Any sugestion or experience?
The veterinary control the cat twice a year and found everything fine.
Thanks
My British Shorthair cat loosing too much hair continuously and not only during spring. The cat is normally inside the house but can go out to the terrase. His hair is very nice and we used to brush him biweekly. Normally he gets Royal Canin Indoor but I really think I should change the nutriment.
How much is too much? Does the cat have patches with no hair? Is it a kitten or an older cat?
Best to ask the vet to do a blood test as there can be several reasons.
No patches and the hair is nice, definately has no health problems. The cat is 4 year old and doctor said everything is all right. It is disturbing me... looking for food which decrease the amount of hair lost.
Well, the cat might be shedding more hair because it is/has been a very warm summer. Why do you mistrust the vet?
I trust him but looking for alternate solution as well. Sometimes pet owner's experience can help.
So basically you are looking for a solution to a problem that does not exist for what is by your own admission, and a trustworthy vets opinion, a perfectly healthy cat?
That does not make much sense, and changing food that he is perfectly happy and healthy with due to your own insecurities may not be wise. It is one of the longest and hottest summers on record, I would not be surprised if many animals have shed more fur than usual.
My British shorthair also loses hair all year, with a bit more hair loss in spring/summer. But as far as I know it's completely normal. They are just very fluffy cats, with a thick undercoat.
Caveat: I am not a cat owner.
I am, however, a long time owner of extreme fur tumbleweeds (i.e., shelties and collies) so hairy issues have been part and parcel of my life for decades.
It is true that hair loss can be a symptom of several veterinary conditions. However, hair loss is also perfectly normal. Variations in established patterns of hair loss can be an early warning signal - but more often than not are also perfectly normal.
So how to tell the difference, how to have that conversation with the vet?
- Localized rather than generalized hair loss. When bald or thinning patches appear at a few locations, rather than a general all-coat loss, this is a discussion for the vet.
- General coat condition. If the hair loss is general, not location specific, and the coat's overall appearance is poor - dry, brittle, color looks dull, color has changed markedly - this is a discussion for the vet.
There are many conditions that might correlate with hair loss as a symptom, too many to list here - and I'd just be guessing anyway, which would not be helpful. Condition-specific tests would be performed by your vet, based on the presentation of the animal.
In the absence of any other symptons, I tend to just keep an eye out, look for a pattern that might give me further insights. If you have concerns about a specific condition, ask the vet directly. If you are not happy with the response or feel that you are being brushed off, ask him or her to explain specifically why, based on his or her expertise, that condition is not a possibility.
Other things to look for:
- Grooming-driven hair loss. If you notice your cat constantly grooming - to the point of obsessively grooming - resulting in hair loss from the friction, this is a discussion for your vet. There could be an underlying health issue (parasites, allergy, or other dermatologic problem, or pain) or there could be a behavioral or emotional drive to groom obsessively.
There can be emotional/behavioral hair loss even when excessive grooming is not present, by the way. But an owner generally sees that the animal is in a state of stress.
If no physical cause is found, next step is to look into behavioral possibilities. But one has to stop the excessive grooming, as it becomes a circular problem.
- In females, 'blowing' the coat after giving birth. This is hormone driven, and perfectly natural.
- Seasonal shedding: We all see it and expect it - but some years it can indeed seem excessive. Be aware that a double coated animal might blow the undercoat first, which sort of exagerates the perception of hair loss. My fluffies suddenly look 'deflated' when they blow their undercoats.
Regular brushing is the key to managing seasonal (and daily) shedding. If other health concerns are not present, and if the coat looks in good condition, I don't worry. But I do keep an eye out for other signs.
- 'Senior coat': My elderly mutts have all experienced a degree of coat thinning as they age, largely the under coat. As with any change in a senior animal I would discuss senior coat changes with the vet as a matter of course. Again, though, if other conditions or symptoms are not present this kind of coat change is generally just part of the aging process. But with an elderly animal, always good to keep an eye on any change.
tl;dr:
If the hair loss is general, not local, if the coat is otherwise in a good condition, if recent veterinary checks do not indicate concerns, were it my cat I would not be overly concerned. But I always keep an eye on hair loss, and if I see it progressing I see the vet sooner rather than later.
All the best to your kitty...
Indoor cats generally lose hair all year instead of massively twice a year (never mind a balcony).
So the question is rather: Has your cat increased losing hair while nothing else changed?
Or are you just noticing it more because you got more furniture hair easily sticks to than you used to?
Both my very fluffy cats have been losing a lot more hair than usual and I believe it is down to the heat. In fact, one of them who normally hates being brushed is now demanding that I do it every few days (I am usually informed of her requirement when I brush my own hair, she tries to get at the brush). The were at the vet's for a check-up two months ago and were found to be in perfect health, they are otherwise the same as usual, so I doubt there is a more sinister explanation than "it's too darn hot".
The best thing you can do for your lovely animal is take it to
a grooming salon... Get its hair trimmed and cut short for the summer.
And then you can check the condition of its skin for ticks, sores,
and other ailments again. Consequently the cat will be relieved
to be ride of all the dead weight for a while and let new hair grow
back..
I do not know if there is a scientific basis for this but I've been told by a veterinary nurse that when you shave the hair, it tends to become more easily matted when it grows back. Since my two lunatics actually voluntarily go and lie in the sun despite it being 30°, I don't think they are uncomfortable to the point of needing a lion cut. Also, I think it looks daft, so unless it's medically necessary to remove it, they are keeping the full fluff.
I have two British Shorthair cats and they moult hair all year round. The hair will even come out on your hands during petting. It's nothing to worry about. Regular grooming keeps it in check.