How much shedding is normal?

[blumarine916]

I live in the tropics so it is always warm here. Both my cats are short haired. One of them sheds more than the other. Like there’s always been loose fur on her coat and everytime I pet her, I can also pull out the loose fur easily. It has always been like this for as long as I can remember but I’m wondering if it is normal for a cat to shed so much. Sometimes I’m embarrassed when we go to the vet and there’s so much fur coming off her coat. The vet didn’t say anything about it though.

I brush her daily to remove all that lose fur. There’ll be a LOT on the comb compared to my other cat. She isn’t stressed or anything. Food has been the same for years.

 

[abyeb]

I think that there is a lot of individual variation among cats when it comes to shedding. My Charlie, for example, is a heavy shedder, but some of my friends’ shorthaired cats hardly shed at all. A lot depends on the thickness of their undercoat. So, I think that, as long as your cat’s skin isn’t irritated, and she’s not getting furless patches, then that amount of shedding is normal for her. But, this is also something that you can ask your vet about.

 

[Tobermory]

Sometimes I’m embarrassed when we go to the vet and there’s so much fur coming off her coat.

I asked my vet why my cats shed so much when they’re there, and he said it was normal—a physiological response to stress and fear. I can brush them all before I take them in and, still, the fur wafts everywhere all over the exam room! Reminds me of the character Pigpen from the old Peanuts cartoon.

At home, they all shed differently depending on their coats. For example, Mocha, with short hair, sheds more than long-haired Iris, but Mocha’s coat is very dense with a thick undercoat. Iris lacks that deep undercoat and she sheds much less.

 

[blumarine916]

Thanks all for replying. Yeah I think it’s also partly due to stress of being in the exam room and being handled by a stranger. That’s why the loose fur is so noticeable.