Why is my cat losing hair around her eyes?

The skin around a cat’s eyes is thin and gets rubbed and groomed often, so it shows irritation faster than the rest of the coat does. The most common causes are allergies (food, flea or environmental), a mild irritant like dusty litter or a new cleaning product, or a cat over-grooming the area because it itches. Ringworm is also worth ruling out, since it often starts on the face with a circular patch of hair loss and mild flaking before it spreads. Because several very different causes look similar in this exact spot, it genuinely needs a vet’s eyes rather than a guess based on appearance alone.

When to call a vet: Hair loss around the eyes should be checked by a vet, since allergies, irritation and ringworm all look similar there and need different treatments.