Hair loss - cause for concern (pic)

[jobnockey]

Hi, cat has been over grooming a bit and have just found a small bald patch on his back, near the base of his tail. He seems otherwise healthy, fur is shiny and he’s eating/drinking normally. Is this something to worry about?

Maybe try some Zyklene to calm him down. Over grooming tends to be caused by stress..

Thank you. I’ll give this a try.

Wish I could work out what was stressing him if that is the case! There’s been no major changes at home other than me being here more than usual but he seems to quite like that!

When my cat did this he had a thyroid problem. I took him to the vet and they initially suggested fleas, which he didn't have, so they did a blood test and identified a massive thyroid issue. I hope it isn't that (it's proving expensive and time-consuming to fix) but it's worth checking because it can cause other problems.

Thanks @TranquilityofSolitude, did your cat have any other symptoms??

I don’t think he has fleas, he rarely goes out and when he does he just sits in the back step mainly...

Sorry jobnockey. I got distracted.

My cat also lost weight, but he'd been overweight and so we were trying to help him get a bit thinner. I just thought we were doing well! I suppose he was also a bit unsettled/stressed, but there always seemed to be something else I could attribute it to, so again, it didn't really stand out as a symptom. Since he started medication he's been a lot better though, and things I thought might just be symptoms of getting older have actually improved.

Test for fleas- wet a piece of A4. Hold him over it facing away, back legs on the ground, rub his coat well and look at anything which falls off. Flea dirts are dried blood and will streak red on the wet paper.