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Hi guys
My 18 month old girl has developed a really oil coat on her back at her rear end and Also appears to be getting skinny. She has always been a small Maine coon and not a perfect specimen Of the breed but we love her. She eats very small quantities so more of a nibbled.
Does anyone have any experience e of this happening to them or maybe someone could give me some advice.
Many thanks
Justin.
At 18 months she could be having another growing spurt which would make her look even skinnier than she was before. Is she well wormed...?
Is she happy in herself...? At that age it won't have been that long since she had her first booster so was the vet happy enough with her then....?
I have got one very long,very lean {& boney} male MC who is absolutely fine but he also eats very sparingly,his whole days quota wouldn't cover the bottom of a saucer.I would say as long as you are getting good quality food into her{you could also get her some extra vitamins that would help with her coat} then just enjoy & carry on loving her for what she is but if you are really worried in any way then get her checked out.
Some photos of her too would be very much appreciated...x
Agree with Jackie, our two almost seem to get skinnier before they have a growth spurt - if she has been wormed and still has a healthy appetite (even if its just grazing as usual) then it's probably nothing to worry about. As for the oily coat on her back towards her rear, it sounds to me like "stud tail". Our girl gets it from time to time (she has a bit at the moment) and is caused by hormones releasing excess oil from the sebaceous glands - a bit like the way hormones can increase the likelihood of teenage acne in humans! I just treat it by using a mild shampoo on the base of her tail and some careful grooming and it soon sorts itself out. Hope this helps :)
Thanks for the replies guys, that eases my mind a bit. She is wormed regularly with drontal and to be honest the vet wasn't worried about her physically as he said they come in all sizes !!! Just out of interest how long do their growth spurts last, we've had moggies before but we haven't really experienced a growth spurt to this degree before. She is happy in herself, as i said she each little bits, never a whole bowl in one sitting like my other cats and grazes on biscuits through the day so i guess she's having all she needs.
As requested a couple of pics below- On the left is Jemima ( the cat i've been talking about) , then Lenny our Bengal ( sadly passed ;0( ), next is Bombalurina (Boo for short) then Mungo ( Jerry ) our Savannah.
Attachment 6022Attachment 6020 Attachment 6024
What a super bunch of furries you have {had} there....
Jemima looks very much like the long slim type of the breed & your vet is right they do come in all sizes a lot depends on their breeding lines & sadly sometimes because of "where" they come from if they haven't had the best of starts in life but then we can help make up for that in the love & care department ! I have had cats not eat for near on a week when they go into good growth spurts & others have just carried on & you suddenly realise they look a whole lot bigger,if they do go off their food if you are very lucky for a few days they seem to up the intake but it then drops back again,growth spurts can appear right up until they reach maturity at about 4yrs old.
How right Rachel-C is about stud tail,dunce sitting here,my four year old boy{nutered}at the moment has the worse case I have ever seen & never even gave that a thought in a girl,looks as if I could have that joy to come too in my babe.
Please keep us updated on your babe & more photos when you feel like getting a camera out again....!
We have had the same thing with Ella, our 11 mth old, she is skinny and has also lost all her long coat and is now semi long haired. However, vet says she is in good health and she is perfectly well in herself, eating, etc, so not unduly concerned. Its actually quite funny as her coat is just slowly starting to return, so she has longer bits in the 'known' spots [jowls, tail, behind front armpits] plus her markings are getting much more distinctive, and she is growing noticably too, which isn't helping in the skinny looks. She was spayed a few weeks ago and like yours she was prone to slightly greasy fur down her back, but that is now almost gone and longer silky fur is growing. A pic to show you what she looks like - like you, I dont think she is ever going to be a perfect example of the breed, but is heading back towards something normal :rofl:
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7271/7...f1408323_z.jpg
DSC_0735 by Yvonne White - WhiteGoldImages, on Flickr
