hair pulling

Question
I have a 9 year old neutered male cat who has recently developed a disturbing habit of pulling all of his hair out on his belly.  He also has developed a hot spot that is very senitive to touch on the lower thrid of his spine.  We have not noticed any difference in his daily routine, we have not changed his food or any thing else.  The only difference is that he has not gone out much this winter and but he has begun to go out now.  He has not however stopped pulling the hair out.  I checked him for fleas and he does not have them.  Do you have any suggestions.

Answer
Hair pulling, especially on the belly is an indication of itching.  There are many things other than fleas that can make a cat itchy. Certain environmental allergens and even ear mites on the body can cause itching.  You should take the cat to the vet for an examination.  Sometimes an antihistamine will help, but usually a shot of a long acting steroid called DepoMedrol will help relieve the itching and make him stop pulling out the hair.