Human pets have little hair.

"Dear Cocoa,

I have one for you and I bet you won't be able to answer this one even with all of your knowledge and experience.  So, here goes:  Why don't our pets, or any of the humans for that matter, have fur on their bodies?  They have it on their head, but not hands, arms, or legs.  Is this one of the reasons we are superior?

Signed Wondering"

"Dear Wondering,

Ah, you seek to catch me, but my knowledge is vast.  You ask why the humans have little or no fur and I have the answer, my friend.  You see the humans used to live, a long time ago, in a very hot volcano.  It was so hot that when they cleaned themselves they went further and further trying to remove the hair so they would be cooler.  Eventually they had removed most of their hair.  When the young ones were born, they cleaned them in the same manner so they would not be too hot.  Thus, as the species developed, they had less and less hair until they became as you see them today.  I guess that does explain some of the reasons why they are inferior to us since we would never go that far knowing, as we do, that the world and the weather is always changing.  I am glad to have been able to answer your question,

Signed Cocoa"

Cats lick themselves to get themselves clean.  Their have a chemical in their saliva that helps them to remove the dirt from their hair and skin.  There are times, however, when a cat may actually remove their fur right down to the skin.  This can be nothing more serious than a summer allergy or it can be something in the belly that is bothering them.  I have found that when my cats are doing this they have acquired worms from eating fleas or bugs.  Generally they are better after worming.  If this is not the cause, you might want to take your cat to the vet for testing.