Licking Away Fur - How to Put an End to Your Cat's Baldness

What would you think if you had a lovely, fluffy kittyconditions can also lead to hair loss. By performing a
and it suddenly started to lose its hair? Unfortunately,simple blood test, your veterinarian will be able to
this problem is more common than many peopledetermine if hormones are causing your cat's hair loss
realize and, in many cases, the hair loss is actually theto occur.o Allergies - allergies can cause several
result of your kitty simply overgrooming or doingproblems to develop in your kitty, including hair loss.
other things that are causing hair loss to occur. JustIn addition, allergies can lead to skin irritation, which
as humans can suffer from obsessive compulsivemay cause your cat to overgroom.
disorders that cause them to repeatedly engage inIf all of these conditions have been ruled out, you
the same behavior, your cat may do the same thingmay have a cat that suffers from obsessive
when it comes to grooming. As a result, baldness,compulsive disorder. It is important to keep in mind,
which is also referred to as alopecia may occur. Athowever, that there may be certain triggers or
the same time, there are other potential causes ofenvironmental factors that are causing your pet to
feline baldness that needs to be ruled out before youovergroom. By understanding these triggers, you can
assume the alopecia is the result of overgrooming.more effectively treat the problem and, hopefully,
Exploring Other Potential Causes of Alopeciaput an end to your cat's obsessive grooming.
In addition to excessive grooming, there are severalTreating Overgrooming
other potential causes of alopecia. Some of theseIn many cases, cats who overgroom are doing so in
include:o Skin Parasites - parasites such as fleas andresponse to stress or anxiety. Therefore, one step in
mites may cause your cat's skin to become irritated,the treatment process may simply involve giving your
which can lead to overgrooming. Fortunately, it iscat anxiety medication or better yet, making changes
usually pretty easy to spot fleas and mites, so itin your household that will alleviate stress. For
shouldn't be too difficult for you to diagnose this asexample, your cat may begin the behavior when a
the cause of the baldness. In addition, there arenew cat is added to the household. By separating the
several medications and other products available oncats and gradually reintroducing them, your cat's
the market that can help you get rid of thesestress and anxiety may be reduced and it may slow
parasites and give your cat some relief from thedown on the grooming.
irritation.o Fungal Infections - fungal infections can alsoProviding your cat with other activities may also help
cause hair to fall out or make it brittle, which makesreduce its tendency to overgroom. By introducing
its break easily and for your cat to appear bald. Ifnew toys or engaging in new activities, your cat may
your cat is suffering from a fungal infection, you willfind other ways to entertain itself that do not involve
likely need to visit your vet for medication to clearlicking its fur away!
up the condition.o Hormones - certain hormonal