Cats Hair Feels like Straw....Any Suggestions

[Karen]

It is definitely something worthy of a vet trip - a friend's cat had fur like that, and it turned out to me an endocrine imbalance.

[krazyaboutkatz]

My first thought is that it could be food allergies. When I first adopted my RB Storm, he also lost the fur on his ears. The vet at first thought that he might have ringworm but the test was negative. I was feeding him canned & dry food that had a lot of fish in it. It turned out that he was allergic to fish. Once I stopped feeding him food that contained a lot of fish in it, his fur grew back. She could possibly even be allergic to chicken even if she wasn't before. Hopefully you'll be able to find out what's causing this. Good luck.

[mrspunkysmom]

It is definitely something worthy of a vet trip - a friend's cat had fur like that, and it turned out to me an endocrine imbalance.

i had that issue in myself and it was hypothyroidism. It can also be from hyperthyroidism.

Sam doesn't groom himself since he is just a tad too large and he doesn't let the others groom him, although he will groom them. WEIRD. Anyway, his hair is coarse and he has dandruff, but it's not falling out.

Emily has facial alopecia above the eyes, very bad. She's 14.

I know we are all on shoestring budgets these days, but you might want to check the food. Grains are bad. Mine a grain free, not as a choice, but Spunky, and now Jane and Emily, are sensitive to grains. Spunky just throws up.

Good luck.

[Jessika]

Hyperthyroidism was the first thing that popped to mind; however, that's one of many other symptoms. It could very well be seasonal allergies, or it could also be dry skin with the cold, dry weather moving in (unless that isn't the case in your neck of the woods!). I wouldn't think 'food allergies' since she's been on this food before with no incident. But... since you temporarily had her on a different food, it COULD POSSIBLY be a reaction to that food you had her on.

If it were my pet, I would bring her in for a vet checkup, because as you see here, it can range from "no biggie" to "biggie".