Feline Fur Loss

by Sheila

I read where others have stated that they have experienced cat fur loss, but with raised patches and/or sores, with the cat scratching alot.

My cat is not scratching, has no sores or rough areas, just losing his hair on one ear and down the front of his neck. It looks like it is starting to affect the back of his head, too. His fur is thinning out on his head, but I see no sores or rough areas there either. He seems to be in no discomfort.

I checked this site to read about mange; however, my cat's problem does not match any of the stated symptoms for mange.

Any idea what this could be?

Editor Suggestion - Cat Fur Loss with No Scratching or Sores

Dear Sheila,

Unfortunately the list of possibilities is very long. I will say that you cat’s case is a little unusual in that you haven’t seen him scratching.

There are some diseases that cause hair loss without itching in cats, but they typically affect the sides of the body, not the head.

If I had to guess, I’d say your cat has one of the skin diseases that typically makes cats scratch, but for whatever reason he’s just not that itchy or he’s only scratching when you’re not around.

If you want to try something at home, you could buy some Frontline, which would kill fleas, lice and some other types of parasites that might be to blame.

If that didn’t do the trick, see your veterinarian for a skin scraping to look for mites, a fungal culture to rule out ringworm (sometimes this disease doesn’t make cats very itchy, but it can be transmitted to people so it’s important!) and skin cytology to look for yeast and bacteria.

Your vet may also want to run some other tests depending on your cat’s condition.

Good luck!
Jennifer Coates, DVM