Cat’s shedding is a universal phenomenon, but if your cat is suffering from excessive shedding, it can lead to health problems and require your attention.
Excess fur shedding is a medical condition and requires you to take proper precautions for your cat’s safety and well-being. Cats are driven by curiosity and are always on the move, and you will have lots of loose hairs to clean if your cat suffers from excessive hair loss.
The cat’s shedding can be caused by multiple reasons, including bad eating habits or anxiety issues. Avoiding the same is possible if you follow a few steps and take veterinary advice.
Potential Causes of Cat Shedding
Cats lose hair for multiple reasons, including health issues, hair coat types, and stress. The most common reasons are:
- It is a universal phenomenon that cats shed hair but to a limited extent. It is a known fact that whichever breed and size a cat is, it is inevitable that their hair will fall to a certain level, the exception being the hairless breeds. However, if there is excess shedding, then it is problematic.
- Increased shedding is also caused owing to the poor diet habits of your cat. Cat foods significantly reduce shedding, so updating your cat’s diet is the only solution in this regard.
- Long-haired breeds tend to shed excessive fur, which cannot be avoided.
- Cat sheds more hair when feeling stressed, anxious, or scared.
- When most cats are not groomed regularly, they tend to shed excessive hair.
- Certain medical conditions in a cat can be responsible for shedding fur.
When Shedding Isn’t Normal?
Cats’ hair shedding is a natural process, and increased shedding during specific seasons is natural. This implies that when there are particular times of the year, the cat’s fur shedding is normal, but the same happening out of nowhere will require the attention of the cat owners. The moment you notice that your cat is shedding excessive hair, identify if the shedding is normal or not and then take necessary actions.
The shedding is not normal when:
- you notice the uneven formation of multiple bald patches on your cat’s skin and coat
- An abundance of hair fall during regular brushing is observed
- cat vomits hairballs
- there is no shine or fluffiness on the cat’s coat
- skin problems develop after brushing
When your cat is not eating like usual or is showing unusual behavior, understand that your cat is having problems.
How Much Shedding Is Normal for a Cat?
First of all, know the fact that cats shed all the time except for the hairless breed. However, large-scale shedding happens during specific seasons of the year, depending on your kitty’s breed and the environment. It is usual for most cats to shed millions of hair and readily grow the same again in no time.
So, you need not worry about the yearly shedding of pet hair, and you must regularly follow a few steps to keep the skin and coat of your cat healthy.
Ways To Reduce Cat Shedding
Multiple reasons can cause cat shedding; the same can be fixed through various means. It all depends on the environment, the cat’s food, and the mental health of your cat.
A variety of your cat’s physical and behavioral differences indicate that abnormal shedding has begun. To reduce shedding, cat owners should look out for the possible reasons and should never ignore the increased shedding as it can lead to more significant health problems in your beloved pet like:
- External parasites, such as fleas
- Stress or anxiety
- Allergies
- Skin inflammation or irritation
- Ringworm
Worry not; all this can be avoided. Just instill the below mentioned steps in your routine for guaranteed health and safety of your pet, plus a clean and less hairy house.
Brush Your Cat’s Hair Regularly
Brushing your cat regularly can best help reduce shedding. Regular brushing can increase the blood flow and removes dirt, dead hair, and dandruff, the biggest causes of excess hair fall.
Outdoor cats groom themselves and love to buff their skin against the floor and get filled with dust which later causes the weakening of hairs and leads to shedding. Brushing your cat’s hair helps in getting rid of filth and dirt, which can keep you safe from handling the cleaning of humongous fur from your home.
Furthermore, brushing can relax your cat and enhance the healthy regular grooming of your kitty; resultantly, a happy environment will reduce your cat’s shedding. So, a good brushing will do wonders, solve the problem of hair shedding in your cat, and eliminate any need for you to see a vet.
Upgrade Your Cat’s Diet Plan
Like humans and other animals, a healthy diet is the most crucial thing to minimize hair loss. The same is true for cat hair. Cats love food, and if they shed excessive hair, consider a bad diet responsible for this and upgrade your cat’s diet plan accordingly.
Getting your cat the healthiest and tastiest food will reduce cat hair shedding. Consider a vet visit to get the best food plan for your cat that should include all the nutrients. Cats are healthy when their food consists of enough quantities of essential fatty acids, especially omega fatty acids components. This ensures the best functioning of the heart and helps to decrease shedding.
Include An Exclusive Cat Spot in Your Home
Cats love to roam around and roll over the floors of the house. While doing so, cat hair spreads throughout the house, and cleaning it will be a real ordeal. To avoid the nuisance, the best approach would be to devise a specific and exclusive zone for your kitty.
You can add a blanket to your cat’s preferred sleeping location, and your cat’s shedding will be limited to this specific zone. This trick will not entirely solve the problem but will reduce the excessive cleaning work that the kitty’s movement all over the house might cause.
Keep Your Cat Hydrated
Keeping your cat well-hydrated can improve coat health along with the overall condition of the cat.
However, cats are well known for avoiding water, and keeping them hydrated can be challenging. The best way to achieve this target is by adding wet cat food to your pet’s diet. A wet food can contains 3.85–4.4 ounces of water which is enough for your cat’s best health.
Placement of the water bowl at the kitty’s favorite spots will help keep your cat hydrated.
Use Lint Rollers More
Cleaning the house regularly is inevitable for cat owners to ensure cat hair shed doesn’t flow in the air that you might mistake to be excessive hair loss of your kitty. To avoid this misunderstanding, use a lint roller or vacuum cleaner daily and keep your house clean of previous hair.
Give Your Kitty Regular Shower
To reduce cat shedding, dare to give your kitty regular baths. Cats are notorious for avoiding water; showering is never their favorite sport. However, frequent showers brighten the cat’s skin and reduce cat shedding as any dust or fleas from the cat’s coat will be washed off.
Shave Your Cat’s Hair
Understandably, the most helpful way to reduce shedding is to shave your kitty’s hair and get rid of the hair altogether. The task can be tricky so do it only if you are confident enough to control your feline friend or hire a professional groomer.
If no cat hair is left to shed, then the whole problem is solved; shaving your kitty’s hair can be the best way to eliminate shedding temporarily.
Keep Your Cat Happy
Cats are curious beings with the ultimate goal of discovering everything they encounter in their habitats. Keeping them happy and free from stress is inevitable for a healthy lifestyle. Cats are known to be sensitive and possessive of their things. If they do not get a comfortable zone, they tend to get really anxious and stressed, which leads to excessive hair loss issues.
Significant changes like moving into a new house or adding a new cat or human member can stress a cat out and increase shedding. While you may not be able to adjust to major changes like buying a house, you can support your cat through these changes.
You can include some daily patterns to reduce the stress like brushing their hair and patting their backs. Cats love massage also, so messaging their backs and brushing their hair will best eliminate stress.
There’s also the strategy of creating a fur-friendly zone to manage to shed. This area could also be considered a safe space for cats where they can go to avoid anything new in the home that might be stressing them out.
Conclusion
Shedding is an inevitable reality when keeping a cat. Cat sheds hair, which is not a fault but a feature of these curious beings. However, excessive shedding can be alarming and require medical help. It is your task to monitor if the hair loss is normal or is it unusually high; if the latter, then look out for all possible reasons that might cause such a condition in your beloved cat.
The most common and potential reason for this phenomenon is a bad diet. To combat this issue, ensure your furry friend eats balanced cat food containing all nutrients.
Anxiety and sudden routine change are common aspects of your pet’s disturbed shedding. Avoiding this might require regular practices like brushing your cat’s hair and giving them an exclusive safe and cozy spot for their comfort and happiness. This will also reduce the chances of cat hairs floating all around the house, which is downright disturbing.
Shaving your cat’s hair and bathing it can also reduce excessive hair shedding. Cats are furry friends that always shed hair, unlike other animals. This is a universal phenomenon and can never be changed, so avoiding it through multiple practices can best reduce the cat’s shedding but can still not eliminate the same.
