Our special companions with their pink noses, tiny paws, and fluffy fur, can experience problems such as shedding from time to time. The amount of shedding varies depending on your cat's age, breed, weight, feeding habits, living conditions, and psychology. While cats' shedding is generally considered normal, it can also be a sign of a serious health problem.

When Do Cats Shed?

If you live with a cat, you should also get used to living with cat hair. Shedding is very natural and normal for cats. Just like human hair, cats shed after completing their life cycle and make room for new and healthy fur.

Shedding, which is often seen during seasonal changes, means that your cat is healthy and will adapt to the new season by getting rid of dead fur. This process, called seasonal shedding, is particularly intense in the spring months. Your little friend starts to grow thicker and denser fur towards winter, while in the summer months, it needs thin and sparse fur. If these hairs are not shed in a timely manner, they can cause irritation on your cat's skin.

Excessive shedding outside of seasonal changes may indicate an abnormality. When you encounter such a situation, it is best for your cat's health to consult a veterinarian to determine the underlying cause of shedding as soon as possible.

Why Do Cats Shed?

In addition to living and dietary conditions, there may be both physical and psychological reasons for fur loss in cats.

●     Hair Loss Related to Nutrition

The way you feed your cat is very important for its fur health. Cats that are not fed in a balanced and adequate way begin to develop developmental disorders as well as skin and fur problems.

Many foods that are beneficial for humans are toxic to cats. Therefore, you should be careful not to feed your furry friend with home-cooked meals, no matter how insistent they may be. These foods can cause many bad outcomes for cats such as diarrhea, vomiting, and kidney failure.

To maintain your little friend's overall health as well as their skin and fur health, you should use cat-specific foods produced for them. These foods, which carefully provide the amount of protein, carbohydrates, and fat that your cat needs, are composed of ingredients that also support their digestive systems. In this way, you can prevent hair loss due to reasons such as insufficient or excessive protein intake, or vitamin, and mineral deficiency.

Additionally, feeding them stale food and spoiled food also negatively affects their skin and fur health. Therefore, when choosing food for your furry friend, you should be careful to choose well-known and reliable brands and pay attention to storage conditions.

●     Shedding Caused by Stress

Just like humans, these excited, curious, and cute creatures can become stressed and unhappy in certain situations. Especially, the disruption of their daily routines is one of the main reasons for cat stress. Situations such as a stranger coming to the house, adopting a new pet, a baby joining the family, home renovations, thunderstorms, and strong winds can stress your cat.

When you encounter such a situation, you should first help to reduce your cat's stress. By regulating the conditions that bother your pawsome friend, you can ensure that they are exposed to them to the least.

You can help reduce their stress by showing more affection, playing with them more frequently, and being careful not to raise your voice in a way that is different from normal. If their anxious state persists, you should not neglect to visit your veterinarian.

●     Shedding Due to Illness

Shedding can be an indicator of a health problem your cat is experiencing. Some diseases that cause hair loss in cats are:

• Parasites: Shedding is usually due to parasites. Both internal and external parasites cause intense shedding. Therefore, never neglect your cat's parasite treatments.
• Fungal Infections: Another common disease is fungal infections. Shedding due to fungal infections, usually seen regionally, occurs more on the back of the ears and on the back of the cat. In advanced cases of fungal infection, hair loss is accompanied by scaling and itching on the skin.
• Allergy: When cats have allergies to any substance, they often scratch themselves and constantly lick the allergic area to relieve their discomfort. As a result, the hair in the area begins to fall out.

●      Hormonal Hair Loss

Like in humans, hormonal changes also lead to hair loss in cats. Therefore, it is normal for your cat to shed excess hair during its heat, mating, and pregnancy periods. You can consider neutering your cat to prevent shedding during these periods.

How to Prevent Shedding?

You can reduce your cat's shedding problem by taking some precautions. Including:

• Pay attention to your cat's fur and skin health. Get a cat comb suitable for your cat's fur structure and comb it regularly. This way, you can easily collect dead hair before it falls out.

• Do not neglect their vaccinations and other medical treatments.

• Use vitamin and mineral supplements recommended by your veterinarian without skipping.

• Avoid or minimize situations that will stress your furry friend.

• Cats should not be washed due to their ability to clean themselves, but in some special cases, washing may be necessary. In such cases, you should wash your cat with special cat shampoos developed for its skin and hair, rather than normal shampoos.

• Not neglecting your cute friend's routine checks and making a food choice based on its age, weight, and allergy sensitivities help them live a healthy and long life. Apart from seasonal shedding, you can also ensure that your little friend is always peaceful and happy by following your veterinarian's recommendations.