Should I be concerned about my senior cat's ear and head hair loss?

Sometimes cats will lose the hair on and around the ears as they age. Other causes would be those you mentioned, as well as some less common things. If you are concerned, I would recommend taking Moody to the vet for physical examination.

What an amazing life span. Great job!! Sometimes they can have hair loss from endocrine or metabolic changes as they get older. Simple blood work would rule out a lot the major potential causes. If they are normal, and the hair tests are normal, I wouldn't be too concerned if the lesions don't look active.

Hello, Ploppy could have multiple causes for this. It could be associated with a deficiency if vitamins. It could be associated with needing more fatty acids in the diet. Other causes could include allergies and finally, Ploppy could have a hair growth problem. The first steps would be to check her skin for other signs of allergies, then evaluate her diet. Ultimately, you may consider for aggressive interventions like a skin biopsy. Alternatively, if Ploppy is otherwise doing well, you could continue to monitor as her hair may eventually begin to regrow. If you note additional hair loss then she should be evaluated by her veterinarian. Hope this helps and best of luck.

I highly doubt that you caused the thinning of hair on Kren's ear tips. I never say never, so yes, there's always the possibility that you may have exacerbated this hair loss, but the likelihood is very low. Instead, it's more likely that Kren has another issue causing this hair loss, as Dr. Howard mentioned. While this certainly isn't emergent, I do still recommend making an appointment with Kren's vet to have her ears examined. I hope that everything goes well!

He may be overgrooming since being stuck in the house due to the weather. This is a stress reaction. If his ears are clean and there are no fleas or skin irritation then it’s nothing to be overly concerned about. If he has sores or an ear infection then I recommended a veterinary exam and treatment. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Smokey Bear.

Older cats like your kitty often get an overactive thyroid which will show weight loss, a really fast heart rate, sometimes vomiting, and more vocalisation than usual. Some cats get skittish as well. Hyperthyroidism can actually cause heart problems and mask kidney disease. Hyperthyroidism is easily diagnosed with a clinical exam and a little blood test and there are various treatments available, varying from Methimazole transdermal ointment or tablets to slow down thyroid hormone production, surgery to remove the overactive thyroid gland or radiotherapy. If your kitty is suffering from hyperthyroidism your vet will discuss the various options. I suggest you make an appointment tomorrow.

I agree that is considerable alopecia. I would take her in to your vet and have her skin tested for a possible Demodexx mites issue. If she is scratching these areas a lot then a fle allergy or atopic dermatitis have to be considered and treated. I hope that you get to the bottom of Brownies hair loss soon. The treatment she needs is entirely dependent on the underlying cause. Best wishes moving forward with her care.