Is your cat losing a lot of hair?

What causes baldness in the cat

The most common signs of baldness (alopecia) are total or partial hair loss from parts of the skin that are normally normally normally hairy. Alopecia can present symmetrically or appear randomly over the cat's skin. There are roughly 5 different forms of alopecia and, with that, they also have different causes of baldness and possible treatment. With the different forms of baldness, we also see more or less irradiated skin, more or less itching.

5 forms of alopecia

Congenital or hereditary alopecia

The only form of baldness that is congenital and considered desirable in some breeds. Congenital baldness is seen in naked cats such as the Sphinx, Peterbald or Ukrainian Levkoy. The owners who have these cats like the fact that these cats have no hair. Since these cats' welfare is (scientifically proven) compromised, they are no longer allowed to be bred in many countries.

Secondary alopecia

This is a form of baldness caused by some acquired cause. The conditions you can think of are bacterial skin infections, parasites such as mites or fleas, fungi or allergic reaction s due to food or environmental factors. Most forms of conditions, which cause secondary alopecia give more or less itching and more or less baldness on certain parts of the body. As a result, the different causes can often already be distinguished from each other. For example, a flea allergy causes a lot of itching while a fungus causes little itching but does cause broken-off hair. Similarly, bacterial skin infections often cause a lot of itching and reddening with or without small bumps on the skin. Determining the definitive cause of secondary alopecia often does require additional examination. Sometimes by extensively examining the skin through skin scrapings and microscopic examination, but it also happens that we prescribe medication and can determine what the cause was based on its effect.

Psychogenic alopecia

Baldness caused by excessive licking and brushing by the cat itself. Cats can start to excessively clean and lick themselves due to behavioural disorders to try to get rid of the unpleasant feeling. For example, in cats experiencing excessive stress, Psychogenic baldness is still sometimes seen. Stressed cats start excessive brushing and licking, especially between the groin and on the belly. Due to the excessive brushing, the skin will slowly become bald and the skin usually remains intact. An additional problem, however, is often that the cat gets a lot of hairballs. When the cat shows a lot of licking behaviour, it is recommended to start with a product that removes hairballs faster. Not only stress but also minor skin irritations due to ticks, fighting wounds or scratches from branches can trigger excessive licking behaviour, but because this emanates from a specific area, we call it a hotspot or licking granuloma. Although the cat does not actually go bald, this is a form of psychogenic alopecia.

Endocrine alopecia

This is often a very symmetrical baldness around the lumbar region (between the chest and pelvis) caused by hormonal disorders. In this form of baldness, the cat is not itchy and often the hair falls out gradually. First, the fur appears to become thinner and then bald. Decreased activity of the thyroid gland (hypothyroidism), overactive production of cortisol by the adrenal gland (Cushing's disease), overproduction of the female sex hormone oestrogen and growth hormone deficiency are hormonal conditions that can cause endocrine alopecia.

Idiopathic alopecia

When research has not been able to clarify what cause the baldness and if it cannot be categorised among the other forms of alopecia either, it is called idiopathic baldness. This is often very annoying for owners because no cause can be identified, which of course also complicates treatment.

How to treat baldness in cats

Depending on the appearance and location of the baldness, your vet will institute treatment (if possible). For instance, in case of a food allergy, a hypoallergenic cat food such as Royal Canin Anallergenic will be sought, to which the cat will no longer react. When there is a flea allergy, however, an anti-flea medication will be chosen, as a bite in the 5 days already causes a physical reaction in the cat. For cats that live under continuous stress and therefore lick excessively, products such as zylkene and feliway will benefit to reduce stress. However, it is also necessary to look at exactly what is causing the stress to help the cat in the longer term.

-This is an automated translation-