Patient: Roxy is an eight year old female spayed cat. She
lives indoors. Recently the family acquired a new puppy.
Problem: Roxy’s owner noticed that she had lost a great deal
of hair. She was also hiding more than usual since the dog
entered the household.
The Doctor Visit: Roxy’s veterinarian gave her a thorough
physical exam. Roxy had hair loss on the top of her back
and her abdomen. The hair in the affected areas was thin;
there were no crusts or fleas seen. She was in good body
condition and she was bright and alert.
The veterinarian discussed the possible
causes of hair loss in a cat with Roxy’s owner.
The potential causes include:
Skin infections (due to either with bacteria,
fungus, yeast or parasites such as mites or fleas);
Allergies (pets can be allergic to things in the air,
they can be allergic to something their skin has
contact with or they can become allergic to their food
at any time);
Hair loss secondary to a change in metabolism (such as diabetes or thyroid disease);
Systemic infections (such as a bladder infection);
Behavioral issues (related to stress).
All of the listed medical problems must be considered and tests must be run to eliminate
the medical possibilities before stress related hair loss can be considered.
Tests: Roxy had a series of tests to check her skin. A skin scrape was performed to
check for skin mites, which was negative. Hairs were submitted for fungal culture to
check for ringworm, which was negative. Blood and urine tests were run to check for
infections or problems with her metabolism, which were all normal.
Roxy was treated with a monthly flea preventative to eliminate the possibility of flea bite
allergy and she was treated with a short course of cortisone for potential itchiness due to
inhalant allergy.
Outcome: Follow-up exam two weeks later found Roxy to be continuing to lose hair. Her
owner had noticed that she was grooming herself more than usual. There was no
response to the cortisone injection.
The next step to consider would be a diet trial with a prescription hypoallergenic diet to
help diagnose possible food allergy. However due to the known potential stressful
situation in the home (the introduction of a new puppy) Roxy was treated for stress
related hair loss due to over grooming (also known as psychogenic alopecia) before a
food trial was initiated. Roxy was treated with an anti-anxiety medication.
Roxy returned to the veterinarian two weeks later for a follow up exam and her hair
appeared to be slowly growing back. Roxy was continued on the anti-anxiety medication
for two months. Her hair returned to normal and her owner also was able to start a
routine of spending time each day specifically with Roxy (without the puppy). Roxy’s
medication was slowly decreased over a period of a few weeks. After it was discontinued
she had no further problems.
Discussion: Stress related hair loss in cats can be difficult to diagnose. Obviously cats
cannot tell their owner or their veterinarian if something is bothering them. Therefore all
other medical causes of hair loss must be explored before a diagnosis of stress related
hair loss can be made. This can be a long process however an accurate diagnosis will
assure that the cat will be treated successfully.
Ask the Vet is not intended to be a substitute for the regular veterinary care a licensed veterinarian
provides through routine physical exams, and should only be used for personal, educational and
informational purposes only. Responses do not establish a veterinarian-client-patient relationship,
and are not intended as veterinary medical advice.
| Case Study - MY CAT IS LOSING HER HAIR |
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| Dr. Karen Zelinski works at Animal General Veterinary Hospital at 725 River Road, Edgewater, N.J. She graduated from Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine in 1993; she has two Dalmatians and three cats. |
