Why is my senior cat's fur separating and clumping on her head?

Question

My cat's fur started to separate. Sometimes on the head/neck it forms like mono tufts, that come off as a group of fine soft undercoat fur. What could it be? She is 13yrs old, neutered Scottish Fold. She takes small dose of Meloxicam (lifetime prescription due to her breeds spine troubles). She had struvite crystals & double mastectomy (4yrs ago) since then she is on a special Veterinary diet "Feline Satiety Weight Management with S/O index" by Royal Canin. Pet's info: Cat | Scottish Fold | Female | spayed | 13 years and 8 months old | 9 lbs

Dr. Strydom, DVM · Accepted Answer

Hello, thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. From the photo there does not appear to be any bald spots, however, it is not a very close up view. Honestly, unless there are bald spots and/or she is scratching the area I would not be too concerned. If the problem persists though (like for a few months) then you should take her to your vet for an exam. Some reasons there could be changes in the hair coat: 1. Diet - the special diet she is eating may be causing some nutrient imbalance. You should talk to your vet about putting her on a supplement for her coat (like fish oils) as this may help. 2. Skin Allergies - even if she has never had any symptoms of allergies before, they can develop over time. If this was the case though, I would expect hair loss and/or scratching, redness of the skin, etc. If you are not seeing any of that then this is not as likely to be the problem. 3. Fleas - again, I would expect hair loss and scratching. If you are not noticing that, then this is also not very likely to be the problem. 4. Stress - even if you don't think your cat is stressed, she could be. Try to see if you could think of anything that could be causing stress like visiting family, stray cats hanging around outside, you got a new pet, new furniture, etc.... 5. Thyroid disease- either a low or high thyroid can cause problems with the hair coat. Your vet can do a blood test to check for this. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

Why is my senior cat's fur separating and clumping on her head?

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