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CATS HAIR LOSS

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SUMMARY: Cats Hair Loss is about feline allergies. The most common type of cat allergy is flea allergy. Frontline flea medicine is very effective and safe for cat flea control. Revolution for Cats is another cat flea treatment that is frequently used.



Flea allergy dermatitis is the subject of many of the emails I receive. A loss of hair on your kitty is almost always caused by the cat itself and is the result of an underlying condition, almost always feline allergies and almost always flea allergy dermatitis.

The following is an example of one such letter. At the end of my answer is a long list of questions about cat skin conditions. You can click on any of them to be transferred to the page with the full question and the answer to it.

Question I have a fixed male cat named Whiskers. He is about 5 years old. We live in the upper peninsula of Michigan. My question is about a skin condition he seems to have developed.

About 2 months ago, he started licking himself excessively at the base of his tail on his back. He licked so much the hair came off. I purchased an anti-itch hydrocortisone spray and applied as directed and he seemed to improve. But now he seems to be obsessed with licking himself in other areas like his stomach and back. He licks so much he has developed an open sore on his lip. What should I do for this? What causes cats hair loss?

Whiskers goes outdoors in the summer and stays indoors in the winter.

ANSWER Whiskers has a classic case of flea allergy. There can be many fleas on cats, but if the cat doesn't have true flea allergy, there will be practically no reaction. However, cats that have true flea allergy can become miserable from just one flea bite. A cat scratching from flea allergy irritates the very areas you mention.

Whiskers needs serious flea control for cats! A product such as Frontline Plus Cat or Revolution for cats applied once monthly to the back of his neck will kill the cat fleas.


He sounds so miserable from flea allergy dermatitis that he should see your vet. He needs to feel more comfortable until a flea medication has a chance to work. Steroids given for a short period are safe for cats and will stop his itchiness temporarily. Flea Allergy Dermatitis is very common and very uncomfortable. Frontline Plus Cat or Revolution for Cats are both excellent, safe products to use, but they are flea treatments and do not alleviate the itching until all the fleas are gone. Whiskers doesn't need to suffer needlessly until the flea protection has a chance to get rid of his fleas when there is cat medicine to stop the itch. Whiskers needs to be seen by your veterinarian right away. Of course, there are other causes of cats hair loss. Cats can have a type of obsessive/compulsive disorder and lick themselves until their skin is raw. Sedatives and antidepressants along with Feliway can help such disorders, but there is no doubt in my mind that this is not the problem that Whiskers has.


Also, the open sore on his lip is almost definitely not from his licking, but is another allergic reaction to the fleas, often referred to as Rodent Ulcer (eosinophilic ulcer). The steroids will help with that condition also.




An excellent article, although very technically written, on eosinophilic diseases, including rodent ulcers, is from the University of Georgia and can be viewed by clicking on this link.
During these rough economic times, more than ever, it's important to have Cat Health Insurance Click on the link - Learn More Today!

Click Here To Read Another Question About Cats Hair Loss

 Click Here To Read About A Devon Rex Skin Condition

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QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT SKIN DISEASE



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COMMON QUESTIONS ABOUT SKIN DISEASES OF CATS

Click below to see questions from other readers.

Cat licking 

QUESTION:

Our (fixed female, 16 years old, indoor only) cat spent the entire night noisily licking herself. There's no nice way to put this, but ...

Cat pulling out hair 

QUESTION

My 10 year old cat has started to pull out tuffs of his hair. Can you explain why?
Thank You
Meg



ANSWER

There are a few ...

Cat with open wound near anus 

QUESTION

My 16 yo male cat has a wound about half an inc in diameter lateral and a little lower than his anus. I just noticed it yesterday ...

Sore on chin of Cat 

QUESTION

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QUESTION

My 13 year old female tabby cat has a pink bump, about the size of a pencil eraser, under her chin. It began about 2 weeks ago as a ...

Swelling at base of Cat's nostril - polyp or something else? 

Dear Dr. Neely,

There is a small, hard, shiny, spherical swelling in the bottom of my cat's right nostril. It is black, (like his nose leather)...

Cat has Small Lumps Under Her Skin 

Hello,

My 15 years old cat has small lump under her skin , she has several on the back. They are 1 to 2 mm in diameter and pinkish, although ...

Skin Problems in Cats 

QUESTION

I have a 6 year old blue calico and she has a skin rash on her tummy that she licks until she is red and raw. Can you give me any idea'...

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QUESTION

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Hair Loss in a Cat 

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I forgot to ask you about hair loss. My male cat has been experiencing hair loss. It started on his front paw,...

White Spots On Cat's Head 
QUESTION

My cat ran away and returned home yesterday skinny with sores on the top of his head and under his chin. The sores are round, small and ...

Frontline 

Hello,

I treated my two 14 weeks old kittens with Frontline Spot On two weeks ago because they had many fleas.

Frontline got rid of them (I ...

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QUESTION:

For the past week my 4yr old cat has had what looks like a blob of faeces attached to the pink skin around her anus. I assumed it had ...

Cat Skin Disease 

QUESTION:

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Cat Skin Problems 

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QUESTION

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Cat Lump 

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My cat has a couple of lumps at the base of the tail.
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Cat Skin Diseases 

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Swollen cheek 
QUESTION

My adult cat has a swoolen right cheek. He has
had it for 2 days and it seems to be getting worse. I touch it and it seems to be soft,...

SKIN CONDITIONS 

QUESTION

I noticed about 2 weeks ago that my cat had what felt like a raised lesion on his skin. When I shifted through his fur, I noticed ...

FLEAS 

QUESTION

How do you treat a 9-week-old kitten with fleas?




ANSWER

Very carefully! A 9-nine-week-old kitten can die from pesticides ...

Heat & Rash 

QUESTION

What is going on with my cat and how do you cure heat & rash?



Dear Jessica,

Thank you so much for sending the picture ...

Cat skin disease 

QUESTION

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He has been to the vet several times and still nothing helps....

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Hi Dr. Neely,

I just learned today that my cat Veda (15 yrs old) has a tumor on one of her mammary glands. My vet is performing blood work and ...

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QUESTION

Over the last couple of months I noticed white patches and hair popping up on my 9 year old black cat. She appears to be fine. Is this ...

My Cat Likes Having
A Sunbed With Me! 

Hi,

I have a sunbed at home and whenever I use it my cat likes to lie next to me and sprawl out in the same position as me, half under the sunbed ...

Cat Tail 

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I have a long hair cat and usually his tail is real full and fluffy but, lately it looks thinner and raggety. Could something be wrong ...

Cat with Growth Near Back Side 

QUESTION

We have a 2 year old female cat who has a small growth on the side of her rectum. The growth is on both sides of the rectum. There are ...

I Have A Question With Skin Diseases In Cats 

QUESTION

First, thank you for taking your time.

Our cat in question is a 1.5 year old, male domestic short haired inside only cat. This ...

Cat Mouth Freckles 

Hi!

First I would like to tell you that your site is very informative. Thank you.

My question is I have 2 orange manx cats. Both are 5 yrs....

Itchy Cat 

QUESTION

My 10 year old cat has been scratching herself until she bleeds. She doesn't have any fleas and we're not sure what's wrong with her....

CAT HEALTH NOSE
Scabby Spots On Nose 

QUESTION:

My cat has scabby spots all over her nose. Her behavior seems normal but her nose looks awful. She is a house cat and never goes outside ...

Cat Lump 

QUESTION:

My female cat has a growth 3/4 of the way down her back almost to her tail. It seems hard to the touch and she winces when it is touched....

Cat Testicles

Enlarged, Red Testicles and Anus 

QUESTION

There is an outside barn cat about a year old that has developed redness and swelling of the testicles and anus. I am pretty sure there ...

Flea "Dirt" 

QUESTION

I have two cats - both domestic and one is black long-haired. Both are indoor cats - Both will be 4 in October.

I have noticed ...

Unhappy Lucy 

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My cat is very unhappy . She is crying continually, deep growling, running, and has tail movements like wagging. I do not know if she ...

Cat Gagging 

QUESTION

I have a Siamese that eats and gags a lot and that licks so much under her armpit it is raw! Today, she had the"runs" but ate a little ...


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