# What triggers shedding in indoor cats? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 4, 2006, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-triggers-shedding-in-indoor-cats/342953 "2006-02-04T03:39:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DaveRaver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/daveraver/32/1078_2.png) [@DaveRaver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaveRaver)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2006, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-triggers-shedding-in-indoor-cats/342953/1 "2006-02-04T03:39:25Z")
For outdoor cats, the warmer weather would seem to be a trigger for them to shed fur, but for indoor cats, who live in constant room temperature, what triggers them to shed in the spring? How do their bodies “know” it’s time to shed? ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2006, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-triggers-shedding-in-indoor-cats/342953/2 "2006-02-04T03:50:19Z")
Differences in humidity? I haven’t actually noticed a big seasonal difference in shedding in my indoor cats, unlike the dogs who spend plenty of time doing stuff outdoors. In my experience at least, shedding isn’t predetermined like bird migration; it’s quite definitely related to ambient temperature and conditions. There’s plenty of non-seasonal reasons an animal will start losing coat - diet, parasites, immune deficiencies, stress. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2006, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-triggers-shedding-in-indoor-cats/342953/3 "2006-02-04T04:02:57Z")
The instinct to annoy. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2006, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-triggers-shedding-in-indoor-cats/342953/4 "2006-02-04T04:10:46Z")
In horses, it’s triggered by the increase in daylight that comes as Spring arrives. Also causes mares to come into heat, so breeders will sometimes install special lights in their stalls to mimic the increased hours of light of springtime. Possibly cats also are triggered by hours of daylight? This would affect both indoor & outdoor cats. ---
**Author:** ![InternetLegend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/internetlegend/32/13154_2.png) [@InternetLegend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InternetLegend)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2006, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-triggers-shedding-in-indoor-cats/342953/5 "2006-02-04T04:12:11Z")
My vet tells me that indoor cats just shed year-round. I don’t know how authoritative it is, but [this link](http://amos.indiana.edu/library/scripts/catshed.html) says that shedding is linked to the amount of sunlight a cat gets. Indoor cats are exposed to more artificial light, so they are less likely to shed seasonally. ---
**Author:** ![MLS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MLS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MLS)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2006, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-triggers-shedding-in-indoor-cats/342953/6 "2006-02-04T05:31:26Z")
My indoor cats shed all the time. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2006, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-triggers-shedding-in-indoor-cats/342953/7 "2006-02-04T23:31:38Z")
Most seasonal cycles in animals aren’t triggered by heat/weather, but by daylight cycles. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2006, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-triggers-shedding-in-indoor-cats/342953/8 "2006-02-04T23:43:01Z")
> [@SenorBeef](#): > > Most seasonal cycles in animals aren’t triggered by heat/weather, but by daylight cycles. The same typically goes for plants, as well. ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2006, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-triggers-shedding-in-indoor-cats/342953/9 "2006-02-05T00:39:18Z")
The trigger for a cat’s shedding is the presence of clothing or furnishings of a contrasting color. It has been demonstrated that a white cat can lose up to one-third of it’s fur when placed in a room of people wearing black. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2006, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-triggers-shedding-in-indoor-cats/342953/10 "2006-02-05T00:42:32Z")
> [@danceswithcats](#): > > The trigger for a cat’s shedding is the presence of clothing or furnishings of a contrasting color. Huh, and I thought it was allergies. 😃