Why is my cat losing hair on her tummy?
Stress and anxiety: When cats are stressed and obsessively lick and scratch, they can lose hair. Vets call this “psychogenic alopecia.” Cats that have it tend to pick at their belly, sides, and legs. It’s most common in female purebreds with nervous personalities.
What causes patches of hair loss in cats?
Alopecia usually causes patches of hair loss. The location of the hair loss will help with the diagnosis with the veterinarian noting if missing hair is in one location or spread over the body in random locations (diffuse) or symmetric (hair loss that is a mirror image on 2 sides of the body).
Is it normal for cats to lose their fur?
Many adult cats also experience preauricular alopecia — thinning of fur on the skin strip between the ears and the eyes, which is considered normal in cats, Dr. Hayworth says. What about acquired alopecia in cats?
Why does my cat pull out her hair?
Hair loss due to neurgenic dermatitis occurs when your cat excessively licks her hair. Neurogenic dermatitis or psychogenic alopecia triggers hair loss in patches. Cats are known to bite, chew or pull out chunks of hair.
What to do if your cat is losing hair?
The veterinarian will diagnose the underlying condition, Dr. Bateman says. With a cat losing hair, will that hair grow back?
What does it mean when cats hair comes off in patches?
You can distinguish natural moulting as hair coming off the whole body in an even fashion. When a cat’s hair comes off in patches, especially if it results in a bald spot, then this is not normal shedding. Rather than moulting, this is a condition known as alopecia or, simply, hair loss.
What causes your cat’s fur to fall out?
An example of this would be an over-active or under-active thyroid problem. This could cause the cat’s fur to be loose and thus it would fall out, along with causing flaky skin. Autoimmune disease. Aside from hair loss, this would bring about scaly skin or oil patches. It would also likely cause your cat to scratch at the area.
What can I do about my cat’s patchy hair loss?
Flea-based alopecia is particularly evident as patchy hair loss on the cat’s hindquarters. Rid your cat of fleas using a cycle of flea shampoos and treatments. You may also treat the itching and hair loss with corticosteroids or antihistamines. Prevent future flea infestations by applying a regular monthly spot-on treatment.
What causes a cat to lose a lot of hair?
Shedding also varies by breed. The biggest difference between normal shedding and hair loss that isn’t normal is when new hair doesn’t replace any thinning hair or bald patches. A cat that is losing hair has multiple potential causes including flea allergy, excessive licking, mange, ringworm, stress and thyroid disease .