My 6-month-old cat is losing a lot of hair. What should I do?

This fur loss could be due to fleas, mites, allergies, ringworm, or a medical condition like hyperthyroidism. In order to know how to stop it, the cause has to be diagnosed. I'd take Pshy into the vet to get this diagnosed and treated. Best of luck.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. With Nola being so young it is possible that she has a skin parasite or skin infection that needs treatment. I would recommend having a veterinarian examine her so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. She may need an anti-parasite medication or antibiotic for treatment. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

I have seen this as a reaction to certain spot-on flea/tick treatments, vaccines and microchipping. If any of these were recently done, then I would be most suspicious of them being the cause. The skin appears a red, which indicates that something is irritating it and it appears oily, but I'm assuming that's from the antibiotic ointment. For now, it's best to just keep the area clean with a medicated cat shampoo. You can get this at the pet store. I would clean it once daily and not put the antibiotic cream on it. Use cool water when washing and rinsing to give some relief. You can stop the daily cleanings when the skin appears healthy again and the hair is obviously growing back. If the hair loss continues and the skin appears worse, then it's best to have a vet look at it, because it may need special treatment. I hope that helps and Phoebe gets better soon.

This could be a skin infection caused by a fungus (ringworm), or bacteria or an old injury. Since ringworm is contagious to people and other pets in the house, I suggest you have this examined by your veterinarian to rule out a fungal infection. In the meantime do wash your hands after handling your kitty. Your vet will want to take a brush sample from the spot and culture it and until the culture has grown, will probably give you some medication to treat it.

Scabs and hair loss in a young cat make me start thinking ringworm, so I would recommend that you have Pluto checked out by a vet. It is possible they could be incurred while he is hunting. Allergies are another possibility, although this isn't a typical presentation for them. If Pluto seems itchy, then it is possible that he is traumatizing his skin while itching, and should get checked out for fleas, ear mites, allergies, bacterial infection, ringworm, etc.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This could be due to a number of reasons such as allergies, a bacterial infection, mange, among many other reasons. It does sound like you think he may be feeling sick as well so I highly recommend that you have him evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment so that he can be started on the right therapy. Best of luck!

[Allergies](https://www.petcoach.co/cat/condition/feline-allergies/) are the most common cause of hair loss and [excessive grooming in cats](https://www.petcoach.co/article/excessive-grooming-in-cats-what-it-means-and-how-to-help), but there are several other medical causes as well - including [fleas](https://www.petcoach.co/article/5-tips-to-get-rid-of-fleas/), bacterial or fungal infections, or skin mites. I would definitely start your cat on a good monthly spot-on product such as [Advantage II](https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/cat/cat-flea-and-tick/cat-flea-and-tick-drops/advantage-ii-once-a-month-cat-and-kitten-topical-flea-treatment-over-9-lbs) to make sure fleas are not the problem - you can get this over the counter at many pet stores. If this doesn't resolve the problem, you will need to have your cat examined by a vet - he/she can do some testing if needed to diagnose the problem and get your kitty the appropriate prescription medications to treat it. Behavioral causes, such as stress or anxiety, can also lead to overgrooming. [Calming supplements](https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/category/cat/cat-training/cat-training-calming-aids/calming-cat-supplements) or [pheromone products](https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/brand/feliway) can be found at the lcocal Petco. If these do not improve the condition, your veterinarian may recommend prescription strength remedies.