Domestic Long Hair Cat

Longhair cats look beautiful and are a pleasure to keep as pets. There are many different domestic longhair cat breeds. The long hairs of a cat are caused due to a recessive gene. A combination of two genes is required for the cat to be long haired. Cats which have only one of the genes required will have short hair, however, this trait can be passed on to the offspring of the cat.

The earliest long hair cat breed known to man was the Angora cat. The angora cats were named after the Turkish city of Ankhara because they were first spotted there. These cats were first imported into Italy and France, where they were interbred with long haired Persian cats. The first longhair cats were commonly known as Angoras.

In the earliest art depictions of cats, the animals have always been shown as having short or no hair. Moreover, the old remains and fossils of cats don’t tell much about the length of their hair. The short haired cats are more popular as pets because they are easier to groom and maintain. Between the long haired and the short haired breeds, there are also many intermediate lengths of hair.

Both long hair and short haired cat breeds can experience loss of fur. Cat hair loss, also known as alopecia areata in cats, is a common disorder which can affect both short haired and long haired cats. Though some shedding of hair is normal, if the cat begins to shed hair in patches from all over its body, it can be a cause for concern. The cat may lose its hair due to skin infections, parasites, and other glandular diseases.

Fleabite allergy is the most common cause of alopecia areata in cats. Cats may be allergic to fleabites and this causes intense reactions, which are prolonged. If a cat has an attack from mites, the cat may keep scratching itself till it pulls out all of its hair. Such an infestation of mites can cause a condition called mange.

Ringworm, hypothyroidism, Cushing’s disease, and other glandular diseases may cause loss of hair in the body. In some cases, the loss of hair occurs in symmetrical patterns, but mostly, it happens in patches all over the body. The overproduction of steroids can also cause loss of hair. Cat hair loss, especially in a longhair cat breed, can seem very ugly. It is also often an indication of a disease or a health condition and therefore should be treated immediately.

Cat Hair Loss Tail

Hair loss in cats is becoming one of the commonest pet health issues these days. A cat loses hair all over the body or just in patches, (a condition called alopecia areata) due to many reasons. One of the most common parts where a cat loses hair is its tail. Often, the hair loss is at the tip of the tail and moves upwards. Factors like toxins in the blood, mites or flea infestation, stress, hormonal imbalance, injury, or stud tail causes alopecia areata in cats tail.

The most common cause for a cat to lose hair on its tail is an allergic reaction to flea bites. In this case, the bite of a single flea is enough to make the cat scratch, bite and lick the tail at the skin level causing baldness in that area. One can prevent this by applying anti-flea ointment or brushing the coat with a metal flea comb regularly. Including fish oil in the cat’s diet also helps in treating flea bite allergies. There is also endocrine alopecia that is responsible for hair loss on the tail. This condition causes inadequate or excessive hair growth hormones thus disturbing the hair growth cycle. This problem can be treated only by a veterinarian. Injury to the tail can also be a reason for hair loss, as it makes the cat lick the wound excessive causing hair fall. So, it is important to check for injuries on the tail or any other body part if one notices hair loss in an area.

If there has been a change in the cat’s environment or even food, it will become edgy, nervous, stressed and anxious and lick itself excessively causing hair loss. Checking for and eliminating such factors will help in getting rid of the hair loss on the tail. The presence of toxins in the body also makes them lose hair excessively as the poisonous chemicals in the blood stream affect the body cells. Keeping the cat free of toxins should be a regular part of pet health care and it can be ensured by regular moderate exercise and nutritious cat food. An important pet health info with regards to cat hair loss is a condition called stud tail. Sometimes a build up of wax or oil from the sebaceous glands near the base of the tail causes hair loss and a sour smell. A veterinarian must be consulted if the owner suspects this condition.

Cat Ear Hair Loss

It is disheartening and worrying to find hair loss in a furry pet like cat. Cat hair loss, also called alopecia areata, can be hereditary or acquired and has several causes. Though the cat loses hair all over the body, the face, neck, and ears are most prone to cat alopecia. Pet health info worth noting is that hair loss caused on the ear the most worrisome one and must be treated immediately. Allergens like some food products, pollen or dust mites, ear mites, fleas, chronic stress, and side effects of some medications cause alopecia areata in cats. General pet health care can prevent all these problems and the resultant hair loss.

Ear mites infesting a cat’s ears cause severe itching, redness, wax, foul odor and hair loss. Mites can be easily removed from the ears and a solution can be instilled into the ear canals. Similarly, the saliva left behind by the fleas after biting causes an itchy reaction in the ears. The cat scratches its ears against furniture or rough surfaces to find relief, in turn, losing hair. Fleas can be treated by insecticidal sprays or shampoos. Ringworms, actually an itchy fungal infection, also affect the cat’s ears. The mites that cause this infection survive in the hair follicles and nourish on dead cells and cause breakage of the hair at the skin level thereby leaving bald patches. Fungal infections often require the cat’s hair to be shaved off completely. Tablets and topical ointments are available to treat the infection. Mange is also a mite infestation that causes hair loss in the ears, and on the neck and face. Additionally, the skin gets covered by a yellowish crust. The treatment of mange includes applying lime sulfur once a week about six to eight times.

Apart from these infestations, food allergies also cause itching and subsequent hair loss, which is further worsened by chronic ear infections. It’s important to find out what is causing the allergy and avoid feeding the cat that food. Lastly, though in only a few cases, stress and boredom also cause hair loss in cats. The more stressed a cat is, the more it licks its fur and paws. This causes the hair to fall, and since ears have short hair, they fall off more easily. If all the factors causing stress are eliminated, the cat won’t suffer from hair loss. There are other problems like damage to the sebaceous glands or even cancer that cause hair loss on the ears too.