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Apr
Additional causes of overgrooming. Many cat owners may notice that their cat is losing fur around its rump and tail and they dont know why.
Johnnys new bald spot on his tail isnt only unattractive it may also be a warning sign of something more serious.
Why ismy cat pulling all her hair out. Most cats who pull their hair out have a medical reason Dr. Valerie Fadok a board-certified dermatologist at North Houston Veterinary Specialists in Spring Texas says. Behavioral problems are much less common.
Feline dermatitis and why cats pull out hair. Feline dermatitis is typically caused by an allergy to flea bites or a mite infestation. If you notice sore patches of skin with scabs its likely to be dermatitis.
Your cat will be obsessively scratching and grooming the affected area. Flea bites may encourage your cat to itch incessantly. This can lead to excessive fur loss either by scratching or manually pulling out hair.
Because your cats claws are sharp constant itching in the same area will lead to open wounds scabs and infections. The fur loss and scabs will be localized where the fleas live on your cats body. The commonest manifestation of an allergy in cats is itchy skin which in turn results in excessive grooming and pulling hair out.
In much the same way that some people. Compulsive hair-pulling is called psychogenic alopecia which essentially means your cat is yanking out his hair by the mouthful because something is bothering him psychologically. This could include life changes such as moving to new quarters or gaining a new family member or pet or other changes in his routine.
In some cases cats can pull their hair out due to obsessive-compulsive tendencies or extreme anxiety. VCA Hospitals describes such a condition as feline psychogenic alopecia which expresses itself through compulsive grooming habits like licking tearing out patches of hair chewing on paws or tail chasing to name a few. I have observed her a couple of times DIGGING with her teeth and pulling hair out.
It is on her back and tail. She is about 17 years old. A friend of mine had a similar problem with her young cat and it turned out to be allergies.
You wrote that your cat is over-grooming and pulling out hair. When there is no hair the medical term is called Alopecia. There are MANY causes for alopecia.
Id recommend that you talk to your vet to ensure he did all the tests necessary to ensure that there is no underlying cause and the problem is behavioral. Excessive grooming is commonly referred to as psychogenic alopecia. Pet parents will notice their cat licking fur off their abdomens chest backs or legs.
Some cats will pull the hair out with their teeth and create skin wounds and ulcerations. This behavior is often associated with some new stressor in the cats life. Cats pulling Hair by.
Anonymous I have two four year old cats I picked up at a shelter when they were 5 months old. They love each other like crazy. Howeverone of them has started pulling out the hair of the other one.
He started doing that about a year ago. Stress can make us all want to pull out our hair And cats cannot punch walls or cry or swear So take it easy if theyre going bald Give them more attention and play periods. Additional causes of overgrooming.
Underlying medical conditions like hormonal imbalances or autoimmune diseases can cause your cats skin to itch leading to your cat licking her hair off. For example cats who have intestinal parasites and are sensitive to them could experience itchy skin. If your pet is in pain they may start overgrooming as a way to soothe themselves.
For example a cat with painful joints or an injury may lick all of the hair off in that area. Your veterinarian can check for allergies and pain as causes when you take them for. Johnnys new bald spot on his tail isnt only unattractive it may also be a warning sign of something more serious.
Cats are supposed to groom themselves and can lose some hair in the process but he shouldnt be pulling out his hair. He needs immediate medical attention. My 8 year old cat began twitching biting and pulling the hair out on her back when she was 6.
She also began frequent vomiting her food with an occasional hair ball. It was painful to watch her back twitching as if she was being bitten by something. We had moved 6 months prior to the onset of this behavior during which time she was fine.
Significant hair loss in one spot may indicate an external parasite mites ticks or fleas in particular or a fungal infection such as ringworm. Once skin scrapes or blood samples are tested a veterinarian can usually confirm the cause and treat the diagnosed condition with the right medication. These range from bacterial infections cancerous tumours or high levels of growth hormone.
It is also possible that the cats claws have been cut to close to the nail bed leaving them susceptible to infections. These are just a few of the issues that can cause your cat to pull at his or her claws. Cats tend to groom themselves quite thoroughly often helped out by their owners who brush away stray fur to prevent cats from vomiting up hair balls onto the carpet.
Many cat owners may notice that their cat is losing fur around its rump and tail and they dont know why. There may be a few explanations but usually its a grooming issue. Hormonal deficiencies lack of growth hormone lack of protein less vitamin B and having an excessive number of bacteria in the hair follicle are some other reasons that make your cats fur unable to grow back.
Some veterinary care will fix these problems. Before making a diagnosis of psychogenic alopecia your vet will consider other causes of feline hair loss such as mites fleas and metabolic disease. A very common cause of hair pulling in cats is a food allergy.
Non-seasonal itching and chewing is the most common symptom of a food allergy. Affected felines often attempt to bite at the tail and pull out clumps of hair until the allergens go away. Fortunately if your kitty is losing hair due to allergies all you have to do is to remove the allergens to address the hair loss.
Keep watch over your cat in order to decide what is giving it allergic reactions.