My senior cat has balding spots on her back thighs. What's happening?

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Moochie. This hair loss could be due to over-grooming. This could be caused by stress but in a cat her age it could be caused by a medical condition such as hyperthyroidism. I'd have her seen by a vet to get this checked out, and I recommend getting a geriatric blood panel and urinalysis done. I hope this helps!

This can be a sign of a medical disease such as hyperthyroidism, which can be common in senior cats. I'd have Sweetie seen by a vet for this behavior. The vet can do a physical exam, geriatric blood panel, and urinalysis. I'd take him into a vet today if possible. Best of luck.

If he seems to be losing weight, I would make sure her thyroid level was tested. If so, the skin could be due to an allergy or other skin condition. Thyroid level being high can cause skin and hair changes so I would first get this level checked out. As for the skin, you can use Douxo PS calm shampoo and mousse, both of which can be found online quite easily. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Hello. Decreased hair quality in cats, especially of her age, could be due to hyperthyroidism, kidney disease, diabetes, liver disease, parasites, and overall poor health and grooming habits due to arthritis or obesity. I would suggest getting her checked by a vet, and having bloodwork done to test for these conditions as some have easy fixes. Good luck with her!

From the photos, it looks like the skin has some red lesions. Hair loss can indicate many things including over grooming, ringworm (which humans can get), scabies (which can also effect humans) or other skin mites, hyperthyroidism or allergies (fleas, food or environmental). Unfortunately, all these lesions look similar. A physical exam and some basic diagnostics are needed to determine the underlying cause. Over grooming is more difficult to determine and is generally determined based upon ruling out other causes, a physical exam and a thorough medical history. I think your best option is to have Puds examined by the veterinarian. At home you can try giving him an omega 3 fatty acid supplement for pets but it may not correct the underlying cause. This can however improve over all skin health. There are two brands of food, Royal Canin and Nutro, which are aimed at skin health and they may help as well but again, they may not affect the underlying problem. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

I really do not know what that is from. If he has been over-grooming or scratching a lot I would be worried about fleas. If he has no other symptoms you can try this wound spray gel on that area to see if it helps. I do see some red bumps in that hairless area. If no improvement after a few weeks then you should have him to the vet for an exam. It should have nothing to do with renal disease or diet. ( https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/vetericyn-cat-wound-and-skin-hydrogel )

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Cookie and for providing pictures, they are very helpful. She is beautiful. Yes, this is quite concerning. This can be a sign of a medical issue like hyperthyroidism, fleas, allergies, or severe stress. You should have her seen by a vet for this, and I recommend getting a geriatric blood panel and urinalysis done. Not only will that check for hyperthyroidism, but it will also check as to how her organs are functioning. I would see if you can take her into a vet tomorrow. I hope this helps!