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- Areas of baldness or hair thinning
- Excessive grooming, scratching or biting
- Scaly or flaky skin
- Scabs
- Redness
- Oozing sores
- Feline atopic dermatitis
- Bacterial and yeast infections
- Ringworm
- Flea or mite infestations
- Injuries from bites or accidents
- Food, flea, mite or environmental allergies
- Acne or abscesses
- Malnutrition
- Excessive grooming
- Anxiety
- Examination: Your veterinarian will visually evaluate your cat’s coat, look for fleas and mites and perform a general wellness exam including taking vital signs and your cat’s temperature.
- Skin scrapes: This test is important to identify Demodex, Cheyletiella and Notoedres mites.
- Allergy testing: By testing for allergies, your veterinarian can identify the allergens or foods that are causing your cat to lose hair.
- Blood work: In some cases, blood tests can help identify the cause of your cat’s hair loss when a visual examination indicates more than one disease.
- Biopsy: A simple biopsy can rule out many bacterial, fungal or parasitic infections.
- Bacterial, fungal and parasitic infections: Infections may be treated with antibiotic or steroid creams and may require oral medications. In a case of ringworm, for example, multiple veterinarian visits and medications including body dips may be necessary before the infection is cured. Ringworm is highly contagious and can spread to other household pets and also infect humans. In some stubborn cases, medical treatment for ringworm may last for as long as a year
- Flea infestations: If fleas are causing your cat’s hair loss, your veterinarian may recommend oral or topical flea medications. Once the fleas are no longer living on your pet, or in your pet’s environment, the inflammation, itchiness and resulting hair loss can be cured.
- Mite infestations: Your veterinarian will devise a medical plan to rid your cat of mites after tests indicate the specific mite infesting your cat. Treatment may include baths, ear washes, and topical or oral medicines.
- Food allergies: One of the easiest cures for alopecia caused by diet is to remove the allergenic foods from your cat’s diet.
- Abscess: Once the abscess is drained, antibiotic therapy usually cures the infection and the fur grows back in the affected site.
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