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Dr. Ann M.
Dr. Ann M., Cat Veterinarian
Category: Cat
Satisfied Customers: 5021
Experience:  ER and general medicine Veterinarian since 2005
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My 12 year old mongrel tabby cat is losing his fur at the

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My 12 year old mongrel tabby cat is losing his fur at the base of his belly.I have found several tufts of fur on the carpet every day over the last few weeks.He is up to date with his yearly vaccinations and has had a (vet administered) worm tablet and flea/tick drops about 2 weeks ago. He had a few teeth extracted by the vet about 3 weeks ago and during this time had a comprehensive series of blood tests which showed no problems. This cost me over £600 in all ( not covered by his insurance) and I really cannot afford to take him back for this problem which must have been in existence although not spotted by the vet or myself. There seems to be no inflammation or particular irritation.His twin sister (black-coat) is not affected.

Dr. Ann M.
Hi there and thank you for your question. My name is ***** ***** I am a licensed, internship-trained veterinarian with 9 years of experience in general medicine and emergency and critical care medicine and I would be happy to assist you.
Often times, when fur is coming out from that area of the body, it is due to the cat over grooming that area and essentially pulling the fur out itself. This is usually due to stress. I suspect that your cat may have been traumatized a bit from the dental procedure and the blood work and the vet visit, so this may be a response to that. I recommend purchasing a product called Feliway, that is a pheromone spray that can calm and soothe cats. You can purchase it online from online pet stores. I would spray it on her bedding, and on the places where she most frequently spends time. I would spray it every other day for a while and see if that helps. If that doesn't help, and this is still going on in a few months, I would talk to your vet about the possibility of trying Xanax or Prozac in the short term.
I hope that I have answered your question thoroughly. If you still have questions, please reply. If you feel that I have provided anything less than excellent service, please reply to me first before rating my service and let me know how I can better assist you. Thank you for your question; it has been a pleasure being able to provide assistance. Best of luck.
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Customer: replied 3 years ago.

Thank you Ann. I did wonder if this problem was due to stress but Bos' had been leaving large tufts of fur on the floor before the two cats went for their booster jabs (and in his case, subsequent teeth extraction).The bare patches were not noticeable before his "op". He is usually very placid and lets his little sister attend to all confrontation situations. Probably the "op"contributed to exaggerate the stress ??

Thanks once again. Rosemary

Yes, I suspect the op contributed and exacerbated the stress. Feel free to keep me posted and let me know how the Feliway works. Good luck, and please remember to rate my service so that I will receive credit for assisting you. Have a great weekend!
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