It may be alarming to find that your cat’s often thick, luscious fur appears to have a bald patch. It may be much more perplexing to seek out that this patch is seemingly solely on their tail, particularly if you happen to haven’t seen any modifications of their habits. Cats are secretive creatures and infrequently conceal any causes of sickness or harm from their homeowners.
Hair loss can typically be missed till a major quantity has been misplaced, leading to a moderately ugly bald patch. This text will study 10 causes your cat could be dropping hair on their tail and what you are able to do to forestall additional hair loss.
The ten Causes Why Is My Cat Dropping Hair on Their Tail
1. Fleas or Different Parasites
The primary explanation for cats dropping fur on the base of their tail is a parasitic infestation. Fleas can irritate cats, significantly if they’ve an allergic response to their saliva, inflicting them to itch and over-groom the realm. This could trigger extra injury to the pores and skin beneath the fur, leading to ugly scabs and loss. Generally the hair loss may be minimal, with a coin measurement piece lacking. Different occasions, a considerable amount of fur spanning virtually half of the again can happen, however that’s an excessive instance.
Watching your cat’s habits is the important thing to figuring out whether or not or not your cat has fleas. There are different noticeable indicators of fleas or different parasite an infection, together with flea grime (very small darkish brown or pink items in your cat’s coat) and bodily seeing the parasites themselves.
Treating your cat for a parasite infestation utilizing topical remedy prescribed by your vet is the important thing to managing this hair loss. If they’re very distressed and itching, your vet might prescribe a brief course of steroids or an injection to assist relieve the itching whereas the pores and skin heals. Any such hair loss often does develop again.
Picture Credit score: February_Love, Shutterstock
2. Overgrooming
Sadly, cats are creatures of behavior and may endure from stress greater than different animals. Cats will groom to calm themselves if burdened, however they’ll escalate this in any other case regular habits to grow to be obsessive. This could result in overgrooming and even self-mutilation. So, if you happen to discover your cat obsessively grooming the identical space although it appears to be in discomfort and there have been different indicators of tension, they could be overgrooming on account of stress or nervousness.
You may deal with this in a number of methods, starting with giving your cat a respiratory area to de-stress. Loads of distractions, together with cat toys and scratchers, may assist. It’s important to be sure that there are sufficient sources out there in a multi-cat family, reminiscent of water, meals, and litter bins, to alleviate any territorial or resource-guarding stress your cat might face. Lastly, cat-appeasing pheromones might help cut back stress ranges within the house. Ensuring this overgrooming is handled sooner moderately than later is important. Your cat might grow to be accustomed to this stage of over-grooming, inflicting a recurring subject generally known as psychogenic alopecia.
3. Allergic reactions
Cats can endure from allergy symptoms to the identical widespread allergens as people. It could be an allergy to fleas, meals, chemical substances across the house, and even mud. It may be difficult to pinpoint what precisely is inflicting an allergy, however they typically manifest in pores and skin points reminiscent of itchiness and hair loss, in addition to gastrointestinal points. As well as, bald patches brought on by allergy symptoms are sometimes accompanied by different indicators like itchiness, so taking your cat to the vet and explaining their signs is the most effective plan of action.
There are a number of remedies for allergy symptoms in cats, together with administration with remedy reminiscent of low-dose steroids, in addition to dietary administration if it’s a suspected meals allergy. Hydrolyzed proteins or novel protein diets are the most effective dietary administration strategies; your vet can create a weight loss program plan. There are checks out there that can assist you determine what precisely might be inflicting the allergic response in your cat, however these are often pricey. Verify along with your veterinarian and insurance coverage supplier to see in the event that they cowl allergy checks.
Picture Credit score: eremeevdv, Shutterstock
4. Fungal An infection
Fungal infections reminiscent of ringworm could cause patches of fur loss in your cat. Ringworm causes spherical patches of fur loss with a recognizable ring of pink pores and skin. Ringworm is extremely contagious and zoonotic, that means it may be unfold out of your cat to your self, so good hygiene practices are essential when coping with a cat with ringworm.
The kind of hair loss related to ringworm may be full, that means that the entire space in a circle form is balding or thinning first. Therapy may be given on the vet’s workplace, and checks will likely be used to find out whether or not ringworm is the perpetrator on your cat’s tail fur loss.
5. Cat Chunk Abscess
Cats are territorial, significantly male unneutered cats. Additionally they have soiled mouths, and sadly, they’ve sharp tooth to combat with. Cat chew abscesses are very generally discovered on the base of the tail on account of how cats combat. If a cat relinquishes a combat and turns to run away, it’s not unusual for the chasing cat to chew them across the again and tail space.
Cat chew abscesses are shaped by the cat’s sharp tooth puncturing the pores and skin and delivering micro organism from their mouth. Due to the tiny holes {that a} cat chew can depart within the pores and skin, the floor heals over, trapping any micro organism inside, which may trigger an infection. The physique’s pure protection in opposition to the an infection produces pus. This pus build-up beneath the pores and skin types a bubble or an abscess which may finally burst, leaving an ugly gap.
Hair loss is predicted with cat chew abscesses; if you happen to suspect your cat has a cat chew abscess, or they appear to be grooming the realm extra intently or holding their tail at a wierd angle, it might be that they’re in ache and want remedy. Taking them to the vet as quickly as you believe you studied is crucial, as often abscesses left untreated or drained can flip right into a extra severe systemic an infection that requires antibiotics and even hospitalization.
Picture Credit score: RJ22, Shutterstock
6. Ache
As a result of cats are stoic, they’ll simply conceal indicators of being in ache, typically for a very long time. Older cats are significantly vulnerable to arthritis and are predisposed to joint circumstances reminiscent of Munchkin cats or Scottish Folds. If a specific space is in ache, reminiscent of the bottom of the tail, this may trigger your cat to overgroom it. Different indicators of cats being in ache can embrace:
Not eager to partake in bodily exercise
Not wanting to maneuver
Crying
Behavioral modifications
Disturbed sleep
Adjustments in urge for food
If you happen to suppose your cat is in ache on the base of their tail, they could be injured, or in the event that they’re older, they could be affected by arthritis. Take them to the vet as quickly as attainable, as there are various choices for ache aid that would cease the over-grooming.
7. Thyroid Issues
Cats are liable to a situation generally known as hyperthyroidism. It’s a illness the place the thyroid gland (a butterfly-shaped gland within the entrance of the neck) malfunctions and begins to overproduce thyroid hormones reminiscent of liothyronine and thyroxine. Overproduction of those hormones impacts most of the physique’s processes, together with inflicting thinning hair and bald patches. Different indicators of hyperthyroidism in cats embrace:
Issues with their kidneys
Ravenous urge for food and weight reduction
Extreme vocalization
It’s quite common in older cats, so in case you are involved your cat has a thyroid situation, take them to the vet. It may be handled in numerous methods, together with remedy and surgical procedure. As soon as the underlying thyroid drawback is handled, the signs ought to subside, and your cat’s fur ought to develop again over the bald spot.
Picture Credit score: Lilia Solonari Shutterstock
8. Accidents or Scars
In case your cat is a recognized scrapper or has had surgical procedure that resulted in scars, it might have scar tissue over the realm, which has prompted everlasting fur loss. It’s because scar tissue essentially differs from regular pores and skin cells and tissues. If hair follicles are destroyed, they can not develop again, that means they are going to be a everlasting website of baldness. This may possible not upset the cat and shouldn’t irritate them. Nonetheless, when you have any issues, it’s value taking them to the vet to examine that all the pieces has healed appropriately.
9. Genetic Situations
Some cats will likely be born with congenital circumstances predisposing them to hair loss. These circumstances are extra widespread in some breeds, reminiscent of Burmese, Siamese, and Devon Rex, and are brought on by inherited genes or ones which have spontaneously mutated.
For instance, a kitten could also be born with thinning fur that will get thinner as they grow old, however this often causes a bigger space of hair loss moderately than being focused on the tail space. Taking them to the vet and having them checked over is one of the best ways to find out whether or not a genetic situation is the reason for a cat’s fur loss or whether it is one thing extra sinister that may probably be handled.
Picture Credit score: Jumpstory
10. Most cancers
Lastly, there’s a most cancers referred to as feline paraneoplastic alopecia, wherein patches of hair fall out fully, inflicting bald spots. The pores and skin may present lesions and peeling, and different signs are related to the situation, together with dryness, decreased urge for food, and painful cracks on the pads of the paws.
Normally, a lot of the cat’s physique is affected, however solely the bottom of the tail could also be affected. The hyperlinks between most cancers and feline paraneoplastic alopecia aren’t effectively understood, however there are some developments that veterinarians have found. For instance, pancreatic most cancers is extra more likely to have this sort of alopecia as an indication.
Conclusion
A cat might lose fur on their tail for a lot of causes, however most are simply handled. Generally, a cat experiencing alopecia of the tail is concerned by parasites reminiscent of fleas and mites, or different pores and skin irritations, inflicting them to over-groom.
Fortunately, the hair typically grows again in these conditions. Nonetheless, in case you are involved about your cat’s hair loss, taking them to the veterinarian as quickly as attainable is essential to lowering any long-lasting injury to the coat and pores and skin.
Featured Picture Credit score: Anete Lusina, Pexels
