Female cat losing hair.

Question
Hi--

I have a 9/10 month female tortie who isn't spayed. She was found as a stray a few weeks old, but received her necessary shots at one month and was believed to have no health problems. A month later, I got a male cat who is about a month behind her in age. I just got him fixed two weeks ago, so I'm not sure if he may have or could have gotten her pregnant. She's very lanky and thin, but not in a sickly way--she's just always been really long and lean. Recently she's started losing a significant amount of hair on the space between the center of her back and the base of her tail. She doesn't act sickly whatsoever and eats a completely normal amount... in fact i do spoil them a little. Could this have anything to do with pregnancy or an actual sickness? Or is hair loss a normal issue that comes up with female cats that are sexually matured and aren't fixed?

Thanks so much!

Answer
Kristin,

I apologize for being late getting to this.  

In a neutered male it usually takes 5-6 weeks for all the hormones to dissipate.  So, he very well could have gotten her pregnant.  I have never heard of a pregnant female over grooming as you suggest.  However, when a male breeds a female, there is often hair loss at the should blades since this is where he grabs the female for breeding with his teeth.  I have seen males grab the female more towards the center of the back (especially if she is very long).

On the other hand, if your female does have some allergy issues they can be exacerbated by the hormonal activity that is taking place as a reaction to lots of females being in season and the fact that she may have been bred.

I would have her checked out by your vet to make sure there is no other skin problem going on.

Best regards... Norm.