Cat pulling tufts of hair out

Question
Hi I am hopig you can shed some light on why our 12 year old ginger cat is pulling tufts of fur out.  Initially I thought it was a flea allergy but after a good treatment  to de-flea he is still doing it.  It is when he licks himself he will finish by pulling 4 or 5 tufts of hair out.  He is fed a good quality diet of dry food.  (cat biscuits/nuts) Has ample fresh air/exercise/sleep.  He is a bit skinny compared to 3 or 4 years ago but I attributed this to his age.  He has been treated for worms also to discount this.  Any ideas?

Answer

flea pyramid One flea bite can cause an allergic reaction to a cat for weeks. You have to also get rid of the fleas in your house to really help him. That means a treatment that will kill off the adults, keep the eggs from hatching and the larvae from spinning a cocoon.

So you need an IGR or insect growth regulator. Here is a page that describes the flea life cycle for you:
http://www.ah.novartis.com/cab/en/cat_fleas_lifecycle.shtml

Cats at this age can have so many issues that without full vet exam it is really hard to know what exactly he is doing. Sometimes they feel stuff in their fur that makes them pull it out, and sometimes that is their way of trying to rid themselves of the fleas.

So at his age I would always suggest a good vet exam and then get some Ovitrol IGR or something like it down there.
I am going to include an image that shows you have the biggest problem with fleas is the hidden ones that you don't see, such as the eggs, larvae and cocoons.

So call the vet and get him looked over. Then attack that flea problem! Good luck.