The cat has a mustache: why and what to do?

People from ancient times have known why and why a cat needs a mustache. It was believed that if a small kitten has a long thick mustache, then, as an adult, it will be good to catch mice. Read in our article whether it is worth worrying if the cat started losing its mustache (scientifically - vibrissae).

Such a seemingly trifle is not a cause for great concern and do not panic. However, it is worthwhile for some time to watch the pet's well-being. The scale and number of losses depends on how much the cat needs the help of a veterinarian and the urgency of contacting him. If the pet has lost most or all of the whiskers, then a visit to the veterinarian should be made as soon as possible.

Why and why the cat wears a mustache

The mustache that adorns the cat resembles the male stubble, the same thick and rather elastic hair.Any cat has a certain number of whiskers on the face (around the eyes, on the chin and, most importantly - on the cheeks) and on the back of the legs. Each such mustache has a connection with a special site in the brain. In fact, a mustache is not a decoration, but a tool that helps an animal to determine its location and to detect, from air vibrations, where the sound or movement comes from. Cat vibrissae help a healthy cat to hunt, find a reference point in the surrounding space and communicate with their own kind.

Why do cats begin to suffer from the loss of a mustache?

There are several explainable reasons. For example, other animals live near the animals - dogs or cats. Between them, skirmishes for the territory, supremacy, which end in that some of the mustache leaves the face of the owner, necessarily arise. Often, rivals purposefully pull out a mustache from an opponent in order to cause maximum harm and the desire to dominate him.

The loss of vibrissae due to natural causes - grows a young mustache, and the old falls out. This process is natural and the intervention of the owner is unnecessary.

A warning!
Most often, cats have problems with a mustache from the fact that the owner begins to "cares" about them. You can not trim a mustache pet, regardless of the reasons and motives! This can only be recommended by a veterinarian if the condition has grown into the skin or the cat has caught a fungus, the treatment of which involves the removal of all wool at the site of infection.

Do not pluck cat whiskers. Do not shorten the vibrissae because the pet smears them when they eat. The animal can perfectly wash itself and put in order its body parts.

Conducting similar, completely harmless manipulations, you can only harm the pet. A cat with a damaged mustache is poorly oriented, experiencing stress and discomfort, and is not self-confident. The beast can become depressed and inadequately start behaving.

A cat with a cropped or shortened mustache is sleeping restlessly, becoming lost and shy. Having lost a mustache, an animal can mentally break down, and it’s not a fact that later it will recover and become the same.

What are the whiskers talking about

If you observe what stages the vibrissus goes through in its development, you can see that over time the cat's whiskers become thicker, turn darker, and then become lighter.

Vibrissa, which fell out on its own, is not completely colored, and at the end it has a pointed tip. Such a rough structure of the hair shows that the mustache is old and young grows to replace it.

If the mustache suddenly became light, it means that the cat picked up the worms and needs treatment!

Whiskers, from which a piece or tip has broken off, can also serve as a sign and a symptom. A healthy cat breaks vibrissae when it fights or plays. Washing, tailed pets rather carefully belong to this part of the body, and they themselves can not damage the mustache. In which case the cat's face can be decorated on both sides with a broken mustache? The reasons for this are as follows:

1. In the house, abnormal air humidity is either too dry or too wet.
2. The cat does not always have the opportunity to drink fresh clean water - the mustache breaks and dries from dehydration. The task of the owner - to monitor the presence of water in the cat water bowl.
3. Pet gets in the daily diet of insufficiently needed items.
4. The owners very often bathe their pet using the wrong shampoo.
5. At a pet with the onset of the new season, the metabolism is rebuilt or the puberty period has arrived.

Reasons why a mustache falls out

If the condition of the cat began to cause concern to the owner, it is necessary to show the animal to a specialist doctor. But in order for him to correctly diagnose the condition of the cat, it is necessary to make a full history. First you need to carefully examine the pet's diet and eliminate the existing shortcomings in it:

1. Unbalanced nutrition - the presence of cheap substandard feed, an abundance of fish products, artificial products, and so on.
2. Food allergy - the reaction of the cat's body to any product. As a rule, along with hair loss, itching, tearing, drooling occur.
3. Non-food allergy - the symptoms are similar to food allergies, but the body reacts to any surrounding substances. Typically, to identify such allergies is difficult and time consuming, so the cat takes antihistamine drugs.
4. The lack of animal vitamins.
5. The lack of trace elements - the content of phosphorus, calcium and other substances are very important to grow a mustache, and wool was in order. But also these trace elements are important for the work of the heart, blood vessels and the circulatory system.
6. The lack of tauric acid and collagen - cats are very important to have these elements in the body. Since there is no place for pets to take them to their pets, the owner’s task is to give the animal vitamins or to diversify the food, making it balanced and useful.

How dangerous is it and what to do?

Having dealt with the moments described above, the animal should be examined and, if the need arises, carry out treatment from:

1. Parasites are fleas, ticks, worms. Such pests can cause great harm to the cat's body, making the animal incapacitated. Loss of hair and loss of a mustache is only an inoffensive stage.
2. Fungal infections - these diseases can be identified by examining the skin and taking a skin scraping.
3. Skin infections caused by bacteria. Microbes can get into the scratch on the cat's body and multiply. Such a focus can be seen with the naked eye or found by feeling the animal. While probing the beast there is a reaction to the inflicted pain, the cat begins to worry and escape.
4. Diabetes. It occurs due to disturbances in the hormonal system, leads to a failure of metabolism.In this case, the animal needs careful treatment, the beginning loss of vibrissae and loss of coat here plays a secondary role and is not the main problem.
5. Hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism. Such violations occur due to malfunctions of the thyroid gland, as well as due to the lack or high content of hormones. These pathologies also threaten feline life.

What to do if a cat has a mustache falls out - you need to check with a veterinarian who must first examine and examine the animal.

Video: what happens if a cat is cut off a mustache