Spines falling out

[duckworth]

Hello everybody! Does anybody have information about spines/spikes falling out on cacti? In the photo, you can see a healthy young cactus that's been growing. However, I saw that the spines have fallen out, and I don't know if it's the start of a problem.

I'm watering the cacti with a 100:12:1 mix of water, worm tea, and Seaweed root growth hormone mix, about once a week now that's it's gotten sunny and warm (around 20 degrees).

It's in a mix of 60:40 perlite and compost soil, with decent drainage. They sit right by the window.

I know the cat has unfortunately rubbed his head on them to itch them in the past, however I don't think that's been a problem recently.

The spines are very easy to move around when they're new, but I don't think this has been caused by rough handling.

Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks

[tumamoc]

The spines on new growth of columnar Echinopsis are very delicate. They fall off even with a gentle touch. Maybe your cat rubbed its face on it. Anyway, there is no reason to be concerned about it--in my opinion.