While the above symptoms are commonly seen with hair loss, other symptoms may be signs of more serious diseases. Some cats may also vomit, become lethargic, or have changes in their appetite. Veterinary care should be sought as soon as possible, both in cases of unusual hair loss and when additional symptoms are present. Some cats (like the easily recognizable Sphynx) are bred to be hairless and are not considered to have alopecia.
Is it Normal for a Cat to Experience Hair Loss?
Pain can also cause them to lick excessively and lose hair in the painful area. Most commonly, this happens on the belly due to stomach or abdominal pain, constipation, or even bladder stones, inflammation and pain. Cats may also have skin wounds and abscesses from fighting with other neighboring cats or trauma.
Parasites
Some cats will be born with congenital conditions predisposing them to hair loss. These conditions are more common in some breeds, such as Burmese, Siamese, and Devon Rex, and are caused by inherited genes or ones that have spontaneously mutated. First, talk to your vet to rule out any underlying medical conditions. If your cat isn’t getting enough of the right nutrients, this can also lead to hair loss.
Is My Cat Going Bald?
As a first diagnostic step, your vet will do a thorough physical exam, focusing on the skin and coat and looking for evidence of pain or any fleas. Before you have a conclusive diagnosis from a vet, don’t freak yourself out. And even once you receive confirmation, know that cat cancer is far from untreatable. With the technology available today—including chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery—many older cats with cancer are able to live long, comfortable lives.
Feed Your Cat a Balanced Diet
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Your vet will also ask about any other symptoms you might be seeing, like any scratching, head shaking, behavioral changes, vomiting, constipation, diarrhea, or urinary issues. To complicate things further, breeders often describe the overall appearance of a cat's fur as its coat. You will see this term used almost exclusively in breed standards, but you will also see "hair" mentioned, as in "longhair" or "shorthair" breeds or divisions.
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Common Causes of Hair Loss
In addition to these symptoms, the cat may have coughing, conjunctivitis, sneezing, and make noises when breathing. To determine that it is this disease, the veterinarian must perform the relevant tests and exclude other pathologies. The treatment usually consists of medication to control itching, corticosteroids, or immunomodulators that work on the immune system.
You may also want to consult your vet about oral medications and supplements that can help speed up treatment and prevent the infection from spreading. With proper care, your cat should be back to its usual self in no time. The most obvious symptom of alopecia is loss of hair in either patches or all over the body.
Cat Wheezing: Causes and Treatment Options
Some unusual cases may need additional testing like a skin biopsy or may be referred to a specialist veterinary dermatologist. There are several different definitions of awn hairs, depending on the breed of cat, but awn hairs usually form the basic coat. In some breeds, the (finer) awn hairs may be the same length as the guard hairs, while in other breeds, such as the Manx, the guard hairs are longer. Whiskers are the long, thick, tactile hairs extending from the sides of the muzzle, the cheeks, above the eyes, the cheeks, and at the outside of the lower legs on cats.
Diet
The signs of ringworm can be very different between cats, but you're likely to notice hair loss in irregular or circular patches, along with reddish patches of skin which may be flaky. Cats on an unhealthy diet will be deficient in essential vitamins and nutrients, which can lead to brittle fur and hair loss. Adequate volumes of digestible protein plus vitamins like A and E are necessary for healthy skin and hair. Owners who make their own pet food must be especially careful to use a veterinarian-approved recipe supplemented with a vitamin blend.
A vet may also prescribe medication to relieve the worst of the itching. Nervous disorders that manifest in behavioral issues like overgrooming can cause feline alopecia, but these are tricky to diagnose. Once other medical issues are ruled out, this could be determined as the cause of your cat's hair loss. Keep your cat mentally stimulated and try to redirect overgrooming behaviors as soon as you see them. In some cases, behavioral modification medications may be prescribed by your veterinarian. Your vet will give your cat a thorough examination to determine what’s causing hair loss in your cat.
If a cat relinquishes a fight and turns to run away, it’s not uncommon for the chasing cat to bite them around the back and tail area. Once you’ve ruled out a medical problem, you can try to reduce stress in your cat’s life and make sure they’re getting enough of the proper nutrients. Our felines groom themselves daily, which shouldn’t be a cause for concern. But, if you are starting to see red, itchy skin beneath the fur or more frequent hairballs vomiting, it may be a cause for concern. If you think your cat may be ill, take them to the vet for an examination.
Among the physical causes are certain diseases, as well as the direct action of external parasites. As for psychological reasons, stress or anxiety can be the cause of hair loss in cats. If so, work with your vet to find out what’s causing the itching and pain and create a treatment plan to manage the issue. In some cases, your vet may recommend supplements that can help promote healthy skin and reduce inflammation.
Treatment usually involves medicated dips or application of a topical flea and tick medication under veterinary supervision. These problems can cause the cat to tear out its own hair due to excessive stereotypic licking or excessive grooming. The hair loss will occur in these cases in areas where the feline reaches with his mouth and we can usually see them on the sides, perineal region, and hind limbs.
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