Why is my 5-month-old cat losing fur and weight while in heat?

I would talk to your vet about checking her thyroid hormones. It is probably unlikely but definitely possible that her thyroid is too high causing weight loss and hair loss. I would also make sure she is on a high quality dry and canned cat food to help increase the caloric intake. If you aren't planning on breeding her, I would consider getting her spayed as long as she is healthy enough per your vet. I would definitely continue the vitamins. Also, I would talk to your vet about ruling other things out if they haven't already like parasites, giardia, feline leukemia, feline aids, and more. I hope this helps!

I am sorry to hear that Kitty is expecriening these issues. If these hanged in behaviour are new and happened with the changes in coat quality, It may be a good idea to have Kitty checked out by your vet for a condition called hyperthyroidism. Hyperthyroidism is common in cats. It can affect behaviour, coat quality, can cause increase in urination, drinking and appetite. Your vet will be able to rule out this disease with a simple blood test and it can be treated in a number of ways including tablets, radioiodine therapy, special prescription diet or surgery. I hope that is a helpful answer and that Kitty starts to feel herself again soon.

Yes, indeed a cat that is not spayed and has to spend a lot of energy by going through heat will lose weight. If you do not intend to breed her, you should have her spayed, especially since cats will stay in heat until they get bred. She will be happier when she does not have to go through constant heat.

I would recommend getting her in sooner than February. Weight loss usually means something more than just not liking a new food, such as intestinal parasites, endocrine disorder (such as hyperthyroidism), kidney disease, etc. The greasy coat could be from the lack of grooming (either because she doesn't feel well or it is too painful to do so - oral pain or arthritis), but could also be cause by hyperthyroidism. Here is some helpful info on hyperthryoidism in cats: http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=516

Older cats like your kitty often get an overactive thyroid which will show weight loss, a really fast heart rate, sometimes vomiting, and more vocalisation than usual. Some cats get skittish as well. Hyperthyroidism can actually cause heart problems and mask kidney disease. Hyperthyroidism is easily diagnosed with a clinical exam and a little blood test and there are various treatments available, varying from Methimazole transdermal ointment or tablets to slow down thyroid hormone production, surgery to remove the overactive thyroid gland or radiotherapy. If your kitty is suffering from hyperthyroidism your vet will discuss the various options. I suggest you make an appointment tomorrow.

Poor Lorelei! Sounds like she s has had a bit of a rough go at things recently. As far as the unkempt, greasy coat this could be due to her not feeling well and subsequently not grooming herself well. Alternatively she could also be dealing with an ongoing flea or food sensitivity. I worry about her weight loss and her decreased appetite though. This makes me worried she could be dealing with an underlying health issue such as an intestinal issue such (eg inflammatory bowel disease) or even some infectious disease (eg fip, felv) or even a kidney issue. I would have her evaluated by a veterinarian. They may suggest some blood work to look at her overall health to start and even test her for viral illnesses such as felv/fiv. They may also discuss other tests down the line such as an x-ray or abdominal ultrasound. I hope you get some answers soon and she is feeling better !!

Hi and thanks for posting on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Hair loss can have many causes in cats- skin infection such as a bacterial infection, allergy such as to food or a flea allergy (especially if Simba is not on any flea preventative) or fungal infection like ringworm can all be causes. Sometimes anxiety can cause cats to lick off their fur but this is typically a diagnosis that is made after all other health conditions are ruled out first. The weight loss could be due to due to simply eating less (this would be a good thing if Simba was previously overweight). Of course, weight loss can also be caused by many different underlying health condition such as certain infections, hyperthyroidism, liver, kidney disease, certain cancers and other endocrine disease. I would recommend Simba see his veterinarian soon for an evaluation. Your veterinary may take a skin scraping and hair sample from the area of hair loss and may recommend running blood work or other diagnostics as necessary. I hope this helps!