Question:
My male cat was diagnosed with diabetes when he was 10 years old. Within a year, he lost most of the fur on his front paws and belly. He was not an aggressive groomer and was eating high-quality, high-protein cat food. When he was 13, he had his teeth cleaned. Three were extracted.Within a month of his dental work, his fur began to grow back. Within three months, the fur had fully regrown. I think there must have been a connection. Maybe getting rid of an infection in his mouth improved his overall health. What do you think?.
N.K., Arlington, Va Sep 24, 2006
Answer:
A cat's skin condition is a mirror of the cat's health. A poor, lackluster coat, shedding hair and patches of baldness (sometimes aggravated by excessive licking, grooming and fur-pulling self-mutilation) can mean many things, hence the importance of having one's cat examined by a veterinarian whenever skin and coat conditions develop.Your letter is an invaluable warning for people whose cats begin to lose their fur and develop any of the above skin problems. Diseased teeth can mean chronic suffering and a generalized toxicity from spreading bacterial infection. This is an all-too-common problem in dogs and cats that could be missed if routine, annual veterinary checkups, once every six months for old animals, are not done. Plus, diabetic animals are more prone to infections.
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