4 Reasons Why Cats Pull Out Their Hair
It’s terrifying to discover your cat desperately tearing out its own fur. This isn’t a common behavior. Cats clean themselves and remove shed hair on a regular basis, but it is not excessive. A cat that regularly removes big clumps is suffering from a severe health problem.
The cat might also be biting, meowing, and scratching itself. If you see your cat pulling out fur and losing weight, you should seek the help of a veterinarian. It is possible that your furry feline companion is suffering from: What Does it Mean When a Cat Bites You Hard
1. Fleas And Parasites
The most common cause of your cat’s hair pulling is most likely fleas or other parasites that have found a home in your cat’s fur. If your cat becomes itchy or uncomfortable as a result of these parasites, their first reaction would be to bite and pull at their hair. Please read here: How Fast Does Cat Hair Grow
If this is the case, the first step will be to take your cat to a veterinarian. They might be able to administer a parasite-killing drug for your feline companion. The drug may also prevent new parasites from clinging to your cat’s fur, which will keep your cat from tearing its fur out in the future.
2. Stress
Cats, like humans, can be quickly stressed by abrupt changes. If you’ve recently moved, or if there has been a change in the family, or even if you’ve simply rearranged the furniture, your cat could react by grooming obsessively. Although it can help your cats cope, it may also cause hair loss and bald spots, causing more harm than good. Please read here: How To Groom A Maine Coon Cat
Allow your cats plenty of time to adapt to your home and everything in it, and try to keep the atmosphere as comfortable as possible. If you’ve done whatever you can to keep your cats in a safe environment but they’re still showing signs of discomfort or anxiety, speak with your veterinarian about recommending an anti-depressant for your pet.
3. Medications
If your cat is already on a combination of drugs, the drugs could be causing itching. You must not stop your cat’s medications, instead, inform your veterinarian of your cat’s distress and hope that they prescribe anything better.
Make a list of the drugs that have a negative impact on your pet, as you may want to avoid them and other medications with similar ingredients in the future.
4. Allergies
As with humans, coping with allergies in your cat is primarily an elimination process. Environmental allergens, such as dust mites, pollen, or mold, can irritate the skin and cause cats to pull their hair out. Food allergies or reaction to perfumes in cat litter may also cause Cat to yank out clumps of her fur.
Your veterinarian can advise allergy tests to determine the source of environmental allergies, or a food trial with a limited-protein diet that splits the protein into pieces so small that the immune system cannot recognize them. This prevents the allergic reaction from starting in the first place.
The Takeaway
Visit your veterinarian and have them run tests to rule out any other, easily treatable health problems. If nothing medical is triggering your cat’s tendency to pull, try to pinpoint the onset of the issue to track down the source of their anxiety. If necessary, remove it or restrict your cat’s exposure to it. Provide him with new toys to help distract him from his anxiety, and spend time playing with him to wear him out. In severe situations, the veterinarian can prescribe medicines or recommend you a vetscan flex4 rapid test to help you rule out any infectious diseases.
