Storm is a spayed 3 year old female. She is up to date on flea treatments, otherwise in good general health, no changes in routine, no arguements with other cats. However I noticed last Autumn that her tummy and inside of back legs have gone bald.
The skin itself is healthy, no scabbing or pink areas. There is some fur there, but it is very short. I cannot pinpoint exactly when it started as from a standing or sitting position she looks completely normal, it's only when she lays upside down you spot it.

Actions I have taken thus far:

* I looked up allergy's and saw that some types of fish are a common cause so I've switched her over to chicken to see if that improves the situation. Did that about 3 months ago now.

* I've been to the vets and he said it looks very much like over grooming. Didn't offer any more advise other than that.

* Been searching for a "trigger" that could be affecting her. Can't see one other than the fact she desperately wants to go outside and will make a mad dash for the back door any time it is open! Little minx! Ha ha.

Now storm is a very nervous cat at the best of times. If it is stress causing this then I was wondering if a feliway diffuser might help? I was wondering if anyone had any experience of this: good or bad.
Or if anyone has ever encountered something like this at all? It's most strange as the rest of her coat is fine, just her tummy and the inside of her rear legs.

I am going to be keeping an eye on this thread but I might not see a reply straight away, so if it takes a day or two for me to respond please don't be offended. Any ideas or suggestions will be warmly received. :)

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The little monsters 3

Thank you for your help.

Yes it's a strange one alright. Personally I don't think that she is stressed. She is very nervous by nature but not any more so recently than normal. She doesn't hide away or exhibit any obvious stress signals for example. She's quite happy to sleep up on my son's bed during the day and then come down and curl up on your lap for some love in the evening, she certainly looks relaxed in that respect.

With regards to the food. I'm planning on giving it a couple more months to see if the fur keeps growing back before switching to full on hypoallergenic proteins, as I'm wondering if it is improving but just gradually. Hard to tell but if it doesn't keep improving then a switch over will slowly be made. Slowly is the word here and even then I suspect that I'll be dealing with the joys of runny poop. Hence why I'm trying to rule out other things first, incase I can find the answer somewhere else and get away without adding to the existing problem with diahhrea.

I wonder if the flea treatment could be the problem too? That's certainly an interesting possibility and one I hadn't even considered before. Will have to look up the list of side effects firstly and possibly switch to another one to see if that helps too?

Well, you've certainly given me food for thought here and things to consider. If this doesn't clear up soon or gets worse then I'll be straight back down to the vet, I'm sure he'll be pleased to see me. Not sure Storm will return the greeting though!

It sounds like another member is having similar problems. I'm actually having a bit of trouble finding the resources that I found while researching this for Serafina. But I did find these:

http://pets.webmd.com/cats/guide/cats-a ... nd-chewing

http://www.petdoctors.co.uk/pet-advice/ ... -grooming/

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The little monsters 3

Thank you for the links, they are very helpful.

Thank you for the links. :)

Thought that I had better come back with an update to this situation incase it may be of help to anyone in the future with a similar problem.
After changing her diet, she did eventually reduce her overgrooming patterns and the fur has now grown back on her tummy and legs, she looks much improved! I think some ingredient/s were causing her skin to itch causing her to overgroom. It's taken a few months but she's back to her usual self now. And boy, do we know it! lol.

Yay! Excellent. Kudos for seeing that through for your kitty.

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The little monsters 3