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Stormy has always had a few thin patches of fur but we weren't completely sure he had been doing it to himself until recently, when introducing a new cat. His patch has traveled up and down the middle of his back to halfway down his tail, and also he usually has had a few scabs near his bottom two nipples. We took him to the vet once who said it was probably allergies (this was quite a long time ago).
Here is a profile of our 7 cats in a big 2 story house.
Stormy- 6 year old male.
Cricket- 9 year old female, Stormy's mother.
Tremor- 6 1/2 year old male, Stormy's brother from another litter.
Blake Eli- 6 1/2 year old male, Cricket's nephew.
Sweetie- approx. 9 year old female.
Tuffy- 3 1/2 year old male

And the newest additon.. the cause of all the stress... Leo, the stray cat. He's extremely friendly, never hisses or growls at the other cats, who all seem to dislike him, but especially Stormy. He's been in for a week or two, and Stormy still growls up a storm. His picking has gotten really bad. His tail is really scabby it's just hard to see on his back but here are pictures. Any suggestions on how to calm Stormy?

Hi,

First, you need to take Stormy to the vet for an exam and diagnosis. Especially since he hasn't been to one for a long time. It looks like he may need a steroid injection to start with, no matter what the cause is of the hair loss and scabs. You shouldn't just assume that this is a stress thing. Hair-pulling, maybe, but not usually scabs. You might also ask the vet about behavior modification medication, temporarily, if the vet feels this is at least mostly stress related.

There are medical conditions that can cause hair loss, so if this were one of my cats, I would have a full blood panel done, one that includes thyroid function.

Stormy may be a cat that does not do well in a multi-cat household. I wouldn't suggest placing him, since I believe animal ownership is for life, but he may need to have his own space. His own room would be ideal, if it is possible. Not forever, just to let him have some privacy, and then slowly reintroduce him into the household.

I have 10 cats myself, so I know what a challenge a multi-cat home can be, but everything has always worked out here eventually.

Regards,
PHKitkat