Have you noticed that your cat is losing hair and have bald spots on its skin? Then you must be looking for a reason why your cat is losing hair. Well, don’t worry; we are here to answer all your questions.
If you are noticing that your cat’s hairs are falling more often, then you must seek medical help because it is not that common issue in the cats. Typically, every animal’s hair falls off at regular intervals. But if the hair loss is in large quantity and then you need to take her to a vet immediately. The hair loss condition is called Alopecia, and it is caused due to various reasons.
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Is Alopecia in Cats normal?
You might have heard or seen the Sphynx cat. You will be amazed to know that these cats are born with Alopecia, and that’s the reason they don’t have any hair on the skin. Another breed that suffers from this situation is Siamese cats. They have Pinnal alopecia that is they don’t have hairs outside the ear pinnae. Some adult cats also suffer from hair loss. So usually, hair loss or alopecia is healthy and is not a serious ailment. But you can never be sure enough, so it is better that you get your cat checked up for possible illness.
Why the Cat’s Hair is Falling Off?
You will be surprised to know that there are six different reasons why cat’s hair fall off. The Alopecia condition is a general condition in cats, and hence it needs to be appropriately examined to find out the cause of the issue.
Allergies
The main reason for allergies in the cats is fleas. Cats are hypersensitive about everything and hence, they react to flea bite because it can be very irritating. And as cats are very fond of grooming, they try to lick themselves and get free of the fleas. Thus, the frequent licking causes more itching and spread the antigens to another part of the body. Therefore the allergies spread to the entire body and cats will lick themselves to get rid of the itchiness.
Well, a cat’s tongue is very rough and the more she licks herself, the more her hair will out. And the fact is she is licking out her hair at a faster pace making it hard for them to grow back.
Pain
Another typical scenario is when a cat is in pain. When the tissue underneath the skin hurts, cats think that licking will sooth the pain. Conditions like cats suffering from Arthritis will try to lick the achy joint so that they can get rid of the discomfort. But in trying to chuck out the pain, they end up licking away their hairs too. This way the cat will become bald around that painful area.
Infections
This is a rare situation, but cases always arise of cats having some sort of infection that causes hair loss. The cats can have a fungal infection or staph infection that might cause hair loss in the affected areas.
Disorders
Cat’s owners might have heard that the cats can also suffer from Endocrine disorders such as Hyperthyroidism. It is also a rare situation in which cats have overactive thyroid which results in weight loss and other symptoms including hair fall. Other than this, cats can also have a hormonal imbalance, increased level of steroids; hair follicle might be dying, etc. There is another disease called Cushing disease which is a metabolic disorder in cats. A cat suffering from Cushing disease will produce an excess amount of cortisol which causes Alopecia in cats.
Medication
The doctors have stated that the medicine for Transdermal Prednisone causes Alopecia in cats with curling of ear pinnae. If you simply put a stop to the medication, the cat will recover, and hairs will grow again.
Cancer
The worst reason why your cat’s hair might be falling is due to cancer. But thankfully, cancer is a rare cause of Alopecia in cats. But a condition called Neoplasia causes abnormal growth due to the uncontrolled division of cells. Another cause of alopecia other than cancer is the Paraneoplastic alopecia.
There are chances that the hair loss is happening due to some common curable reasons. So, take your cat to a vet and get it examined.
How can the Vet cure the Cat?
Once you give a visit to the Vet, he/she will run some tests to check what the underlying cause of the problem is. For every specific condition, they have to take a different cure, so the solution to the problem will also be different.
If the vet discovers fleas, then a flea treatment is recommended. They will also take hair samples and run some test to check if it is a parasite which is causing the issue. Then the cat will be treated according to the test results. For allergic reactions, a skin sample will be taken to determine the cause of allergy. If there are no visible signs of the reasons, then finally a blood test is done to check if the cat is suffering from some kind of diseases.
If all of the above tests fail, then you will still have another option to find a cure to cat’s sickness. It is a Veterinary Dermatologist. They will determine the cause of the issue by observing your cat’s behavior. Then the vet will provide proper medications to treat the cat.
Alopecia takes some time to be cured completely. So, the doctors will recommend taking some precautions while at home too.
Are there any chances that the fallen hairs will grow back?
Yes, don’t worry. Unless your cat is born with some mutated genes, the fallen hair will grow back eventually. Luckily, hair loss is not a severe illness in cats, and they usually grow back after treatment. It is also up to you that you take care of the cat and ensure that she doesn’t over-groom.
Conclusion
Thus, now you know that why your cat’s hair fall and what you can do about it.
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