Bald spot and cough

Hello! 

Our cat has always had a habit of pulling on her hair, she's very fluffy so it's never caused much of a difference. The other day, however, I noticed she had a small bald spot by her tail. In the past few days it hasn't gotten any bigger so at least she's still not pulling at it. I was just curious why she might go to that extreme? Also, she has had a bit of a 'cough' for awhile that sounds like a dry hack/clearing her throat like she's trying to get rid of a hairball, but it's always just one cough and then no hairball. Any thoughts?

Thank you! 

Elise

Cats usually pull their fur out because they are stressed.  Why?  Who  knows.  Sometimes it's just their makeup. Some cats are just more skittish than others.  Some are mellow, some aren't.  Sometimes a change in routine will stress them, but you mentioned yours has a habit of doing this, so sounds like she's just not a mellow cat.  Maybe this article will help her with her stress:  http://www.thecatsite.com/a/six-surefire-strategies-to-reduce-stress-in-cats

As to the cough, it very well could be a hairball.  I have a longish haired cat that will just do one single cough every once in awhile.  I DO give my cats supplements for hairballs (egg yolk lecithin) every single day though, and during hairball season I also give them Vet's Best Hairball Relief.  IF he has one that's kind of stuck, that Vet's Best will cause it to almost immediately come up, oddly enough.  Otherwise, their hair goes out the correct end (the back end) 

She's beautiful! 

She is quite fluffy. I wonder if what you're seeing as her pulling at her hair could just be those times when she struggles with a little hairmat? It can sometimes happen with longhair cats and doesn't indicate much. She most definitely could and would get the occasional hairball with that kind of fur though. 

Do you brush her? If not, it might be a good idea to start. Just be very gentle and if she doesn't seem to like it, work on habituating her to the process very slowly and gradually. I bet she could use the help with losing that beautiful winter coat and it's best if most of that hair will end up on a brush rather than in her mouth. More on why it's a good idea to brush your cat - 

 [article="30084"]7 Reasons Why You Really Should Groom Your Cat Regularly​[/article]  

If she is hacking hairballs there are some things you can do. More on hairballs -

[article="29660"]How To Treat And Prevent Hairballs In Cats​[/article]  

One last suggestion - Monitor her overall health and if you see any other signs of discomfort pain or sickness, consult your vet. It can always be an actual cough and you don't want to miss a respiratory tract infection because you thought it was hairballs...

Oh, and I almost forgot about the bald spot 

It could be unrelated to her self-grooming. If it's a round shape and possibly a bit scaly, I would consider the possibility of ringworm. Only your vet can confirm that though. We have a thorough guide about ringworm you can read and see if it rings any bells -

 [article="32416"]Ringworm In Cats How To Win The Fight​[/article]  

Thank you so much, guys! It seems like the hair is coming back in, I'm thinking she might have just been stressed out about something! Poor baby!