loss of fur

Question
I have a part Siamese cat that had been losing her fur for several months. Today I noticed what looks like dandruff on her coat. Any ideas as to what this could be?

Answer
Hi, Patricia.  You should get your kitty to the vet.  There are many reasons a cat may have a poor coat and poor skin condition.  This includes mites (there is actually a mite that appears to be dandruff, sometimes called "walking dandruff), bacterial infections such as staph, a protein deficiency, which could be due to diet or a metabolic problem, diabetes, and auto-immune disease, including lupus.  It could just be dry winter skin.  But with all these possibilities, which all have different treatments, a vet really needs to take a look and determine which treatment is appropriate.