Cat Chat Feline Forum

I noticed a while ago that Molly's nose seems to moult all in one go leaving it pink and bald for a while. But these whiles have been getting longer and the bald bit is gradually getting bigger and not growing back fully. Now I've noticed her beautiful ear shield hair is much shorter than it used to be, barely reaches halfway across the ear. Also the back of the base of her ears the fur seems thinner, and on her knees when she has them up in the loaf pose.

Now - she has been hyperthyroid and cured successfully, she is on a potassium supplement for a mild deficiency, she has had mild on-off loose stools for a year now, she is barely over the mark for the very mildest CKD and had some kind of bile or liver crisis a year ago. Anyone know of anything in all that mix that might cause hair thinning? There are no bald patches anywhere, her fur is soft and feels thick as always, it's just these odd bits. She is 12, spayed and indoor only.

I wonder if some cats experience some hair loss and thinning as a natural process of ageing, just like humans do

it sounds as if her fur is gradually retreating rather than falling out - I copied this from an online article as I thought it might be a possible answer

Hereditary Hair Loss
Your cat losing hair on its ears or head may simply be a result of genetics. In cases of hereditary hair loss, there is no underlying cause except for a transfer of genes, so bald patches do not exhibit any irritation and don't seem to bother an affected cat at all. There is no course of treatment to stop the loss or encourage hair to grow again once it has been lost.

Thanks Kay I didn't have any luck searching google, everything I found was about skin complaints and bald patches but nothing on thinning other than due to serious illnesses. Never seen this before thoough, specially on the nose which is the only real bald bit.

I've noticed that the fur on next door's Tay is getting a bit thin on his nose. Attributed it to his shoving his nose into places (like Tilly's dinner bowl) where it did not ought to be! Still, could be due to the kidney problems he had earlier.

Hi, sorry I've not been around for a while and I've never noticed a bald nose, but at least two cats of mine, over the years, developed bald ears. With the first I panicked, but the vet assured me that it wasn't ringworm, with the second I just accepted it ... in this case the ears became slightly sticky on the outside, like post-it notes, and it wasn't unusual to see her trotting about with the pinna of one ear folded over and gummed down ... it didn't cause her any discomfort to unstick it

Molly's nose when I'm allowed to touch it feels slightly sticky too. Oh she's allowed to use my fingernail to pick it for her ... all on her terms!