The Furry Facts About Healthy Cats

The Furry Facts About Healthy Cats
Written by: Dr. Klingborg
Merced California Veterinarian

As you know, most cats are compulsive groomer’s. Because cats are naturally neat, changes in their hair coat can often alert us to health problems.
When cats start to lose hair it may be caused by a number of factors including allergies, infections, parasites, poor diet and anxiety.
A lot of cats will become non-stop groomers when they are nervous or stressed. This commonly occurs after there have been big changes in the household – a new pet, a different work schedule, people visiting, etc. The hallmark of "self-induced" hair loss is that it only occurs in those areas that a cat can reach to pull out its hair, and the bald spots tend to have a choppy appearance. If this sounds like your cat, know that there are treatments to help your anxious cat feel better about life.
Many cats will lose hair due to allergies. Cats suffer from several
Different types of allergies, but one of the most common is Flea Allergy.
Often, cats with flea allergy will lose hair above their neck and shoulders.
They will often develop little pinpoint scabs in the area of hair loss. One important fact about Flea allergy – your cat doesn't need to have a lot of fleas to be affected by flea allergy. One flea bite can be enough to cause the problem! Veterinarians have excellent flea control products and medications to help cats with flea allergy.
A rough and matted hair coat can be a sign of poor nutrition or other underlying disease. For example, when cats start to develop painful teeth, they will still eat but they will stop grooming. If you were to look in your cat's mouth, you might find a reddened and inflamed gum line, as well as some grimy teeth. A quality dental cleaning is just what the doctor ordered! To clean a cat's teeth the right way, they need to be tranquilized during the procedure, that way you can thoroughly clean around every tooth.
Poor nutrition is a very common cause of lousy looking hair coats in cats and dogs. Lower quality foods contain too much protein (because it tastes good, not because it is healthier) and they don't add enough fatty acids. Fatty acids are the chemicals that make the hair coat shiny and soft.
Fatty acids are also expensive, and that is why you should pay a couple of extra dollars per bag to get the good quality food your pet deserves.
Cats are definitely susceptible to certain types of skin infections.
Ringworm is an infection that is commonly found on cats. It is caused by a fungus, and not by a worm. Ringworm is very common in kittens because their little immune systems still aren't very strong. It may cause circular patches of hair loss (that is, rings of baldness), or it may sit quietly on your cat and not cause any problems. In those cases, it is usually the human or canine members of the family that develop ringworm lesions. People and dogs seem to be more susceptible to ringworm than many cats.
This is just a quick overview of a few problems that can cause hair loss in cats. It is certainly not a complete or detailed list. Watch your cat for hair loss or a poor quality hair coat. If you see these signs, be sure to take your kitty to the veterinarian. A physical exam and a few simple tests may be all that is necessary to get your cat's hair coat shiny, soft, and fluffy again.
Dr. Jon Klingborg, He'll make some recommendations if e-mailed at [email protected]