If a cat's hair partially falls out - this is normal and is a natural process. However, in those situations when the amount of hair on the floor and surrounding objects increases, and the hairiness of a domestic cat, on the contrary, decreases - this is an occasion to think about the state of the animal’s health.
Some causes of hair loss are completely harmless, but others can be very dangerous.
So, the cat's hair is falling out. The main causes can be: natural (molting, age-related), health problems (malnutrition, hormonal imbalance, allergies), parasites (worms, lice, hypodermic and scabies mites), immunity problems.
Natural causes
First you need to pay attention to the appearance of the animal and its general condition in order to determine the causes of hair loss. The main signs that a cat is healthy include:
- the nose of the animal is moist and of a color usually inherent in it;
- eyes are clean, clear, without any discharge;
- there is no irritation on the skin; it is of a usual color;
- the animal’s behavior is vigorous, no different from everyday.
With all these signs, one can say for sure that a cat has just ordinary molt.
Molting
If a cat's hair falls to shreds, the reasons may be the most commonplace. Animals in the wild change their coat twice a year: in autumn and spring. In households, this process is disrupted, since they are removed from the natural habitat. For example, in the fall, when all animals in nature build up a warm undercoat by winter, the reverse process begins in domestic cats. This is due to the fact that during this period of time heating is turned on. The air in the apartment becomes hot and dry, so the pet in a hurry to get rid of excess hair. Moreover, at home, the process of molting can take much longer than in natural conditions. This is absolutely normal. The fact that the animal is actively changing its coat is not a cause for concern.
All that needs to be done is to make sure that the cat's nutrition is balanced and saturated with vitamins and minerals. If there are not enough of them in the diet, this deficiency can be compensated. It is enough to purchase special vitamin-mineral complexes in any pet store.
It is necessary to comb out the animal more often. On ordinary days, sessions should be carried out once every 7-30 days, when the period of molting begins, the procedure becomes everyday. And if the pet has long hair, it will be necessary to comb out twice a day. And even this will not save you from the daily use of a vacuum cleaner.
Age
It is very important for the owners to understand as early as possible why cats have wool shreds. The reasons can be completely different, from dangerous to completely harmless. Alopecia of the muzzle and partial loss of hair are another common condition of the animal. This process manifests itself in pets aged from 14 months to 20. This condition is caused by a very normal age-related change in the coat. When the animal reaches the appropriate age, this phenomenon will go away on its own, so you should not run to the veterinarian.
Health problems
When the time for molting has not yet come, and the cat has hair falling out on its back, neck, stomach and all this is accompanied by itching, then this is a reason to worry. Such manifestations are evidence that there are some malfunctions in the body. There are several reasons for this condition.
Malnutrition
At any age, the diet of the animal must be balanced. Feeding from your own table is the most common mistake of a pet owner. With this approach, everything that is strictly forbidden to cats can be in the animal’s bowl: fried foods, sausages and sausages, various leftovers, and the remains of salty and fatty dishes.
The answer to the question of why a cat gets wool with shreds may be a simple desire to save. For example, the owner buys dry food of the cheapest line. Yes, such food will help your pet get enough, but it will also bring a lot of health problems. After all, its composition is not always optimal, so the effect of such feed on the animal's body can be fatal.
It should be understood that the choice of food is a very important process. Dry food is better to choose from the category of super-premium or premium. This food is balanced, it includes all the necessary trace elements. Although it costs, of course, more than budget advertised goods. But after all, the use of low-quality feed will cost much more, as it will provoke a trip to the veterinarian and prolonged treatment.
To determine why the cat's hair falls out in shreds, and to understand that the reason lies precisely in the feed and the wrong diet, it is necessary to take into account the following symptoms:
- the main pieces of wool fall on the back, neck and tail;
- on all other parts of the body, the hair began to fade;
- discharge appeared from the eyes, and they themselves became dim;
- the auricles are inflamed and itchy;
- bald spots that arose on the site of the fallen shreds are inflamed and itchy, the skin layers in these places began to peel off, the animal combs itself so that sores appear.
Correction of the situation
To solve this problem is quite simple: you need to adjust the pet's diet in accordance with needs, replace low-quality feed with a more useful one.
There are situations when the hair starts to fall out even when the cat eats a high-quality product. This may be due to individual intolerance to a particular feed. In this case, it just needs to be replaced with another. The class should be the same, but the composition is different or even a completely different manufacturer.
Hormonal disbalance
This situation occurs most often against the background of the use of hormonal drugs, such as drops or tablets, which reduce the sexual desire of the animal. Thanks to these tools, the pet ceases to mark the territory and demand a partner. However, such a violent intervention in the hormonal background does not pass without a trace. If, after using such preparations, the cat shreds hair to bald spots, the pussy becomes lethargic, indifferent, eats poorly, has become worse at seeing or hearing, in most cases this indicates that a hormonal failure has occurred. This problem should be solved by the veterinarian by prescribing corrective therapy. Timely sterilization or castration avoids such problems.
Allergy
In most cases, as in humans, the allergic reaction in an animal manifests itself on the skin. The hair falls symmetrically in parallel, redness appears on the skin, the ears become inflamed and itchy. Most often, an allergy is caused by some kind of food product, including food. In such cases, the diet is simply adjusted.
But the problem may not always be in food. Allergies can occur on wool care products, on the material from which the litter or bowl is made. If the allergy is not related to nutrition, you need to temporarily restrict the animal from all its things. After the cessation of allergy, one item should be returned and carefully observed, after which an allergic reaction will again appear. Accordingly, this item will subsequently need to be removed from the cat's everyday life.
Parasites
It is a mistake to assume that an animal is capable of contracting parasites, only living on the street. Therefore, preventive measures often do not apply to pets who do not leave the apartment. But parasites can get into the house on people's clothes and shoes. And then safely move to the animal. A few signs that help determine that the animal has parasites:
- The behavior of the pet becomes nervous, it itches very often and severely, which even leads to the appearance of wounds.
- The wool falls out, but not very much.
- The direct presence of parasites on the animal is the most obvious sign of their presence.
Fleas
The most common pests are fleas. These small, dark, shiny insects can be easily seen on the pet with the naked eye. They feed on blood. They bite through the skin in order to get to the food. After such a meal, the bite site begins to itch, which causes much concern to the animal. Starting to comb itself, the cat tries to remove the itch.
If fleas are found, it is necessary to get rid of them immediately, since they multiply very quickly.
Poohooters
These parasites are also called beetles. Their food consists of particles of wool and animal skin. They are very difficult to notice, as they are much smaller fleas. Therefore, it’s possible to understand that they were wound up at the pet only by symptoms: the pet is nervous, sleeps poorly, bites its fur coat, stops listening, itches endlessly and loses its coat. If such signs do occur, it is necessary to direct the lamp to the animal and wait 10 minutes. If these parasites are present on the body of the pet, they will certainly come out closer to heat. And then for sure it will be possible to see why the cat has shreds of wool.
Scabies mite
Very unpleasant parasite. It is possible to consider it only with the help of a microscope, therefore, why the animal developed severe itching is not immediately clear. A significant sign of infection of the animal with these parasites is small bald patches on the head, stomach and legs of the pet. If such signs appeared, the animal should be taken to the doctor, where the diagnosis will be carried out, and the presence of the parasite is confirmed.
Subcutaneous tick
This parasite causes demodicosis. Damage is caused both to the animal’s hair and to its skin. How exactly the animal is infected, there is no consensus yet. Some suggest that the pet becomes infected from another sick animal. Others think that the tick is always on the cat, but only when its body weakens, they begin their destructive effect. The main sign that the parasite is active is hair loss. The lesions are located on the ears, eyebrows, near the mouth and nose, paws still suffer. Alopecia is gradually becoming more noticeable, dermatitis appears.
Worms
These parasites bring a huge amount of problems to the body. Hair problems in this case are a secondary symptom. First, the coat dims, and then falls out. Digestion problems occur, the animal experiences general weakness, it has bad breath, immunity is weakened, and appetite is impaired. If you do not treat your pet in time, it can lead to serious consequences and even death. It should also be understood that many types of worms are transmitted to humans. Therefore, prevention should be done in a timely manner.
Immunity issues
If the animal has problems with immunity, the coat suffers first of all. This situation is most often observed when the animal is restored after a long protracted illness or operation. In this case, nothing can be done. You just need to wait until the body itself begins to work, as before. However, in some cases, help does not hurt.
In such situations, it is recommended that the cat be temporarily transferred to a balanced, high-quality natural diet. If a drop in immunity is the cause of hair loss in a cat, treatment by a veterinarian can be prescribed by adding a complex of vitamins and minerals to the diet. At such a time, useful substances are very relevant, but the veterinarian should prescribe a specific drug. Otherwise, it may cause even greater harm to the pet.
As can be seen from the article, there can be many reasons for hair loss, and the symptoms are not always obvious and are similar to each other. Therefore, a veterinarian should determine why a cat's hair falls out in shreds and how to treat a particular disease. Trying to make a diagnosis on your own can only worsen the condition of the animal.
As soon as the question arose and there was concern about why the pet feels pain and why the cat's hair falls out on its back, it is better to go directly to the veterinarian. There they will do tests, conduct research and examine the animal qualitatively. Skin diseases spread quickly enough, so do not delay the visit. In addition, all this is accompanied by severe itching. As a result, the pet begins to comb itself, it has wounds on the skin, which can lead to infection.