My senior cat has bald spots on his front legs. What's causing them?

Question

12-15 YO male cat with no known health problems. My cat has developed two bald spots, one on each on the insides on his front legs. One is almost 5cm lengthwise by no more than 2cm wide. The other is about 1-2cm. I've noticed no behavioural changes. He's active and eats well. No vomiting and uses his litter box normally. No overgrooming and the bald spots do not look inflamed or infected, he lets me touch them without any problem. Pet's info: Cat | Domestic Shorthair | Male | neutered

Dr. Elizabeth · Accepted Answer

From the photos, it looks like the skin has some red lesions. Hair loss can indicate many things including over grooming, ringworm (which humans can get), scabies (which can also effect humans) or other skin mites, hyperthyroidism or allergies (fleas, food or environmental). Unfortunately, all these lesions look similar. A physical exam and some basic diagnostics are needed to determine the underlying cause. Over grooming is more difficult to determine and is generally determined based upon ruling out other causes, a physical exam and a thorough medical history. I think your best option is to have Puds examined by the veterinarian. At home you can try giving him an omega 3 fatty acid supplement for pets but it may not correct the underlying cause. This can however improve over all skin health. There are two brands of food, Royal Canin and Nutro, which are aimed at skin health and they may help as well but again, they may not affect the underlying problem. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

My senior cat has bald spots on his front legs. What's causing them?

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