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Why Cats Will Lose Their Hair

Alopecia is a condition that causes cats to lose their hair in large chunks. Learn what causes it and whether or not the hair will ever grow back.

By: Naomi West
Category: Pets:Cats
Posted: Jul 20, 2009
Updated: Jul 20, 2009
Views: 389


When we have pets we never think of the serious illnesses that they are vulnerable to. We know that they have to have frequent trips to the vet to ensure that they do not have ring worm or fleas - but we do not imagine the fact that they might have cancer or other such problems.

One problem that your cat can suffer through is alopecia - or hair loss. It can take up to a month or two to recognize that all or sections of your cat’s body has lost big quantities of hair that does not seem to be coming back. This problem may be caused by many different things.

Infection

The most likely cause for hair loss is an infection that is going through their bodies. It is possible that they caught a fungal or bacterial infection from a different cat or from other things. Usually the vet will consider the possibility of ringworm when it is a kitten or a much older cat that has the disease. They may also have folliculitis - which is a rare bacterial infection that hurts the cat’s hair follicles.

Demeanor

Older cats commonly begin to over groom themselves. When they do this they pull out their hair in large clumps. This condition is recognized as psychogenic alopecia. The most standard grooming regions that are affected is the back and lower part of the legs. One of the main reasons that they do this is because of stress. It is feasible that the stress is coming from their owners neglecting or abusing them.

Hormonal

The cat’s body can at times produce too much or too little hormones causing the cat’s hair to thin out. If they have problems with their thyroid this is able to cause their ability to repair and re-grow the hair almost impossible. <a href="http://www.cathealth.us/cat-hair-loss/">Cat hair loss</a> might also be attributed to the adrenal glands malfunctioning and producing big amounts of the cortical hormone.

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