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Cats love routine, and anything that disrupts routines can be stressful for them. Not all cats get along with other cats or other pets, and that can be a source of stress too. Many cats are predisposed to anxiety and stress, which can lead to excessive grooming and hair loss typically on the cats’ back, around the neck or eyes. If your cat has lesions that resemble ringworm, there are a few tests your vet can use to confirm the disease. Your cat will then start appropriate treatment, which is likely to last at least 6 weeks and may be a combination of oral and topical therapy. It’s important to minimize exposure and contact of the cat with other animals and people in the household and to discuss hygiene and environmental cleaning with your vet.
Is Your Cat Losing Hair? 13 Possible Causes
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” Discontinuing use without consulting a professional could worsen whatever condition the medication is supposed to help. However, even if you suspect your cat’s hair loss may be natural, it’s worth taking steps to rule out other possible cat health problems. As a cat person, you’re no doubt used to finding cat hair everywhere. Black pants are a strict no-no, and the couches need a weekly vacuum.
Possible Reasons for a Cat’s Hair Loss
With the help of this information, you can determine whether or not your cat’s hair loss is related to a health problem or is part of their normal shedding routine. If your vet’s examination shows that your cat is overgrooming because of pain in their joints or bladder, they will treat the underlying problem with necessary medication. If you notice that your cat is losing hair, it’s important to determine if the hair loss is normal or abnormal.
Early treatment
Remember to consult the vet before jumping to any outrageous conclusions. You can help your cat by purchasing perches and climbing posts to enrich its environment and offer privacy. Playing with your pet using interactive toys (and stimulating its instinct to hunt) is also a good way to distract them and help it burn energy.
Treatment of Hair Loss in Cats

If your cat appears to be healthy otherwise, it’s possible that over-grooming to reduce stress — also known as displacement grooming — might be what’s behind the bald patches. Displacement grooming can lower a cat’s stress level, helping to calm the cat and deflect aggression from other individuals. It is common to see a cat who’s in a stressful situation suddenly begin to groom. The appropriate treatment for your cat’s hair loss will depend on its underlying cause. Like all hair, cat hair originates in the epidermis (under the skin), and the type of hair determines the structure.
If you think your cat is in pain at the base of their tail, they may be injured, or if they’re older, they may be suffering from arthritis. Take them to the vet as soon as possible, as many options for pain relief could stop the over-grooming. They also have dirty mouths, and unfortunately, they have sharp teeth to fight with. Cat bite abscesses are very commonly found at the base of the tail due to how cats fight.
Side Effects from Medication
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There are several immunosuppressants used for managing allergies in cats, depending on the cause, alongside food trials if food allergy is part of the issue. If your cat has started to lose hair and you’re wondering why, you’ve come to the right place. This list is not exhaustive, so please speak to your veterinarian if your cat is losing hair. Common causes of hair loss in cats include allergies, parasites, hormonal imbalances, infections, and stress. Use a preventative treatment that protects against all parasites, including fleas, mites, heartworms, and ticks.
Guard Hairs
Try to identify if there have been any events in your cat’s life that may be causing them stress. See if you can reduce this for them, like keeping a new pet away for a while, or better yet, try to avoid any stress from the beginning as much as possible. Keep the noise and any changes in their routine to a minimum, and ensure they have a safe and peaceful area to rest where they will not be disturbed. But also, be mindful that there are many medical reasons that may present. Getting your cat checked by a vet is the best thing to do before assuming their overgrooming is related to stress.
Over time, this displacement behavior can become independent of the initial stressor and eventually become compulsive in nature. The hair loss occurs only in places that can be reached by the cat’s tongue; secondary skin changes, such as redness or bumps, are rarely evident. Having fleas and mites, even if they’re not allergic to them, can still cause itching and damage to hair and hair follicles, which leads to patchy hair loss. There are several types of mites cats can get, including Mange and Scabies mites.
Hormonal imbalances, such as hyperthyroidism or increased levels of steroids in the body, may lead to hair loss in cats. Parasites, such as fleas, ticks, and mange mites, can cause itchiness, inflammation, and lesions that may lead to hair loss. Your cat may begin overgrooming while dealing with skin discomfort, and they may scratch or bite hard enough to irritate the skin and pull the hair out. Ringworms, mites, or flea allergies can cause fungal or parasitic infections in cats.
However, cats can experience too much hair loss and develop bald spots or areas with thin fur. This abnormal hair loss (also called Alopecia) can be caused by many different health issues, including allergies, fleas, mites, Ringworm, pain, and stress. Cats can suffer from allergies to the same common allergens as humans.
Hair loss in cats is almost never normal and can be due to serious health issues such as allergies, fleas, stress, pain, or ringworm. If you notice any bald spots or areas with shorter or thin hair on your cat, schedule an appointment with your vet so you can figure out what’s going on and treat it. It can also be a symptom of pain or other diseases, it’s important to schedule an appointment with your vet if you notice patches of fur missing or bald spots in your cat. Hair loss in cats is a common problem that can have a variety of causes. Medical conditions, parasites, behavioral issues, and even pain can lead to hair loss.

If your cat over-grooms itself in the same spot on their coat, you will eventually notice the patch becoming balder or the hair being of a poorer quality. Because your cat is also ingesting extra dead hair, they may start to suffer with hairballs as their digestive system can't process and get rid of it effectively. Unlike true alopecia which leads to hair loss, congenital hypotrichosis only causes hair thinning. Cats are born with this condition and may be born with thin hair and balding or lose their hair as they develop.