Conference misery::feline_v1

    My cat had some fur shaved on his leg back in January and it just
    has grown back in completely.  For awhile there I didn't think it
    would ever grow back and it seemed like all of a sudden it just
    appeared.  I also know how it feels to have them not eat something
    you want them to eat.  Smurf will turn his nose up at something
    in his food and then let me know he is not happy.  I leave it
    for him and sometimes he eats and other times he won't.  
    
    Mix the yeast well into his food.  Don't leave it sitting on top
    where he can see/smell it.
    
    cath

    Argus had his entire hind quarters shaved last December and while
    it still isn't fully grown in, what has grown in is significanlty
    lighter than his regular hair. The vet told me that a cat's hair
    grows *very* s-l-o-w-l-y. I just hope that when he gets his summer
    coat that it is all his regular golden color.
    
    Deb

    Try using the pill form if the cat won't eat the powder.  I have
    been giving mine yeast pills for fleas, and the dog gets them too.
    One of the cats just takes it like a treat, the other one we have
    to force it.
    
    Try it, it does work!
    
    Mary-Lynn

    HI there,
    
    Glad I'm an authority on something.
    
    Try mixing it with something smelly, like tuna fish. Or add some
    cod liver oil to the meal. and if that doesn't work, cheat (sprinkle
    it on Figaro's fur and let them wash it off.
    
    Dave

    When I was showing Fire, it was really important to keep him in
    full coat.  I used a product called "PRODEAN" when he started to
    shed.  It didn't stop the shedding, but did encourage lots of new
    hair growth.  The product itself is actually predigested protein
    and since it is "predigested" it sends the protein directly to the
    hair folicles.  (Or so I was told when I started using it!)  It
    did make a difference in not only the length of his hair, but also
    in the thickness.  His coat was noticably longer, thicker and softer
    within a few weeks.  Other breeders at the shows even noticed it.
     
    
    I'm not sure if you can buy it at pet shops, but your vet may have
    it.  It not, you can get it at most cat shows, or can order from
    Haddleigh House @ 207-676-3309.  
    
    It's a liquid that you add to the food....about 1/2 a dropper once
    a day.  It smells sweet...sorta like licorice.  Both Fire and Lucki
    gobbled up the food that I put it in....got to a point where Fire
    wouldn't eat his food without it.
    
    cin
    

    I had the same problem with the yeast. The only one
    I found that the cats like(they love it) is the 
    chewable brewers yeast tablets put out by GNC. I
    crumble them(they are big) and they eat them straight.
    

    Monroe had a similar problem after the vet shaved off a rather large
    patch of fur off his back.  That was last March and by August it
    had still not grown back.  He looked like a punk rocker.  I called
    the vet about it (only took me 5 months to decide something was
    wrong!8^) ) and we finally figured out that the reason Monroe's
    hair wasn't growing back was because he was taking Ovaban to prevent
    him from spraying.  The hormone imbalance caused by the Ovaban kept
    him from growing his hair, so we stopped the Ovaban and within a
    couple of weeks he had new hair growing in.  It only took about
    a month for the hair to grow long enough that you couldn't detect
    the spot any more.
    
    Check with the vet about the problem.  If nothing else, he should
    know that the hair hasn't come in yet.  My vet was very suprised
    when I finally told him about Monroe.
    
    And while we are on the subject of hair and it's loss, I just noticed
    on Saturday that Monroe's fur is thinning drastically on his shoulders
    and the back of his neck and is very stiff textured.  All of the
    undercoat seems to have come out with only the guard hairs remaining.
    I show Monroe and I am deathly afraid that he might have caught
    body mites at one of the shows.  Does anyone have any experience
    with this problem?
    
    Jo

    This seemed like the 'hair loss clinic' note... so I have another
    question.
    Both of my kitties seem to have thinning hair particularly on the
    lower parts of their tummy's.  Only the female was shaved there
    when spayed, but that grew back quickly and full, only later at
    about 11 to 12 months it got real thin, and stayed that way.
    Any ideas?
    
    Sally

    That's a VERY common phenomenon in spayed females.  Particularly
    older ones.  My mom's kitty Kelly had that happen too.  The vet
    said it was hormonal and no big deal.  My mom decided she needed
    more vitamins (my mom's cure for EVERYTHING), so she added lots of
    brewers yeast to her food.  It worked!  Maybe mom has something
    there.....                  
    Good luck, and don't worry too much.
    
    molly

    Well we took Monroe to the vets last night to find out why his hair
    is falling out and also why he insists on spending all day and all
    night hiding behind the toilet in the guest bathroom.
    
    As my husband says, the vet confirmed what he (Ken) already knew...
    Monroe is lacking in male hormones... (es-say I, but what does that
    have to do with hiding behind the toilet?)  Answer - he is afraid
    to come out!!!
    
    Anyway - the vet put him on Progesterone (I think).  1/4 tablet
    a day for 3 days and then 1/4 tablet once a week.  What say the
    rest of you about this?
    
    Jo Ann

    Jo,
    
    Didn't you say that Monroe was on OVABAN to stop him from spraying??
    
    
    cin
    

    He was on Ovaban for about a year to keep him from spraying but
    I stopped giving it to him because his hair wouldn't grow back after
    the vet shaved him for an abcess.  Now they are giving him another
    hormone to make his hair grow back.  I'm confused.
    
    The vet said that this new drug will also help with his spraying,
    which he has started to do occasionally.  All this info seems to
    contradict itself.  First a hormone to stop him from spraying prevented
    his hair from growing back, now a hormone to help his hair grow
    back which also helps stop spraying.  On top of that, if he is lacking
    in male hormone, why is he spraying? Maybe its learned behavior.
    
    Jo

    RE: -1
    
    Argus, who NEVER sprayed, went on Ovaban about 2 months ago because
    he was attacking Alex. No sooner did he go on Ovaban he began spraying.
    Now, I always had heard that Ovaban was given to cats to STOP their
    spraying (among other things).
    
    While I'm on the subject of spraying, I probably should pass this
    along. I was spending a lot of time ripping up my carpets and trying
    to wash out the urine with cold water. I just bought one of those
    new Bissel Steam Cleaners that Leachemere is advertizing for $159
    and it works fantasticlly, much better than the ones that you can
    rent. You can use it as a wet/dry vac and has a very powerful suction
    that will pull the liquid right out of the carpet. Then all I have
    to do is put a little bit of vinegar or pet odor-eater enzyme on
    the "accident" area.
    
    Deb

    re: .13
    
    Thanks for the tip, Deb.  I wondered if those things worked (not
    that I ever need one!
    
    RE: .10
    
    Low hormones or no low hormones, I bet if he met a REAL female cat
    it wouldn't matter! ;-)
    
    Marion
                               

    I don't think he would ever come out from behind the toilet long
    enough to meet a REAL woman (of the feline variety of course!) ;^)
    
    Jo

    Ref. .10
    
    One summer, Munchkin started to pull his fur out due to an unaltered
    male who came into the neighborhood and wreaked havoc with the pecking
    order.  Anyway, he was on progesterone for about 6 months.  The
    only change I noticed was that he became a little pudgy (fluid
    retention?), and also he developed small breasts!  Oh well, when
    you weigh in at 14 pounds or so, who can tell, right?  The vet told
    me that as long as the swelling was contained around his nipples,
    that it was merely a reaction to the female hormone in his system.
    
    Just thought I'd mention it, so you can keep an eye on him.
    
    J.