Hair loss in a British cat. Scottish cat shedding: what is the reason and what to do

Falling cat hair can cause a lot of inconvenience, because it tends to penetrate literally everywhere. It is especially unpleasant if the cat sheds a lot. What to do in this case? How to distinguish normal from health problems?

Shedding in different cat breeds

All animals lose hair. This natural process, and it cannot be avoided. But the intensity of shedding greatly depends on the breed of cat. The question often appears on animal lovers forums: “The British cat sheds a lot. What to do?" After all, problems with shedding are often expected from long-haired breeds, and not from short-haired British breeds. But this approach is incorrect, since it is the fluff that falls out the most.

British, Persian, Siberian cats and Maine Coons have a thick fluffy coat with a rich undercoat, which causes so much trouble for owners. The Scottish cat often sheds heavily. You will learn what to do in such cases from this article.

If you like long-haired cats, but the prospect of spending a lot of time cleaning furniture is scary, then pay attention to the Sacred Burma, Turkish Angora, Somali, and American Curl.

Are you worried about shedding a lot? What to do in this case? This situation should alert you, since Siamese have no undercoat, and guard hairs normally fall out in small quantities. Shedding is less intense in Burmese, Abyssinian, Bengal, Bombay, and Singaporean cats.

Of course, Cornish and Devon Rex and Sphynx dogs will not have problems with shedding.

How to reduce the amount of wool?

It happens that a cat sheds a lot. What to do in this case, how to reduce the amount of hair falling out? The first assistant to the owner of a shedding cat with a thick undercoat is the Furminator. To prevent mats from forming and to gently remove loose fluff, cats with long hair need to be brushed daily.

Using special shampoos and conditioners will also help. They moisturize the skin and restore damaged coat. It is worth noting that the furminator and cosmetics can only eliminate the consequences of excessive shedding. And to optimally eliminate this problem, it is necessary to find out the cause of its occurrence. Let's figure out why a cat sheds a lot and what to do to solve this problem.

Causes and solutions to problems: season

At the age of about six months, the kitten's fur is completely replaced by that of an adult. Molting can last up to two months. The soft baby fur is replaced by a coarser permanent one. The pattern on the wool becomes brighter and more saturated. During this period, the animal especially needs proper balanced diet. Well maintained and healthy kitten sheds faster, and the new coat will be better.

Normally, a cat sheds twice a year. With the arrival of spring, a light summer coat gives way to a thick winter coat. Fluffy cats can continue to shed all summer, freeing themselves from excess undercoat; by autumn this process stops. Short-haired cats shed hair equally in spring and fall. Seasonal molting can last from several weeks to two months. To speed up the process, the animal needs to be combed.

Health

Health problems can also cause shedding. Change hormonal levels may lead to hair loss. Cats shed hair after giving birth, and this is normal. But changes can also be caused by the proximity of an animal of a different sex. Even if the prospective partner lives in the next doorway, the cat can smell him. Inability to satisfy the sexual instinct or, conversely, exhaustion from frequent mating or childbirth can cause molting. Veterinarians recommend sterilizing animals not intended for breeding. This avoids hormonal surges and reduces the likelihood of tumor diseases.

The reasons for molting can be various diseases. Severe loss wool maybe alarming symptom along with unpleasant smell from the mouth, coughing, scratching, lethargy, etc. The veterinarian must understand what the pet is sick with and prescribe treatment. Shedding caused by the disease will only go away after the animal has recovered.

Conditions

It often happens that a cat that never leaves the apartment sheds little by little. all year round. She doesn't feel the seasons change. The problem worsens in winter, when heating dries out the air. Low humidity is harmful not only for the cat, but also for its owner. Raise it up normal level Air conditioners, humidifiers, and aquariums without a lid will help. For domestic cat you need to choose the right diet, care for the coat with special means. Anti-molting vitamins will also help, but courses can be carried out no more than twice a year.

Even with ideal conditions hair loss can be caused by constant stress. A cat may be attacked by a child or another animal at home or on the street. In such a situation, you need to try to remove the source of stress. In advanced cases, the veterinarian may prescribe a mild sedative.

Care and feeding

Your cat sheds a lot. What to do if she is healthy and calm, but her fur continues to fall off? Pay attention to the quality of shampoos and conditioners for fur coat care. Cheap, low-quality cosmetics can cause shedding. In addition, shampoos must be used according to the instructions and the concentrate must be diluted correctly. Brushing not only helps to get rid of lost hair, but also improves blood circulation and nutrition of the hairs.

The cat sheds a lot. What to do? Finally, one of the most common reasons leading to hair loss is poor nutrition. Cheap dry food cannot provide furry pet everything you need. Choose quality products famous manufacturers. A natural nutrition The menu should be balanced and varied. It is wrong to feed a cat food from your table or only one chicken breast. She needs lean meat, fish, offal, eggs, raw vegetables, fruits, greens.

In conclusion, a few tips:

• comb your pet, avoiding combs with sharp teeth;
• wash your cat only with high-quality shampoo;
• use vitamin supplements with natural feeding;
• Buy special conditioners for cat fur.

There are many legends associated with wool about Scottish cats. Some even call them hypoallergenic, although this is not true. Some people think that if they buy a short-haired beauty, then there will be no problems with shedding at all. Is it so? Let's figure it out.

MOLTING - the process of changing the coat of an animal, caused by various reasons. Shedding occurs not only in animals with fur, but also in birds and even insects.

Do Scottish cats shed?

Scottish cats shed. Moreover, the Scottish Fold cat sheds no less and no more than a straight-eared cat: this does not depend on the shape of the ears. Semi-longhaired varieties of the Scottish Highland Fold breed And In terms of the amount of shedding hair, Highland Straights are similar to Scottish Folds and Scottish Straights, only Scottish Folds have short hair and therefore fly around the apartment, while Highlands have longer and heavier hair, which is why it often hangs on furniture and clothing, but does not fly or climb in face.

An experienced cat breeder buys clothes that match the color of his cat's fur.

Who sheds more?

Often readers of the MURKOTIKI website ask who sheds more - a Siberian, Persian or Scottish cat? That is, they compare Scottish cats with longhaired breeds.

If we talk about Scottish Straights and Scottish Folds, that is, Scottish shorthair cats, they shed less noticeably, because their hair is shorter. XIsland Straits and Highland Folds, that is, Scottish semi-longhair cats, also shed less than Persians and other long-haired cats, but more than Scottish cats.

Baby shedding, or When Scottish kittens change their fur

Does your Scottish cat have a lot of fur the first time? Perhaps this is the so-called baby molt. When do Scottish kittens' coats change from baby to adult? The first molt occurs when cats are 5-6 months old, give or take. At this age, within 1-2 months, Scottish cat The fur is coming out so much that it seems like there will be no end to this problem.

Shedding period Scottish kitten will end, but it can smoothly transition into more calm phase, the duration of which sometimes reaches a year.During this period, the teenager must gradually change the primary, soft fur given to him from birth with adult, coarser, denser and more contrastingly colored fur. At the end of the baby's molt, the fur becomes more beautiful, and the pattern required by the color appears in all its glory.

Seasonal shedding of Scottish cats

During seasonal molting, a cat's coat and upper epidermis partially change. Seasonal molting is designed to adapt the animal to changing temperature conditions. Roughly speaking, by the summer cats shed excess hair and grow thinner ones for better heat transfer, and in the winter they gain a denser and thicker coat.

Seasonal molting of cats occurs in the spring, closer to the beginning of summer, and in the fall, with the approach of the first cold weather. It all depends on the latitude where you live: if summer comes earlier for you, then molting will happen earlier, if winter comes later, then molting will happen later. And vice versa.

In addition, pets that do not go outside at all may not feel changes in the weather - then seasonal molting will be practically eliminated or, on the contrary, will be constantly present. Although the cat reacts more not even to temperature, but to changes in daylight hours, that is, it recognizes the approach of summer or winter by the time of sunrise and sunset.

Why does a Scottish cat shed a lot?

There are times when shedding is stronger than it should be, which threatens a deterioration in the quality of the coat and health and the torment of the owners, who will literally drown in the hair. The fact that shedding is excessive is indicated by the rapid deterioration of the coat and the formation of areas of baldness.

Before you begin to act, you need to find out the reason for the abnormally heavy shedding. To do this, you need to consult with a veterinarian, who may find some kind of disease in your pet.

Most common cause severe shedding is caused by poor nutrition, which lacks vitamins, microelements and fatty acids. To eliminate this problem, just read the information on how to properly balance the diet of a Scottish cat, and include vitamin complexes with Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids in the diet.

However, it also happens that a cat receives all the vitamins, acids and microelements, but they are simply not absorbed. Most often this occurs due to hormonal imbalance, which, in turn, can be caused by cysts and tumors, poor performance thyroid gland or adrenal glands. IN in this case A veterinarian should take care of the treatment.

Other Causes of Hair Loss

If your cat suddenly begins to shed outside of adolescence or on the eve of summer and winter, this means that she has other reasons for shedding her hair that need to be found out and corrected.

If a cat sheds its fur during pregnancy or lactation, this means that it lacks certain vitamins and microelements that need to be replenished with vitamin complexes and nutrition regulation.

In addition, a cat may shed its fur due to stress caused by moving to new house, the death of a family member, the arrival of a new pet or child. There may be other reasons for worry.

The reason is the aforementioned lack of fatty acids, vitamins and microelements, which can provoke not only increased seasonal shedding, but also shedding of fur when it is not supposed to.

Perhaps your pet's hair loss is caused by allergies or leukemia.

In any case, the diagnosis must be made by a veterinarian, since your treatment can only cause harm.

What to do?

In order for the family to successfully cope with any type of molting, it is necessary to arm yourself with knowledge. If the shedding is abnormal, you should contact your veterinarian. If the shedding is childish or seasonal, there is no need to worry and you just need to take some measures.

Firstly, during shedding, the cat actively licks fur, which accumulates in the stomach and intestines and can clog it. A clear sign The presence of such a problem is a deterioration in appetite and lack of stool. To prevent this, you need to provide your pet with access to fresh grass, which should be planted on the windowsill. It will help regurgitate accumulated fur. In addition, purchase special treats or food that contain substances that help remove hair.

Also, when a Scottish cat sheds, it needs to be brushed not 1-2 times a week, as usual, but every day. But ordinary brushes and combs are powerless here, as they cannot cope with combing large quantity woolThe most effective tools For combing wool, a glove-brush and a furminator are used. These devices are simple, but extremely effective: in literally 1-2 doses you can comb out everything that has accumulated on a cat during 2 months of shedding, and if you use them from the very beginning, then the problem as such will almost not be felt.

We consider buying a paw to be the most rational option, since it costs only a couple of dollars (unlike a Furminator for 40 dollars), but it works no less, and sometimes even more effectively. In addition, many fakes have been created for the Furminator and you can stumble upon them, but they are ineffective. And the paw is such a simple and cheap invention that there is simply no point in counterfeiting it.

Also very effective means Bathing will remove dead hairs and stimulate new growth. While bathing, massage your skin with shampoo: most of the dead hair will be removed with the water. But bathing does not replace the use of the furminator and paw, but only complements it.

During molting, you will have to take intensive care of the apartment: regularly shake out blankets, vacuum and sweep, remove fur from objects using a sticky roller.

The article was checked and approved by felinologist instructor, breeder and owner of the Scottish cattery Real cats (Belarus) Irina Kazak. She is studying Scottish breed for more than 5 years and has accumulated significant experience in the field of breeding and selection, which she actively shares with the Internet audience.

Everyone knows that representatives of the cat family periodically shed their hair, mostly seasonally. This process is called molting, and it is completely natural, so there is no reason to panic. This article will help you find out what to do when a British cat sheds heavily.

Seasonal molting of the British: how to make the process invisible

For each breed, the molting period may differ slightly both in the time of its appearance and in the characteristics of its passage. The British Fold cat sheds twice a year - in spring and autumn.. On average, the process takes place over one month, but may be delayed due to temperature changes.

If you are tired of constantly cleaning your apartment, removing hair from furniture and other similar problems, you should familiarize yourself with the basic rules of care during such a difficult period. These include the following:

• maintaining stability in the microclimate of the room, relatively equal temperature indicators;
• a caring and reverent attitude towards the animal, which will protect both you and your pet from unnecessary stressful situations;
• regular bathing using coat care shampoos;
• carefully comb the fur every day with a massage comb, perhaps using a brush with metal teeth;
• correct and enriched with vitamins and microelements will help your pet when shedding.

Causes of shedding british cat may be varied, including non-compliance with the above-mentioned rules for.

Your pet is shedding - it doesn't hurt to be careful

In addition to the reasons already mentioned that provoke molting in a cat, more serious events may also occur.

Most often, owners pay attention to off-season shedding in winter, immediately starting to worry.

However, in most cases there is no reason for this, since in winter British cat receives less vitamins, warmth and care. This is what causes the British cat to begin to actively shed.

In addition, you can name several more reasons when a pet sheds:

1. stressful situations: in most cases this is associated with moving, undergoing operations or long-term illnesses;
2. childbirth: in addition to the fact that the process itself takes away strength, the babies take almost all the nutrients from the mother, as a result of which she begins to shed;
3. poor nutrition: cats react very sensitively to the slightest changes in their tiny bodies, so healthy eating very important;
4. allergic reactions: most often occurs due to the British intolerance to certain types of dry food;
5. hormonal surges: especially noticeable in breastfeeding women after childbirth;
6. the presence of fungi and diseases.

Basic Rules

It is possible to alleviate the suffering when a British cat sheds heavily, but it is not always possible to observe all the necessary points. To avoid allergies among family and visitors to your home, regularly ventilate the room and clean it.

Special shampoos will also help you, somewhat reducing hair loss and making the process when the animal sheds less noticeable and painful.

However, there are times when the best solution would be to seek advice and help from a veterinarian. For example, if you notice hair loss only in certain places on the body of a British cat, and the hair itself falls out unevenly in clumps, immediate treatment is necessary. Often similar symptoms caused by infections of microsporia and trichophytosis, or ringworm. Similar diseases dangerous for both the pet and the owners.

What to pay attention to

In addition, in British cats, shedding is caused by internal violations in the functioning of the body. If you have the slightest suspicion, you should also go to veterinary clinic in order to prevent or treat, if possible, early stages all diseases.

The main thing is to remember that a lot depends on your attitude and careful care of your pet.

If your British cat is shedding, don’t panic and immediately run to the doctor; the problem can be easily solved at home. Healthy coat your cat is the key to its impeccable health and the owner’s endless love for his pet.

Vet

Cats are perhaps the most beloved of pets. Any changes in a pet’s body, including molting, cause owners not only fear, but sometimes even panic. Especially when it comes to the British Shorthair breed.

Features of the British cat

The British cat was bred artificially by man. Using the selection method, almost “plush” animals were obtained that bring indescribable bliss to the owner. However, such cats have lost part of their resistance to diseases and the endurance inherent in their wild relatives. Therefore, they need to be given more attention and care.

Causes of shedding

There are several reasons:

1. Seasonal molting occurs - in autumn and spring within one month. It `s naturally;
2. Weakened immunity;
3. Experienced stress;
4. Pregnancy or postpartum period;
5. Poor nutrition;
6. Lack of vitamins and microelements;
7. Allergic reaction to changing the type of food. For example, switching to dry food;
8. Infection with one of the types of skin fungi;
9. Hormonal imbalance due to missed mating period or use hormonal drugs in the treatment of any disease;
10. A serious disease that can only be diagnosed by a veterinarian.

What to do?

First of all, take care of the coat. Wash the cat with shampoos intended for this purpose, comb it and keep it in a room with a comfortable temperature. The coat should be smooth and shiny.

When changing these parameters, if the fur becomes dull and ruffled, immediately pay attention to nutrition. Is it complete and varied, are there all the vitamins and microelements your pet needs in different periods life, are present. After all, during pregnancy and especially after childbirth, you need a more carefully selected diet.

Apply special drugs and complexes, which are now abundant in veterinary pharmacies, making the coat delightfully soft and silky.

All are eliminated possible factors stress. Abrupt temperature changes, unexpected loud sounds, meeting other animals.

Even showing up in the house strangers may cause anxiety. British cats become very attached to their owners and experience serious shock in the presence of a stranger.

If the above conditions for caring for a British shorthair cat are met, the owner may not even notice how the seasonal shedding has passed.

If all the necessary precautions have been taken, the threatening factors have been eliminated, but the animal continues to experience hair loss, then you just need to run to veterinarian, in order to prevent more serious consequences for your pet’s body.

Analyzes and studies of a British cat in connection with hair loss:

Deviations from the norm in the analyzes of the British cat were noted in the urine analysis - increased acidity and increased calcium levels.

Also, when taking blood from a vein, the doctor paid attention to the thickness venous blood British cat. Also, we remembered that the urine of the British cat has been highly concentrated lately - even brown.

As a result, the doctor concluded that the main cause of hair loss in a British cat is the development of uric acid diathesis due to the excess salt content in dry food and the British cat’s insufficient water consumption. With diathesis, the British cat begins to lick the places where itching is felt, and with its rough, sandy tongue the British cat produces high-quality hair removal.

Conclusions: Apparently, the deterioration of the condition occurred due to the fact that the cat consumed less water, after moving into an apartment. At the dacha, the British cat had unlimited access to water from a variety of natural sources.

The doctor suggested replacing the British cat's dry food with canned cat food from the same manufacturer (Hill's) and increasing the British cat's water intake. We followed the first recommendation easily. But how to make a British cat drink more water?

The Internet contains recommendations such as forced watering, when the cat's head is pressed to a bowl of water and the tip of the tail is pinched. But we didn’t risk mocking our British cat like that, and decided to watch the British cat for 24 hours in order to find out how much and where water our British cat drinks. It turned out that for some reason, the British cat did not want to drink from his water bowl, although we changed the water in it several times a day. On the other hand, our British cat was happily lapping up water from a vase of flowers, but because of the tsets it was difficult for him to stick his head into the vase.

What we did: firstly, we replaced the bowl with water with a cup. Secondly, they took the flowers out of the vase and placed it on the floor, filling it with water.

As a result, the British cat happily began to lap up water from the vase in the volume he needed, using it as the main drinker, and began to lap up water from the cup, but less.

After a few days, the British cat's urine turned light straw color. A urine test two weeks later showed complete normal values. Two months after changing food from dry to canned and normalizing the water consumption regime, the British cat’s bald patches in the areas where hair had fallen out were almost completely overgrown. See photos of the British cat after treatment:

In each specific case of illness in your British cat, it is necessary, first of all, to contact a veterinarian to conduct appropriate tests and studies to identify the cause of the disease and prescribe adequate treatment for your British cat.