Also my other categories now has a bald patch right near hus tail too. It's like the hair is much shorter and can see skin. But there's no redness or rash and they don't act abnormal

4 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By David Elbeze, DVM, MRCVS

Veterinarian

Published on January 17th, 2017

This is probably caused by an allergic reaction. first of all make sure you de-flea Sadie regularly every month with a high quality spot on (ex. Advantage) as fleas are by far the most common reason for these reactions. If the fleas are not the problem, it could be an allergic reaction to food or an environmental factor. this is more complicated to treat and will sometimes require medications such as Steroids, anti histamines or cyclosporin in order to stop the allergy.

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47Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Other Answers

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    Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

    Veterinarian

    Published on January 17th, 2017

    When a cat starts losing hair around their back and butt area, that can be a sign of fleas. If Chloe isn't up to date on her flea treatments, I can give you a program to use on her. First, I would give her Capstar. It's a one time pill that starts killing fleas within 30 minutes. Then follow up with a spot on treatment, such as Advantage or Revolution. This is a treatment that has to be used once a month. You will also have to disinfect the environment. Wash her bedding in hot soapy water, and vacuum the furniture and carpet surfaces. You can use a spray to kill fleas in the house, such as Indorex, or a flea bomb would work well to kill the fleas in the home. Other causes of hair loss in this area can include allergies, mites, or overgrooming due to stress. If Chloe is up to date on her flea treatments, I would have her seen by a vet to diagnose if any of these things are causing her hair loss. Once a cause is found, the vet can prescribe a treatment.

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    3Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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    Answered By Dr. Massimo Orioles, DVM, Cert AVP, MRCVS

    Veterinarian

    Published on November 16th, 2018

    Hi, and thanks for your question. This is probably due to an allergy, although it could also be infection or mites. First of all, in order to rule out skin parasites, you will need to treat with a high quality flea treatment, then ask the vet to perform a skin scrape - this might reveal an infection or a mite infestation. If all of those came back negative, the next step is to treat the allergy symptomatically and try to discover the cause of the allergy. Three main type of allergies are usually affecting pets: food allergies, flea and parasite related ones and environmental type (allergens coming from trees, pollens, dust etc etc). Some medications can be given by the vet in order to repair any possible skin lesions (like steroids and antibiotics). Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. Please find the time to give us a feedback about the consultation as that will be used to improve our service.

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    1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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    Answered By Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA

    Veterinarian, Certified Dog Trainer

    Published on February 24th, 2017

    Poor Belle! If she has fleas, this is very likely to be the cause of her hair loss - many cats have allergies to flea saliva, which means that they can develop excessive itching, skin rashes, and hair loss in response to fleas. I would recommend starting her on a good quality monthly flea medication such as Stronghold or Advocate. You may also need to treat your house and yard with a premise spray for fleas to prevent her from continuing to pick up more from the environment.

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    1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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