Cat Hair Loss on Ears

About Feline Hair Loss

Feline hair loss, also known as alopecia, is either inherited or acquired.

In cases of hereditary hair loss, there is no underlying cause except for a transfer of genetics, so bald patches do not exhibit any irritation, and don't seem to bother an affected cat at all. There is no course of treatment to stop the loss or encourage hair to grow again once it has been lost.

Some breeds of cats prone to hereditary hair loss are:

• Birman
• Burmese
• Devon Rex
• Siamese

Acquired hair loss is typically a sign of other conditions in play that cause itching. Affected cats will scratch, chew, lick or rub the itchy patches until the hair is literally rubbed away. Let's take a closer look at some of the most common causes of acquired hair loss.

Causes of Cat Hair Loss on Ears

Hair loss seems to show up most often around the face and ears. If hereditary factors are ruled out, this leaves us with a host of other possible causes, many of them contagious.

Ear Mites

Ear mites, scientifically known as Otodectes cynotes, can cause severe itching, resulting in cat hair loss on the ears and head. These mites are easily transferred to other cats, and will sometimes even transfer to people, although they cannot survive on our species.

Signs of an infestation include:

• Head rubbing
• Ear shaking
• Scratching
• Redness
• Hair loss
• Brown waxy build up in ears
• Foul odor

Ear mites are easily diagnosed using an otoscope. Treatment usually consists of thoroughly, but gently cleaning out the ears and applying a vet recommended medication directly into the canals. It is usually necessary to repeat the treatment for seven to ten days to kill any new hatchlings.

Fleas

The saliva left behind when a flea bites a cat causes an itchy reaction that makes cats scratch like crazy. Although hair loss can occur anywhere on the body, The head and ears are especially vulnerable to hair loss as cats rub themselves against furniture and carpets trying to find some relief.

Fleas are easily detected by their physical presence, or by the small droppings they leave in your cat's fur. Infestations can be treated using a number of insecticidal products, including sprays, shampoos, dips and spot on medications such as Frontline.

Ringworm

Contrary to its name, ringworm is not a worm. It's actually an itchy fungal infection that lives in hair follicles and feeds on dead cells. As the mites burrow into the hair shafts, the shafts break off at skin level, causing bald spots. Sometimes crusty patches will develop around the ears and other affected areas.

Ringworm is very contagious, and can be diagnosed by culturing the hair for the fungus. There are a number of possible treatments to eliminate the infection.

These include:

• Application of a course of lime sulfur dips
• Administering Griseofulvin tablets as recommend by your vet
• Application of a topical ointment such as Itraconazole
• Repeated anti-fungal shampoos
• Completely shaving the entire cat

Mange

Mange is another type of contagious mite infestation that causes intense itching, especially around the face, ears, and neck. Skin in the affected areas shows a good deal of hair loss, and the skin typically begins to cover over in a kind of grayish-yellow crust, similar to a bad case of eczema.

Feline mange is divided into two types: Notoedric and Demodectic. Either type is diagnosed by taking a skin scraping from the affected area, and viewing it under magnification for the presence of mites. To treat mange, it's necessary to clip away long fur and apply a dip of lime sulfur once a week until subsequent skin scrapings show the mites are gone. Treatments may be repeated as many as six to eight times to cure the infestation.

Food Allergies

Food allergies can also produce intense itching and oozing sores, especially around the head, face, ears and neck. Affected cats quickly begin to lose hair, and chronic ear infections contribute to the problem.

Getting a diagnosis of a food allergy requires a series of food trials where your vet will prescribe a restricted diet that will slowly reintroduce foods one at a time until an allergic reaction is noted to a particular item.

Sometimes more than one food is involved in a reaction, but all problem foods will be permanently eliminated from your cat's diet. Once the offending substances have worked their way out of your cat's system, the sores heal and the hair tends to regrow, although it may be slightly different in color and texture than the original fur.

Chronic Stress

Perhaps a less obvious cause, chronic stress does play a role in hair loss. Cats comfort themselves by grooming, and the more stressed they feel, the more they groom. Constant licking and paw washing eventually wears away at the fur, especially in areas with very short fur like the head and ears.

Managing feline stress requires pin-pointing the things that cause the anxiety, and eliminating them from your cat's environment as much as possible. Some cats also respond to healthy stimulation, such as giving them a cat tree to exercise on. This relieves boredom and gives your cat something to focus on besides himself.

Conclusion

If you notice hair loss on your cat's ears, don't hesitate to take him to your vet. The quicker the cause is diagnosed, the more easily it is treated, and you can prevent the problem from getting completely out of hand.