Arizona is utterly gorgeous with it’s year-long vacation vibes of sunshine, wildflowers, pools, palm trees, and friendly people. It’s one of the top places to snowbird in the United States and my family and I are always running into families who are out here on vacation.
Most of us who live in Arizona are transplants but even the native Phoenicians will tell you that the summer is no joke. When we first moved here from the PNW we were surprised at how wildly different the coat management would be for both of our pets.
I can’t speak for other states, but in Oregon we were looking at a couple shed seasons a year.
But here? I know why they call it the Wild Wild West now!
We’re talking glorious monsoons full of rain, thunder, and incredible electrical storms. Our desert sun is intense if not deadly, sometimes reaching daily temperatures as high as 118 to 120.
Even in the winter and spring we can sometimes experience severe temperature fluctuations. Mornings can reach as low as 30 something degrees and then heat up to 70 degrees later in the day. Just this morning, our low was 45 degrees and this afternoon its supposed to be 80 degrees.
So what does this have anything to do with cats?
There’s three main things that cause cats to shed. First, their natural hair growth cycle. Next, different environmental factors.
A cat’s hair is genetically determined. This is why some breeds have a tendency to shed more than others and why some cats’ hair is longer than others.
Natural Hair Growth Cycle Of Cats
Anagen is what we call a cat’s natural growth period. This is about a 60-90 day period when the hair is actively growing. After the hair is done growing it reaches a transitional period which we call catagen. After a short transition period the hair then enters an idle time known as telogen. The hair is at rest for about 40-60 days when it then falls out. The cycle is then repeated by the follicle entering it’s anagen phase again.
Each and every hair follicle on your cat is on its own cycle. It’s why cats seem to “excessively shed” all the time. If every hair follicle was in sync with each other, we’d have completely bald cats every few months.
This is one of the reasons cat groomers define maintenance grooming from 4-6 weeks.
Environmental Factors Which Affect Shedding/Hair Loss
The amount of ambient light cats are exposed to heavily influences the hair growth cycle. In a state like Arizona where it is sunshine all of the time, that is going to cue your cat’s coat to shed more frequently.
Constant temperature fluctuations can make your cat’s coat cue to shed. You can imagine how confusing it would be for your cat’s biological system when it’s 38 degrees in the morning then the high 70s in the afternoon. Contrary to popular believe, being an indoor cat does not protect you from this. As temperatures creep up outside, we change the temperatures on the inside and the cold air from the air conditioning can really confuse a cat’s biological system.
And Let’s Not Forget About Physical Or Mental Health
Cats who are sick or stressed with experience quicker and higher leves of shed out. Old age, skin infections, alopecia, arthritis, pain, obesity, hormonal imbalances, stress, depression, and anxiety all affect your cat’s coat.
Benefits of In-Home Mobile Cat Grooming
- Convenience- we come to your door and you don’t have to go anywhere!
- Much Less Stressful – there’s no travel trauma or trying to wrangle your cat in a carrier
- Happy Home – the cats get to stay in their familiar environment, with known scents, sounds, and people. No unfamiliar scents of previous animals.
- Comfort – you can be with your cat and observe while they’re getting groomed
- Sanitation – virtually eliminate the risk of unwanted diseases, cross contamination, and germs
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