Have you ever gone to give your cat a warm cuddle or scratch and realized that their hair isn’t as thick as it normally is, or that your cat has a bald patch? Or maybe you have noticed multiple bald spots above their eyes or head that weren’t there before?
Such a heart-wrenching situation, isn’t it? There are several reasons why your cat’s hair or fur may be falling out.
So, before you freaked out and muddied the water further or rushed to the vet, it’s important to know why cats have bald patches and what’s the reason behind it. To find out the causes whether it’s a normal or red alert situation, you must continue reading…
What are bald spots above a cat’s eyes?
Before we jump into the reason behind cats’ bald spots, let’s get a basic idea of what this bald patch or spot is and what type of spot it can be.
Definition and Characteristics of Bald Spots Above a Cat’s Eye
Well, when your cats start to lose their fur or hair in a particular area of their body, especially above their eyes, which creates a bald spot. It can appear in different sizes or shapes like round, oval, small dots, or irregular patches. Moreover, those bald spots can be red, brown, or black, depending on the cause like their health issues, or other medical conditions.
Where Do These Bald Spots Appear on Cat’s Face
So, where can these bare patches show up on a cat’s face. Actually, it can appear anywhere on their body, but it mostly appears above the eyes, around the ears, on the forehead. This baldness can be affecting both sides of the cat’s face, or affecting one side more than others. It can depend on their hormones, or genetics. And the worst nightmare is when you notice more than one bald spot all over their body. Just like a crazy lawn mower ran over their coat!!!!
Why do cats have bald spots above their eyes
Now that we know the ABCs of what a bald spot is and where it can appear, it’s time to explore the main treasure, why do cats have bald patches above their eyes or ears.
As it turns out, bald spots can be caused by several reasons, including parasites, infections, skin inflammation, stress, food allergies, sun dermatitis, and so on. But how? Take a closer look at each of these in detail…
- Parasites: One of the biggest reasons for your cat having a bald spot is because of parasites. Such as fleas, mites, mange (mite infestation). Just like some uninvited guests that are living in your feline’s coat. These parasites are embedded in their skin, and cats become itchy. As a result, this irritation or itchiness causes them to do excessive grooming, and their hair starters to fall out in sections.
- Inflammation: Do you know that inflammation can also cause cats to lose their fur? Yes, you heard it right. For example, Folliculitis causes when hair follicles become inflamed. Sebaceous Adenitis is caused due to inflammation of sebaceous glands (found in hair follicles). Those can affect the upper eye area, and cause itching, skin flaking, and bald patches.
Another one is Atopic dermatitis. A condition of skin inflammation, caused by having a lower immune system. Because of that, cats lose their fur and have swelling, redness, and scabs on those bald areas.
- Chronic Stress: If you are a cat person, you know when cats are stressed out or bored, they can over-groom themselves until they lose their soft fur. Particularly in places with short fur, such as the head, above the eye and ears.
- Fungal infection: Another reason for bald spots is fungal infection, caused by Ringworm (or known as Dermatophytes). It can affect both humans and animals, especially younger or long-haired ones. These fungi caused hair loss, peeling, scabs, inflammation above the cat’s eyes, ear, and leg.
- Sunburn or sun dermatitis: Some cats have really delicate skin, and are prone to sunburn. For example, if your feline has sensitive skin, and has a warm sunbathing, the sun’s ultraviolet rays can result in sun damage, and hair loss near its eye. Since there is thinner hair around the eye side, it’s easy to have bald patches around those areas. Additionally, cats with thin hair, light or white coated fur are more prone to sunburn.
- Allergies: And the final reason for the cat’s bald spot above the eyes is food allergies. You know how it feels when you accidentally consume any allergic food, and it makes you itch like monkeys!! Same goes for cats, except they don’t need monkey’s hands, as they have their own teeth and claws. Ouch!!
Additionally, some environmental allergens such as pollen, dust can also create allergic reactions in cats. As a result, it causes them to scratch themselves excessively and lose their precious soft hair above eyes or other body parts.
You know, sometimes our feline friend doesn’t lose their hair just because of some allergic reaction, or sun burn, or other infection. They can also lose their fur when they get really scared. Wanna know why? Click the link and be amazed!!!
Are bald spots above a cat’s eyes normal?
As a cat parent, we always try to give the best to our little babies. Whenever we notice anything unusual, like any serious medical conditions or abnormal behavior, it makes us worried to death. And now these bald spots!!! Another nightmare!!!
Is it Normal for a Cat to Have Bald Spots Above Its Eyes
When we see a single bald patch above their eyes or ear, a common question pops into our mind, “Is it normal for my cat to have a bald spot?”
Well yes, it’s quite common and normal for cats to have bald spots above their eyes. There are mainly 2 reasons. One is genetics, and another reason is having thinning hair around the eye area. So, when they rub or groom themselves, they lose some fur above their eyes.
Identifying Abnormal Bald Spots Above a Cat’s Eyes
But there can be some abnormal bald spots above a cat’s eyes. If they have multiple bald patches with skin infection like redness, rashes, or swelling, then it’s time to seek professional help. As it can happen due to hormonal imbalance, medical conditions, or other behavioral issues.
So, if your cat is experiencing abnormal hair loss above their eyes, it’s always best to consult with your veterinarian to rule out any underlying health issues.
How to care for a cat with bald spots above their eyes
All right folks, we already have an idea of why cats have bald spots above their eyes, and whether it’s normal for cats or not. Now it’s time for the most important task. Yes, you guessed it right. “Taking care of a cat with bald spots above their eyes”.
Grooming Your Cat to Prevent Bald Spots Above Their Eyes
Cats are quite tidy creatures, and they know how to keep themselves neat and clean. But sometimes these self-groomers need a little help from their hooman companion. Proper grooming of your cat can help you to prevent bald patches above their eyes or ears. As there’s a saying, “Prevention is better than cure.” so, it’s better to prevent this hair loss condition before it turns into a serious issue.
Tips on Taking Care of Your Cat’s Skin and Coat
To help you in taking care of your cat’s soft skin and coat, here we have shared some vet suggest tips-
- Apply medicated shampoo: As this baldness can be caused by infection or irritation, so it’s better to avoid your regular shampoo, and try to apply medicated or vet-approved anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, and anti-inflammatory shampoos.
If your cat has a ringworm infection, then read this article to learn How to bathe a cat with ringworm and help them to recover faster.
- Antifungal treatment: There are some conditions that are too serious to handle on your own. That’s when your cat requires its guardian angel’s recommendation. Yes, an experienced vet will be able to advise you on certain products, medications, and others necessary treatments for your cat’s bald spot.
Besides, you can apply some antibiotic cream or ointment (must be vet-approved) to their infected skin.
- Proper diet plan: An imbalance diet plan can cause serious hair fall issues to your felines. So, make sure to plan a proper diet chart for your furballs, and before changing their diet remember to take suggestions from a veterinary dermatologist.
- Oral medication: As we said, a cat’s bald spot can happen due to hormonal imbalance, which can also cause thyroid problems. Therefore, to cure this your vet can suggest some treatment like oral medication, radioactive iodine treatment, or even surgery but in rare cases.
- Avoid exposure to sunlight: As solar dermatitis is one of the reasons for bald spots above cat’s eyes, make sure to keep your kitty cat out of sun’s UV rays. Especially in summer or during some critical day hours.
Or, you can both apply some sunscreen on your face and take a nice warm sunbath together.
- Environmental enrichment: Excessive grooming is a behavioral issue, which can be caused by stress or anxiety. So, try to reduce their stress, enrich their surroundings. You can also seek help from an animal behaviorist, they can also advise you how to keep your cat’s environment more comfortable and enjoyable.
[also watch this video to learn Home treatment for your cat hair loss]
Wrapping up
That’s it, my dear readers. I hope you have a clear idea about why cats have bald spots above their eyes, and how to take good care of your feline skin and coat. So if you see any bald patches on their body, don’t panic, try to understand why this is happening, and if you think it’s getting serious, just consult with your veterinarian.
And please let us know in the comments if you have any other opinions or suggestions about the bald spot of cats, we’ll appreciate it.
FAQs
Q: Do bald spots on cats grow back?
A: Yes, of course. Cats’ bald spots usually grow back after the underlying problems are treated. But for a short or thin haired cat, it will take a few weeks or months to grow back.
Q: Do black cats have more bald spots than other cats?
A: No, that’s just an illusion. We may notice the spots more because of their coat color. But yes, they can also have this bald issue. If you see any unusual spots on your black cat, take them to the vet.