One of our cats has a bald patch.

[progressoid]

Its on the inside of her front leg. It just showed up. It's about 1 1/2 inches long and an inch wide.

She doesn't seem to be ill or anything. No scratches or wounds that I can find. Other than the missing hair - nothing out of the ordinary. The usual eat, sleep, play, sleep, eat, poop, sleep, etc. She's lying on my lap purring right now.

She has only been outside for a few minutes in the last week but I suppose she could have gotten into something.

Any ideas?

[Behind the Aegis]

1. Could be a hot spot.

They will chew the hair away because it is uncomfortable. You can tell because the skin will be a little warmer than the rest of the body, even hot. It may a bit sensitive as well.

[progressoid]

3. I'll check it out.

What would cause that? Infection?

[Behind the Aegis]

12. Hot spots are usually allergy related.

It could be to fleas, or even flea medicines. Take a magnifying glass and see if there is a rash or hives, that might help with a diagnosis. I had a chihuahua that used to get them all the time, he doesn't now. It was very frustrating, but we used to put aloe on his bald spot to soothe it and bitter lime around it to keep him from chewing on it more. I hope that helps!

[Freddie]

2. Sometimes happens for no apparent reason

Years ago my beloved Fred I lost all the hair on his belly and inside of legs. Vet gave him a prednisone shot and it eventually came back.
Hair loss in circular patches can be ringworm, usually found in kittens but they can spread it to adult cats in the same house. One of our rescues had it; treated by a shampoo and leave-in conditioner from the vet.

[progressoid]

4. Yeah, I've been looking online.

There seems to be a lot of vague explanations out there. In one scenario, a vet prescribed a topical ointment that didn't work but the shampoo did.

I guess I'll keep an eye on it. If it doesn't show improvement, then off to the vet we go.

[fizzgig]

5. my russian blue is pulling out tufts of fur, too

right along her spine toward her tail. the interwebs say it's likely boredom or anxiety, but she's as normal as she gets. i'm going to take her in if it gets much worse, good luck with your fur monster

[yellerpup]

6. Mr. Spitz used to chew his hair off.

He was the Barney Fife of kittehs and a nervous little kitteh person. Once we moved so that he could visit the great outdoors, he changed completely and stopped pulling his fur out because of presumed territorial issues. Our vet said that sometimes cats lick themselves bald in spots because that spot hurts. Never heard of a hot spot before, but that is very interesting.

[Freddie]

7. Could be food allergies

If she's pulling hair out she may have itchy skin. Try changing food? My present bunch do really well with Purina One for Sensitive Systems (dry) and Fancy Feast.

[progressoid]

11. Hmm...that's a possibility.

My wife bought some of those packets a couple months ago. Maybe we'll try the old canned food again and see what happens.

[Curmudgeoness]

8. Is there any irritation? Does the cat pay any attention to that spot?

Is the skin red or sensitive? My cat's hair on the inside of the back leg was missing, but there was nothing to indicate what it would be that caused it. My vet told me that since it was not bothering the cat, we would just leave the cat alone. He said that sometimes, this just happens (???) but usually, sooner or later, it comes back. And it did. I still have no idea what caused it, but I guess that it is not something unique.

[avebury]

9. It sounds like a hotspot.

I would recommend taking her to the vet. My cat has had them from time to time. The vet usually gave her an allergy shot. If it is a hot spot it probably won't get better by itself. I always let the vet deal with it on my cat because she is 18 now and has a more delicate constitution.

[hamsterjill]

10. I am dealing with an issue similar right now with one of my cats.

We're still trying to find the answer. She's been at the vets on a regular basis now for over six months and we've had minimal success.

I'm about to pull my own hair out from the frustration!

These can be from flea allergy, irritant allergy, contact allergy, stress, you name it. Some hair loss can also be linked to thyroid problems. We don't have fleas and treat regularly, so we don't believe this is a flea problem. We've changed detergent, bedding and kitty litter, without much result.

One thing that my vet did suggest is to wipe the cat down with a baby wipe once or twice a day. If nothing else, this seems to make the cat feel a little better.

[IrishAyes]

13. First make sure...

... that it isn't ringworm. I made the mistake of reaching down to pet a cat one time, not wearing my glasses and I couldn't tell it had ringworm until too late. I thought it was just scruffy. I jerked my hand away immediately, but the damage was already done.

That said, I agree with others that the problem's likelier a skin allergy of some sort. You might try spraying the area with a 1:1 solution of vinegar and water. The cat won't like you for awhile, but it won't lick the wound either.

[progressoid]

14. No sign of ringworm.

She seems to be leaving it alone and now it's slowly growing back. Unless it gets worse again and I have to take her to the vet, I guess it will remain a mystery.

[IrishAyes]

15. Very glad to hear it.

But don't forget the watered down vinegar spray or sponge in case it returns, though.

[MadrasT]

16. I would second the suggestion about a possible food allergy.

Also - have you changed the brand of litter you are using lately?

I have one cat who has allergies that cause her to develop bald patches on her legs and stomach. She has sensitivities to many foods and she is also very sensitive to most brands of scented litter.

I use unscented litter for her... once I had to buy scented in an emergency (because I couldn't find unscented) anywhere and the litter *really* needed to be changed badly... poor cat lost nearly all the fur on all four legs within 48 hours. I'll never make that mistake again. She doesn't seem bothered by it, but I do have to be careful with both food and litter for her.

[mockmonkey]

17. In 2007

Our cat Patches had developed a bald patch on top of her body next to her tail. Other than that she was normal.

The Vet gave us Methylprednisolone tablets for her to take and it went away and never came back. The Vet felt that Patches was licking there excessively even though we never saw her doing that.