excessive shedding

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JessK
Posts: 52
Joined: Fri Jun 20, 2003 4:22 pm

excessive shedding

Post by JessK »

My Neo has become a shedding machine and I was hoping to get your thoughts. He seems healthy, other than some chronic diarrhea he's had (which the vet says is Colitis and has given him medicine and Hill's i/d food to treat). The vet doesn't know why Neo is shedding excessively because he seems healthy--coat is shiny, body weight is good, eye-rim color good, alertness and energy level good.

He didn't used to shed this much, but now if you pick him up for a split second your shirt is covered in hair. The sofas and chairs are covered. If I pull gently on his fur, fingerfulls of hair come out. I really think it is excessive--is it normal to have super-shed cycles? Could it be related to nutrition?

His first food with us was dry Iams kitten, then dry Eukanuba kitten, then this Hill's i/d. I considered all three to be nutritious options, and as I say, he doesn't have other symptoms of malnourishment.

A friend insisted his cat stopped shedding excessively when he switched him from dry to canned food. To me that seems counter-intuitive, because everything I've read says canned is less nutritious due to its water content.
(Also, canned gives my little guy the diarrhea issue so I avoid it.)

What are your thoughts on this super-shedding business? Thanks!
Oh--I do try to brush him several times a week, though it's hard because he squirms and tries to attack the brush... :roll:

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