cat losing hair

Question
Our older (12-13) cat is long haired.  over the past 6 months I noticed especially around her neck & head area patches of what i thought were dry skin.  i just usually itched them for her, thinking it was dead skin ....now she is losing hair starting with her belly, and now spreading around her rear area, and working around her back.  i can see other patches of what we thought was just dry skin.  still has very full hair everywhere else, just going bald on back half on body.  

Answer
This pattern of hairloss is usually self-inflicted through licking excessively or literally pulling their hair out by the roots with their teeth.  Most times, it's because the kitty is itchy.  That tends to be from environmental or flea allergies.  Flea treatments and a cortisone shot are the usual treatment if those are suspected.

Cats can also suffer from auto immune disease.  Symptoms are similar to allergies, and treatment is generally the same - a steroid injection, like cortisone, that will slightly suppress the immune system and keep auto immune disease under control.

There are other possibilities, like mange, but that most often stays around the face and head, and fungal infections like ringworm, but most cats will have fought that off within a couple of months.  She could have a staph infection from grooming too much, which tends to worsen the itch and cause MORE licking and scratching.  It's also possible she's feeling some anxiety or depression and is overgrooming in response to that.  Poor skin condition can also be an indication of overall poor health or diet.  So she really should see a vet do determine what the problem is and how to treat it.