Alopecia in Cats

Just like dogs, cats will shed their fur. It is perfectly normal, but can become worrying when you notice that their fur is beginning to thin or their skin is becoming rough. These may be signs that something is untoward. There are a few reasons why your cat could be losing hair, but one of the potential reasons could be alopecia. Alopecia can occur because of stress, cancer, hormonal imbalances, overgrooming, or fungal issues. If you act quickly, you can usually find the underlying cause, returning them to a happy and healthy cat again. There are also various medications and creams available to reduce the effects and ease the symptoms, depending on the cause.

Living with Alopecia

If your cat has been diagnosed with alopecia, it may be a good idea to increase interaction, playing and tending to them more often to help reduce their stress. If they are missing a family member in their lives, then it may be a good idea to give them a piece of clothing that smells like them for comfort.

Treatment

Treating alopecia is difficult and often depends on the reasons behind why your cat has it. It is a good idea to take your cat to the vets for them to examine your cat and run some tests to be sure. However, there are a couple of things you can do to help it:

• Visit a cat behaviourist who can examine your cat’s behaviour to look at why your cat is over-grooming.
• Visit the vets to find out if there is any skin irritation, allergies or diseases – if this is the case they will give you a treatment plan and advise you on how to reduce it.