Hormone Therapy and Feline Hair Loss

My four-year-old female cat Dottie has a hormonal allergy. That's all the vet told me except that she would need a monthly shot for the rest of her life. She is itchy all over and gets many scabs and has hair loss. It looks a lot like scabies.

Are there any natural remedies to help her? She's quite stressed most of the time, very jumpy. I cannot afford the monthly vet trip for a shot. The poor thing is miserable but we love each other and I want to keep her. Please help if you can.

Thanks,

Jill

Expert Reply

Hi Jill,

So sorry to hear about Dottie's hair loss. Since your vet didn't give you a lot of information, let me give it a try.

Hormones are regulated by a chemical commonly referred to as Cortisol. As cats age, their bodies naturally begin to produce less hormones. When levels are low enough, the body tries to boost production of the hormones, but then production of Cortisol is lowered as the body redirects its energy. This is when the trouble begins.

The shots your vet prescribed are necessary to help your cat's hormonal system remain in balance and able to fight off immune reactions that produce the typical allergy symptoms.

There are a few things you can do to support the Corticosteroid therapy.

• Fatty acid supplementation may help your cat's skin irritation.
• Try feeding your cat a diet that is specifically formulated for pets with allergies.
• Try to avoid exposing your cat to any of its known allergens. For this, you'd have to ask your vet what your cat tested allergic to.
• Make every effort to lessen the stress in her environment. Stress further inhibits her body's ability to deal with the allergens.

I'm sorry I couldn't give you better news. There doesn't seem to be a way to cure severe allergies. All we can do is try to manage them to make our cats as comfortable as possible.

Thanks for your question.

Kelly