shedding-cats-excessive

Shedding cats excessive

At certain times of the year, cats can lose an impressive amount of hair: this is called shedding. In cats living in apartments, this hair loss is often encountered throughout the year. There are solutions to reduce hair loss in cats, which is important for both cats and their owners!

 

What do you need to know about hair loss in cats?

Just like hair in humans, hair grows for a while and then falls out. So it's normal for a cat to lose its hair.

This hair loss is accentuated in the spring and fall during the moulting season. Fall shedding allows the summer coat to be replaced by a thicker winter coat. This winter coat is then shed in the spring.

In cats that live exclusively indoors, shedding is generally observed year-round. Indeed, the temperatures being more or less constant during the year, the hair growth cycle is often disturbed.

Physiological moults are to be contrasted with abnormal hair loss due to an inadequate diet, parasites, diseases, etc...

 

cat-brush

 

 

What are the solutions to limit this hair loss?

It is not possible to prevent your pet from losing hair. However, it is possible to act on several things in order to limit this hair loss as much as possible.

Good fur care
It is necessary to brush cats regularly to remove dead undercoat. This will limit the amount of loose hair in the house and the ingestion of hair by the cat when grooming and the formation of hairballs. This is also important for long-haired cats to avoid knots. There are brushes that allow you to easily remove the undercoat of cats. Models are available for both long-haired and short-haired cats.

A quality diet
Diet is essential for cats to have a beautiful coat. With a quality diet that is suitable for the cat, the coat should be shiny and the skin healthy. With a standard, low-quality diet or one that is not suitable for the animal, the coat is dull and hair loss is exacerbated. This is because the proteins, polyunsaturated fatty acids and vitamins provided by the diet are essential for skin health and coat quality.

It is therefore recommended to feed your cat a quality diet. To know if new kibbles are suitable for your cat, you must wait at least one month to observe a change in the appearance of the coat and a decrease in hair loss. There are also dietary supplements specially designed for the skin and coat that can be given to cats as a course of treatment to improve the quality of their coat.

A regular anti-parasite treatment
Most itching in cats is due to flea infestation. These are accompanied by hair loss, patches, scabs, etc... It is important to protect your pet against fleas with an effective antiparasitic treatment. Be careful, fleas survive very well during winter in heated houses and in the animal's coat, so the protection must be continued all year long.

 

A consultation at the veterinarian

If the loss of hair persists despite the previous advice or if you observe other symptoms (pimples, scabs, bad smell, etc...), it is advisable to consult a veterinarian.

Many causes can explain hair loss in cats (endocrine diseases, skin infections, etc...). A consultation with a veterinarian is then necessary: a thorough clinical examination possibly associated with complementary examinations will make it possible to establish a diagnosis and the installation of an adapted treatment.