Our question this week was:

My mom's cat is loosing his hair and he has a weird bulge on his left side what disease do you think he has?


Dewain Baxter



Answer

Hi – thanks for your email. Your mom's cat is experiencing both hair loss and a lump on his side. It is possible that these problems could be caused by one disease but it may be the result of two different problems.

There are several reasons cats can loose their hair. The technical term for hair loss is "alopecia" and we have an article on PetPlace that might be of help – go to "Alopecia in Cats" . Alopecia can be caused by fleas, flea allergies, food allergies, and general poor health as a result of various disease including feline leukemia virus, feline "AIDS" virus, and others.

As far as the lump goes, it could be anything from a tumor, a bruise or an abscess. I'd recommend that you or your mom have the cat checked to see if there is a skin problem or underlying disease that can be treated.

Another article that might be helpful to you is "Skin Growth, Lump, Swelling or Mass in Cats".


Best of luck!


Dr. Jon





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