Is Your Cat Losing Hair? Here are Some Reasons Why

Cats losing hair is a common problem. Generally speaking, cats will suffer partial hair loss. However, there are cases in which cats will suffer a complete loss of their hair. Unfortunately, there are numerous potential causes for a cat’s hair loss, meaning that it won’t be possible to stop it until the exact cause has been identified. Luckily, there are a lot of veterinarians who will have encountered the problem at some point in their careers, meaning that cat owners should have no problems finding someone who can help them.

What Are Some Potential Reasons Your Cat Is Losing Hair?

For starters, it is important to note that some cases of hair loss in cats are inherited. The most famous of these cases would be Sphynx cats, who are born without hair and will remain so for the rest of their lives. However, there are other cat breeds that are either hairless or look hairless. On top of this, it is common for cats to suffer hair loss on the strip of skin between the eyes and the ears, so much so that this is seen as something normal. Barring multiple revolutionary advancements in the field of genetic engineering in the near future, there isn’t anything that can be done about inherited cases of cat hair loss.

With that said, there are also many, many cases of cat hair loss that are not inherited but rather acquired. It is important to note that hair loss isn’t a disease or a condition in its own right but rather the symptom of some kind of disease or condition. As a result, there is a good chance that the hair loss can be reversed so long as the cause can be fixed, though this is by no means guaranteed.

One of the most common causes of cat hair loss is an allergic reaction to either fleas or something else altogether. When this happens, the unfortunate cats will start grooming to excess to scratch the itch, thus causing themselves to lose their hair faster than it can grow back. On the upside, this means that if the cats stop itching, they should stop over-grooming themselves as well.

Over-grooming causes the majority of cases of hair loss in cats. However, an allergic reaction is far from being the sole potential cause. For example, if a cat gets a skin disease such as mange, that could lead to over-grooming because of excessive itchiness. Likewise, other potential causes range from lice and scabies. Moving on, cats will sometimes over-grooming because they are in pain rather than because they are itching. This can be seen in the case of arthritic cats, which will lick at their aching joints because that serves as a kind of pain relief.

Besides this, there is a wide range of other potential causes. First, infectious conditions such as staph infections and fungal infections can cause hair loss in the affected areas. Second, if a cat has some kind of endocrine disorder, that could cause them to start experiencing hair loss as one of their potential symptoms. Third, there are certain medications applied to the skin that are known to cause hair loss, which can be reversed by just stopping the use of the responsible medications. Fourth, cancer can cause hair loss, but luckily, it will make up no more than a very small percentage of cases of cat hair loss.

Final thoughts

Generally speaking, if a cat owner notices that their feline companion is losing their hair, the best solution is to consult their veterinarian for help. As stated earlier, hair loss is something that can be reversed in most cases, meaning that it shouldn’t prove to be a permanent problem. Due to this, visiting a veterinarian tends to be an option that provides excellent value.

Theoretically, cat owners can attempt to figure out the cause of their cats’ hair loss on their own. However, this tends to be much easier said than done, not least because of the sheer range of potential causes that will have to be ruled out one by one. Never mind the potential problems that can occur because of a bad conclusion. As such, visiting a veterinarian is both the most effective and the most efficient method, thus making it an even better choice.

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