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Psychogenic alopecia, also called over-grooming or psychological baldness, is a
Psychogenic alopecia, also called over-grooming or psychological baldness, is a compulsive behavior
Compulsive behavior (or compulsion) is defined as performing an action persistently and repetitively. Compulsive behaviors could be an attempt to make obsessions go away. Compulsive behaviors are a need to reduce apprehension caused by internal ...
that affects domestic cats
The cat (''Felis catus''), also referred to as the domestic cat or house cat, is a small domesticated carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species of the family Felidae. Advances in archaeology and genetics have shown that the d ...
. Generally, psychogenic alopecia does not lead to serious health consequences or a decreased lifespan.
Causes
Grooming is a natural behavior for cats. Cats spend 5–25% of their waking hours grooming. Grooming becomes excessive when it takes precedence over other activities or no longer seems functional. Excessive grooming, which can lead to hair loss, skin wounds, and ulceration, can result from chronic stress or develop in cats who already exhibit nervous temperaments. Even when the source of stress is resolved or removed, excessive grooming may continue. There may be some genetic basis for the behavior, and it predominantly affects purebred cats of oriental breeds, but can develop in any feline. Female cats appear more susceptible.Environmental factors
An environmental factor, ecological factor or eco factor is any factor, abiotic or biotic, that influences living organisms. Abiotic factors include ambient temperature, amount of sunlight, air, soil, water and pH of the water soil in which an ...
suspected of causing over-grooming include flea allergy, boredom, food allergy, dust or pollen causing an allergic reaction, constipation and urinary tract infection caused by avoidance of a dirty litter tray, dermatitis, and anxiety caused by inconsistent meal times. Deprivation of sunlight could be the part of the problem for indoors only cats.
Symptoms
Areas affected are those the cat can access most easily, including the abdomen, legs, flank, and chest. * Baldness, usually beginning with the abdomen. * Obvious over-grooming (although some cats may only engage in the behavior in the absence of owners). * Redness, rashes, pus, scabs on the bald area or areas traumatized by over-grooming. * A highly irritable cat may even cut its face with the claw of its hind foot if over-zealously scratching the back of its head.See also
*Cat flea
The cat flea (scientific name ''Ctenocephalides felis'') is an extremely common parasitic insect whose principal host is the cat, domestic cat, although a high proportion of the fleas found on dogs also belong to this species. This is despite the ...
* Cat health
* Cat skin disorders
* Feather-plucking
Feather-plucking, sometimes termed feather-picking, feather damaging behaviour or pterotillomania, is a Adaptive behavior, maladaptive, behavioural disorder commonly seen in captive birds that chew, bite or pluck their own feathers with their be ...
* Trichotillomania
Trichotillomania (TTM), also known as hair-pulling disorder or compulsive hair pulling, is a mental disorder characterized by a long-term urge that results in the pulling out of one's own hair. A brief positive feeling may occur as hair is rem ...
: a compulsive hair-pulling behavior in humans that can cause hair loss
References
{{domestic cat Cat diseases