Ask the Expert.. Jan Feb 2013

Dr KG Umesh (MVSc, MSc (UK)) is a Postgraduate in Clinical Medicine. He is working for WALTHAM as Regional Associate for South Asia.
Q: My three-year-old cat Tom is having a lot of hair fall, especially in certain area patches. Is this some allergy? What should we do?
– Ashish Shukla, Ghaziabad
Dr K G Umesh: Hair loss/shedding is a common complaint with skin disorders and results from number of
Chokki
causes. Cats may shed excessive hair because of stress, worms, harsh climate and general illness. Therefore, my approach would be to find underlying cause(s) like fleas, ticks, mange or allergy, hormonal imbalance, bacterial or yeast infection, etc and then your vet will be able to recommend suitable medications that will eliminate the cause and therefore hair fall. Balanced and complete nutrition is most important for healthy skin and hair coat.