Cats shed constantly, so there's a certain amount of natural hair loss every cat owner should expect. However, bald patches, "hot spots" (areas that are inflamed and red and that the cat may lick or scratch excessively), and hair that gets so sparse you can see the skin underneath are all signs of a problem.
Hair loss happens for reasons as simple as a scar to more serious causes such as skin fungus, mites or fleas, or hormonal imbalances. Dermatitis is another word for inflamed skin, and many kinds of dermatitis result in hair loss, too. Stress can also cause hair loss. A stressed cat not only sheds more but a very anxious cat may actually tear out her own hair by excessive licking or chewing.
Excessive shedding can produce bald spots on your cat.
©2006 Publications International, Ltd.
Excessive shedding can produce bald spots on your cat.
What to Do
Location, location, location. If the hair loss is someplace you see your cat licking, biting, or scratching regularly (leg, paw, or side, for example), it could be a "hot spot" that is stress-induced or a reaction to bites from fleas or mites. Check your cat's coat for parasites. If it's a flea-bite allergy, you'll have to get rid of the fleas before you can hope to have the hair grow back. If the hair loss is in a hard-to-reach place (between the shoulder blades, for example) or in many places, it's probably not the cat doing it to herself. If the hair loss seems limited to one area of the body (for example, on the legs from the paws up to the "elbows"), suspect a "contact allergy" or something similar. (Hair loss on the lower legs may be a reaction to new carpeting.)
You are what you eat. Have you been cutting corners on food costs by giving Tabby an off-brand or trying to go with table scraps only? Hair loss can be a sign of improper nutrition, so make sure your cat is getting the nutrients she needs.
Less stress is best. Actually, this advice could be added to every remedy! However, once your cat develops the habit of chewing, licking, or pulling out hair, it might be hard to break even after you cut down on stress. Do not scold or otherwise punish your cat when you see her working on a "hot spot" or pulling out hair. Scolding just adds more stress. Instead, try some behavior modification. Give her something else to do: Engage her in active play, pet her, open a securely screened window and let her sniff the great outdoors. Substituting a happy and fun activity for the bad habit redirects her attention and energy.
When to Call the Vet
A cat with hair loss plus other signs of disease--fever, loss of appetite, weight loss, vomiting -- needs to be seen by a veterinarian immediately. Certain kinds of alopecia are caused by parasites or fungus that can be passed to people, so the sooner a cat with no other symptoms than hair loss is seen by the vet, the better.
DANGER LEVEL: Alopecia by itself is not dangerous, although it may be a signal that internal organs are not working right -- a condition that could be moderately to very dangerous.
In our next section, we will cover another cat-hair problem -- hairballs. Learn how to stop the constant hacking and coughing
Hair loss happens for reasons as simple as a scar to more serious causes such as skin fungus, mites or fleas, or hormonal imbalances. Dermatitis is another word for inflamed skin, and many kinds of dermatitis result in hair loss, too. Stress can also cause hair loss. A stressed cat not only sheds more but a very anxious cat may actually tear out her own hair by excessive licking or chewing.
Excessive shedding can produce bald spots on your cat.
©2006 Publications International, Ltd.
Excessive shedding can produce bald spots on your cat.
What to Do
Location, location, location. If the hair loss is someplace you see your cat licking, biting, or scratching regularly (leg, paw, or side, for example), it could be a "hot spot" that is stress-induced or a reaction to bites from fleas or mites. Check your cat's coat for parasites. If it's a flea-bite allergy, you'll have to get rid of the fleas before you can hope to have the hair grow back. If the hair loss is in a hard-to-reach place (between the shoulder blades, for example) or in many places, it's probably not the cat doing it to herself. If the hair loss seems limited to one area of the body (for example, on the legs from the paws up to the "elbows"), suspect a "contact allergy" or something similar. (Hair loss on the lower legs may be a reaction to new carpeting.)
You are what you eat. Have you been cutting corners on food costs by giving Tabby an off-brand or trying to go with table scraps only? Hair loss can be a sign of improper nutrition, so make sure your cat is getting the nutrients she needs.
Less stress is best. Actually, this advice could be added to every remedy! However, once your cat develops the habit of chewing, licking, or pulling out hair, it might be hard to break even after you cut down on stress. Do not scold or otherwise punish your cat when you see her working on a "hot spot" or pulling out hair. Scolding just adds more stress. Instead, try some behavior modification. Give her something else to do: Engage her in active play, pet her, open a securely screened window and let her sniff the great outdoors. Substituting a happy and fun activity for the bad habit redirects her attention and energy.
When to Call the Vet
A cat with hair loss plus other signs of disease--fever, loss of appetite, weight loss, vomiting -- needs to be seen by a veterinarian immediately. Certain kinds of alopecia are caused by parasites or fungus that can be passed to people, so the sooner a cat with no other symptoms than hair loss is seen by the vet, the better.
DANGER LEVEL: Alopecia by itself is not dangerous, although it may be a signal that internal organs are not working right -- a condition that could be moderately to very dangerous.
In our next section, we will cover another cat-hair problem -- hairballs. Learn how to stop the constant hacking and coughing
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