12 yr. old male maine coon

Question
We have a 12 yr. old silver tabby Maine Coon. He has just about a month ago started contantly licking and pulling chunks of hair out of the lower half of his body--ie., hips, under-belly and lower back specifically. I comb him and can find no sign of fleas or anything..? He does go outside for a couple hours every day, but has been doing this during the summers for several years now. He has eaten Waltham's SO 30 for several yrs. now because of two severe urinary blockages. He's gotten so now when he sees me with the comb he hides. Any idea what could be causing this behavior? Thank You. Maxine

Answer
Hi Maxine, If he is only having this problem in the summer then it is probably nothing that is related to his diet or hormonal/thyroid.
So What could be happening is that he is getting moist hot spots in the summer. If his skin gets moist and then the heat and moisture is held in by the coat he will become very uncomfortable. It is also possible he has a seasonal allergy.And it is possible that he has a flea allergy. Even if he doesn't have fleas all he would have to do is be bitten once by one and he could itch for weeks !! I would suggest you have a vet visit every summer to get a cortisone type injection for him to take the itch out of his skin and make him more comfortable in the heat.
The other remedy would be to clip his hair down for the summer... but that is a pretty embarrassing thing to happen to a distinguished old boy!