young cat experiencing sudden increase in appetite, lethargy, dandruff, hair loss

[Emmett1689]

My cat is just about a year old and she is experiencing a sudden increase in appetite, dandruff in her rump area, and a sudden loss of fur. The loss of fur is not in clumps, she just seems to be shedding a whole lot lately. She has been more inactive than usual too, almost depressed. We have not found any flea droppings or presence of worms in her stool. I've noticed lately that she can't seem to jump as high as she used to, and gives up playing earlier than before. She has not gained any weight, or even seemed to lose any either. Our other cat is not experiencing any of the other symptoms except the dandruff near the tail. They are both entirely indoor cats, never left the home unless to visit the vet, so I'm puzzled as to their aquisition of a parasite, if that is the case. I work at home and give them a lot of attention. Any ideas on what may be causing this? We live far from the vet, so another agonizing car ride would be best avoided if at all possible. Thanks for your help.

[Emmett1689]

Thank you so much! I will message back with results.

[Aleda M Cheng, D.V.M., C.V.A]

It may be allergies to food or fleas, or other allergy.  You don't have to see the flea that affected your cat since one flea bite can causing itching for at least a month if the cat flea allergy dermatitis; and the flea could be brought in on clothes, etc.

There are some things that you can try at home,  but,  if they are not effective I encourage you to take her to the vet no matter how far away.

I would switch her food to a hypo-allergenic, grain-free, novel protein, CANNED diet.  You probably need to switch both cats to avoid possible cheating by the affected cat.  If she is indeed food allergic it will take up to 12 weeks to get the allergic food completely out of her system, so be patient.

You will also need to eliminate fleas just in case with a topical flea preventative and a premise spray and bomb.

But to reiterate,  if these measures don't help, please see a vet as there may be a congential problem, or other issue that needs to be addressed.