Lose Of fur on my cat

Question
Hi Norman
My Cat seems to be losing his fur on his back at both sides I have been to a vet who told me that he was grooming himself to much this was last week the cat does not groom to much and his fur is getting worse
I wonder if you have come across this in your time
Many thanks
Dave  

Answer
Dave,

I am not a vet, but there are a couple of things to check.

First of all, in this part of the world (North America), it is shedding season (which seems a bit late this year), so it could be as simple as that.

Second, even if your cat is not whole (i.e. is neutered or spayed), it is spring and many, many female cats are in season, this can cause some hair loss in these cats due to over grooming.  A steroid shot would usually fix this, if it is, indeed, the problem.

Third, your cat can have a hypersensitivity to body mites.  Body mites are almost impossible to detect and are almost always present.  A dose of ivermectin should help.  The cat would get the ivermectin once a week for 4 weeks (on the same day), given either orally or by injection.  The dose is very small (like .055 CC for an 8 pound cat), but you need to check with your vet.

If none of these work, your vet may have to do a skin biopsy to get to the bottom of it.

Best regards... Norm.