Feline hair loss, when it goes beyond the normal amount of shedding or comes out only in certain areas such as on the legs, can be a reason for concern. There are many things that can cause this to happen, ranging from the simple to the serious. These can be either psychological matters or physical matters.
What Psychological Matters Cause Hair Loss
There are a number of problems that can lead your cat to behavior such as obsessive cleaning, biting or scratching, which would then lead to hair loss.
- Stress. Cats are creatures that can be easily stressed. If their living environments are too crowded, if they are moved around too much or if they are in a situation that they do not enjoy, such as being housed with another animal that they do not get along with.
- Anxiety. This is something else that can occur with cats. Anxiety can be caused by a number of factors, such as leaving your cat alone too much or exposing it to loud, sudden changes.
- Boredom. If your cat has nothing to entertain itself with, it can get bored. This could lead to it cleaning itself as a means of having something to do.
What Physical Matters Cause Hair Loss
Like with psychological issues, there are many physical factors that can cause the loss of hair on the legs of your feline.
- Infections. If your cat has a bacterial or fungal infection, such as ringworm, this could lead to hair loss. With ringworm, you would notice circular red lesions where the hair has fallen out. Infections must be treated with antibiotics.
- Parasites. If your cat has picked up a parasite, it could be to blame for the hair loss. This could be anything from fleas to lice and often would leave the skin red and irritated, perhaps with crusty wounds.
- Allergies. If your cat has allergies or has come into contact with something that has given it an allergic reaction, it could have scratched and clawed at the itchy skin enough to cause the hair to fall out.
- Hormonal imbalance. An example of this would be an over-active or under-active thyroid problem. This could cause the cat's fur to be loose and thus it would fall out, along with causing flaky skin.
- Autoimmune disease. Aside from hair loss, this would bring about scaly skin or oil patches. It would also likely cause your cat to scratch at the area.
What Can Be Done About the Hair Loss
Depending on what is causing the hair loss, treatments vary. For all illnesses, you will want to get antibiotics to clear it up. Treating psychological issues are a little more complicated and should be discussed with a professional to determine the best course of action. There are many things that can be prescribed regardless of cause, however.
What Can Be Done to Prevent Hair Loss
If you want to prevent hair loss, keep your cat in a calm, happy environment with as little stress as possible. It is also a good idea to regularly brush your cat's fur, keep up to date on your anti-parasitic medications and to make certain that your cat has a good and balanced diet. Nutrition is a very important factor when it comes to the health of your cat's fur.