Why does my cats hair come off easy?

[Yamcha]

Hi Guys,

I have a male cat a little over 1 years old.. Got it from a previous owner some months ago.. and I don't know why but his hair seems to come off very easily.. Anyone know why? Is this normal? I've had two other cats before, and haven't really seen something like this..

He doesn't seem to be loosing hair, its just that his hair seems to come off very easily.. maybe its due to diet?

We feed him Whiskas (Meaty Selection - DRY) Aswell as Friskies canned food..

[14+kitties]

Drop the dry all together. Have you had him tested for allergies? Or, he could just be losing his winter coat. Brushing daily helps.

[sugarcatmom]

Do you mean he sheds a lot? Or does it come out in clumps when you pull it?

Diet could definitely be a factor if excessive shedding is the issue. Whiskas dry is really not a good choice for a carnivore (actually, ALL dry is a no-no for cats, but Whiskas Meaty Selections is particularly bad - and has very little meat in it despite the name). Here are the ingredients:

Ground Yellow Corn, Chicken By-product Meal, Corn Gluten Meal, Animal Fat (Preserved with BHA/BHT), Natural Poultry Flavor, Wheat Flour, Rice, Brewers Dried Yeast,

Corn and more corn, wheat, rice: these are ingredients meant to fatten up livestock, not keep a cat healthy. Cats have no need for grains and in fact can suffer quite a few medical conditions as a result of a high grain diet.

By-product meal has been rendered to death and contains little to no muscle meat, and that BHA/BHT is a potentially carcinogenic preservative that more conscientious pet food companies stopped using long ago. Brewers yeast is a common allergen. You would be doing your kitty a huge favour if you stopped feeding him the Whiskas. While Friskies canned is one of the lowest quality wet foods, the fact that it's wet and has considerably fewer carbohydrates makes it heads and tails above the Whiskas dry. If you can afford to feed something even a bit better, like Wellness or Nature's Variety or Innova canned (or even a raw diet), that would be ideal.

Some excellent reading on the subject of feline nutrition: www.catinfo.org

[catlover2]

If his diet is good, he could be one of those cats that just has a "loose" coat. Have had a few of those----constant shedders, one was white the other cream, so really noticed the hair.

[Yamcha]

Well yeah he sheds a lot, as far as food goes I give my two cats wet (Friskies) + dry (Whiskas).. I usually go for the expensive stuff.. I assumed Whiskas was good.. What would you guys recommend? Also my other 4yrs female cat doesn't have this problem..