I’ve always had a special spot in my heart for black cats. But it wasn’t till this past year that I welcomed one into my heart and home. All cats are wonderful, but there is something strangely special about these mini panthers of the domesticated cat world. I rescued my black cat when he was just a scraggly black kitten. At first, his black coat was a bit fluffy and not entirely black. The fur around his ears, eyes, and mouth was clearly visible, too. When my black kitten grew into his ears and paws, the once luxurious black fur on his face seemed to disappear. As any cat mom would, I tried not to panic but indeed worried and naturally grew curious over my black cat’s sudden balding. After some extensive online research, here is what I learned.
Sini when he was just three months old
Why is my black cat going bald? There are a few specific reasons why your black cat looks bald…
Black cats can come in a wide array of black shades and even cat breeds. The only true exclusively black breed of cat is a Bombay—in case you didn’t already know that. For those of us who take in our black cats when they are wee voids, we notice the changes in our cat’s black coats as they grow out of kittenhood into adulthood. I know that for my cat, Sini, his black coat was transformed from a fuzzy light black to an oh-so-sleek, shiny pitch black super short coat. That is, except for his belly, which remained a muddy black with patchy spots of hair that appeared of different lengths.
Once my black cat reached almost a year old, I noticed thinning around his ears and eyes. By the time he reached 16 months of age, the thinning of his fur was also present around his mouth. It wasn’t till I did some online research that I could ease my mind from the thought of my black cat morphing into some sort of uneven, hairless feline. I discovered that facial alopecia is quite common in black cats.
Now, Sini has noticeable facial alopecia
Why do black cats have facial alopecia?
Cats and humans can experience similar medical diagnoses. While alopecia is more common for a human’s hair on their head, facial alopecia is relatively common—especially for cats with color points, very short coats, and—you guessed it—black coats. Facial alopecia can occur in any cat at any given age, but this medical phenomenon occurs around 12 months, advancing up to three years. The hair around your cat’s face is thinner than the hair around their body. And even though your black cat appears to have an extremely black coat, the skin underneath their fur is almost always milky white. The skin can appear quite pale when it never sees the sun and is protected by all that beautiful black fur.
If you look closely at the bald spots on your black cat, you will see that this fur might look as if it’s bald to you because of the paleness of the skin underneath. Solid black cats are rarer than you might think, and these solid black cats—meaning black paws, whiskers, and no white whatsoever in their coats, are very prone to facial alopecia. Other cats known for facial alopecia include Siamese, Burmese, and Rex cat breeds due to their lack of three cat coat layers. Of course, Bombay cats often have facial alopecia, too. Facial alopecia in these cats might be more like your eyes are playing tricks on you, but you need not worry because facial alopecia in cats does not cause pain or discomfort.
Most of all, your cat probably doesn’t even realize they are different from any other cat out there. Facial alopecia is not a medical condition that requires medical attention. That is unless it’s due to your cat overgrooming due to allergies or ear parasites. In these cases, you will notice your cat paying extra attention to its ears and overgrooming. Seek veterinary attention immediately to give your cat the help it needs to get better fast.
Cats’ bald spots are said to be evolutionary—and can even help them hunt!
A cat’s anatomy is a thing of wonder. Not only are cats excellent hunters, highly intelligent, and the masters of capturing our undivided attention, but what might be even more incredible is that every facet of their anatomy serves a very important purpose. And you know what that is? Survival! It might seem silly to think about your pampered house kitty needing to worry over where their next meal is coming from, but remember that your pretty little kitty is the direct descendant of an ancient wild cat that hunted for food to survive.
With that being said, feline experts believe that the fine hair around your cat’s face exists to make them extraordinary hunters. You may never have noticed, but smaller big cat cousins in the wild also have fine hair around their ears. Ocelots, for example, are big cats that possess this trait. Sure, an ocelot is considered a big cat species. But, you may not realize that the average size of an ocelot is anywhere from 15 to 34 pounds, with females in the smaller size of that range. With that being said, if your house cat were to go wild, they might hunt prey relatively similar to the size of prey that an ocelot would hunt.
Judith Stella, an animal welfare scientist at Purdue University, shared with Live Science a plausible theory on smaller big cats and domesticated house cats having thinner hair around their ears. She suggested that the hunting styles of smaller big cats could have something to do with this similar phenomenon. Stella said, “Cats can hear ultrasonic sounds, and rodents vocalize in that auditory range. Perhaps that lack of fur helps focus the sound waves into the ear or orient to where that sound is coming from.”
So, the next time you think about how your black cat looks bald, just remember that your mini panther is a species of wonder built to survive. Simply marvel at their beauty and fur—even if it’s not all there.
