3 year old male cat losing hair...

[bnicole06]

When I adopted my cat with the hair loss he was perfectly healthy and had all his fur. The newest cat has been with us now for about a year and half and the issues with the loss of hair has been last 8 months. Could it take almost a year later for the stress to affect his hair loss if it were to be the newest one brought into the family? They share litter box and both have bowls in the washroom where they free feed.. I do know when Midnight (the one with hair loss) goes to washroom to eat, the other one follows him in there and has to dominate the feeding time but he doesn't get mad or not let Midnight eat. I give Midnight more attention than I do the other one only because he's more my baby than the other and always in my lap.

[moosmom]

Sounds like stress. I had a cat "Tucker", a Russian Blue mix who kept stressing my orange white cat, Casey. The vet put Casey on kitty tranquilizers. He was NOT the same cat. He was always hiding, cranky, and job not himself. Since Casey was there long before Tucker, friends of mine adopted Tucker. He's now living in Boulder, CO., and living life large.

I don't know if that's an option or not. Good luck.

[Lizzie]

Yes, it can take months for the stress to reach a point where Midnight self-mutilates. The other cat sounds pushy though not in an aggressive way and I would suspect, having watched behavior interactions and long-term consequences for decades, that this has bothered Midnight for some time. You know how it can happen in a work place. You get a new person who is a bit annoying but you cope, then the coping becomes annoying, and then you get really frustrated from having to adapt. From your description, he is a needy cat who regards you as his own so this nagging annoyance has reached stress levels.

If you want to keep both cats, you might want to use Fluoxitine or similar. However, as moosmom has said, any tranquilizer can have multiple effects.

Can you give Midnight his own feeding area? Sam is bothered by the others (she has CRF so senses she is weaker than other cats) and has feeding bowls on a table in the bedroom. It's easier for her to smack the others down from the table than cope with feeding alongside several other cats on the floor.

There are pet behavior therapists who can help.