Vet Tips

Bald Cats
04/05/2008

Is the hair falling out or being licked out? Hair loss from endocrine or other primary causes does occur in the cat, although it is extremely rare. In most instances the hair is being licked out. In order to convince yourself, and also the client that the hair is being licked out, pluck some hairs and examine in mineral oil. If the hairs are licked out, you can readily see the shorn off tips, rather than the usual pointed tips. Often, the only way to convince the client of excessive grooming is to show them this under the microscope.

Submitted by:
Dr. Richard Halliwell
Retired Dean of Faculty at the University of Edinburgh Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies in Scotland
President of World Congress of Veterinary Dermatology Association
Recipient of the Life-time Career Achievement Award in Dermatology, at the 4th World
Congress of Veterinary Dermatology in Vienna.