Does Spaying Semi Or Long Hair Cats Cause Their Hair To Thin Out?

10009891

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I have a Ragdoll female, who I got spayed about 2 months ago. Her hair has changed since. She use to have a fluffy coat and tail. Now her hair is thinner and has shed loads in the past month. She's eating quality can foods, is healthy and all, but I liked her coat before. Is there a relation between spaying a female cat and thinning?
 

abyeb

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Hairloss in cats can usually be traced back to a skin condition. I had not previously heard about spaying possibly causing skin problems in cats, but I searched around a bit, and found this article: Baldness and Hormone-Related Skin Disorders in Cats

What I gather from the article is that, in rare cases, dermatosis can occur post-spaying (see under causes: “estrogen-responsive - ovarian imbalance II in females”). But that doesn’t necessarily mean that this is what is going on with your kitty, i.e., having her spayed, and her fur thinning might simply be a spurious correlation, and her thinning fur might be caused by something completely unrelated to the spay. I would recommend taking her to the vet to figure out what is going on.
 
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10009891

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Hairloss in cats can usually be traced back to a skin condition. I had not previously heard about spaying possibly causing skin problems in cats, but I searched around a bit, and found this article: Baldness and Hormone-Related Skin Disorders in Cats

What I gather from the article is that, in rare cases, dermatosis can occur post-spaying (see under causes: “estrogen-responsive - ovarian imbalance II in females”). But that doesn’t necessarily mean that this is what is going on with your kitty, i.e., having her spayed, and her fur thinning might simply be a spurious correlation, and her thinning fur might be caused by something completely unrelated to the spay. I would recommend taking her to the vet to figure out what is going on.
Her skin looks healthy. She hardly scratches herself, no fleas, ringworm, rashes, or dryness. She's a thriving healthy 1 1/2 year old cat, who gets some of the best wet can foods I could afford. It's just her coat is not what it use to be since her spaying. During winter is when their coats look the best, but not with her, even though the hair itself looks shining and healthy; just thinning. I will take her in for a shampooing to help with the shedding, even though I do brush her. She's afraid of water. Thanks for the article.
 

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You can add a little raw egg yolk (never the whites unless they are cooked) to her diet. Start with 1/8 tsp because it can have laxative effects at larger amounts. It's helpful for hairballs because it breaks up the fat that binds the hair into a ball. Egg yolk has the vitamin biotin which will make her coat thick and silky again. The whites contain an enzyme that binds biotin and interferes with its absorption which is why whites should only ever be fed to a cat if they are cooked.

Because 1/8 tsp is not very much, you can order egg yolk powder from foodfurlife.com once you've determined it is making a difference.

Fish oil is another supplement that will help with your cat's coat.

Finally, if you are shampooing her on the regular, that could be the cause of her dull coat. Bathing a cat will strip her natural oils that make her coat silky and thick.

Found this article for you:
Cat Coat Care: How to Keep Your Cat’s Coat Shiny
 
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