Q: Why is My Cat Losing Hair?

Is your cat losing hair? The cat skin condition Alopecia can cause cat hair loss.

Q: My cat is losing hair by the base of his tail and around his neck. He scratches a little, but not badly. Could it be stress or a cat skin condition?

A: A cat losing hair is sometimes stress related. Stress can lead to the over-grooming that results in cat hair loss.

Before we assume stress is the cause, we should rule out a few other things.

A cat skin condition called Alopecia can also cause loss of fur. It's always a good idea to see your vet if your cat shows any of these symptoms:

  • Loss of hair in patches
  • Red or irritated skin
  • Scratching or licking in the areas of hair loss

If your cat is losing hair one of the next cat skin conditions to rule out is flea infestation. Even indoor cats can get fleas. Other symptoms of flea infestation include red skin and small red bumps. If this is the case your veterinarian may wish to prescribe a preventative flea medication.

Cat hair loss can also be caused by allergies, which present as skin conditions in cats, including a cat losing hair. Feline allergies have many causes including sensitivity to inhaled particles, foods and insect bites. Cats usually develop allergies between the ages one and three years.

An underlying skin infection in another possibility. Your veterinarian can diagnose and treat infected skin but routine blood work may be needed to help to rule out underlying problems

While you're helping your cat with her skin condition, watch out video on how to clean a cat's ears.

Author's profile photo
Dr. Lauren Brickman Dr. Brickman started as a veterinary technician at Garden City Park in 1997 and went on to…

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Comments (9)

Anonymous (Unverified)
my cat is losing hair half way down her back - just in one patch - was knotted but looks like it may be fixing itself - I'm not too sure
Louise (Unverified)
I have a male cat who is about 10 months old. He came in with a small patch of fur missing which looked like it was from a fight. He also had a scratch on his eye and nose. It looked okay and I put his flea spot on treatment on ensuring it was far away from the affected area. However the bald patch of fur seemed to get bigger and bigger. I have bathed it with warm boiled water and he doesnt seem to bothered when I touch it but im worried. Any advice?
Wally's mom (Unverified)
My cat is losing hair on its right front and back legs only on the bottom. I do have 3 other cats all inside 2 female 1 male we left fora bit yesterday today we notice the hair and some skin missing. He does have a respitory infection he's taking antibiotic but I'm concerned that it might of been because of my male adult cat. But it's only on one side
Lydia (Unverified)
I feel so bad he wants to jump on me and sleep but I don't want him toooooo.:[
Lydia (Unverified)
My cat is losing his hair And I feel so bad. what do I do?
cheryl
my cat is losing hair on her hind quarters, halfway up her beautiful tail and now on both sides of her rear section of her body. we checked for fleas but did not find any but the skin in the affected area is very ld hot to the touch. any suggestions as to what this could be.
Wally's mom (Unverified)
It could be mites that you can't see with the naked eye that cats get. It could also be stress too, if you leave it by itself a lot it can do it to itself because it's stressed. But I recommend taking it to the vet to be sure