My cat’s licking her fur off. Help!
Posted on | November 4, 2007 |
Greetings, kind readers. We’re letting Mama take a break from her NaNoWriMo efforts in order to help her write this week’s column. We told her she should do NaNo because it’s been years since she’s written a long work of fiction, and she’s been wanting to write a story to honor our beloved sister Sinéad (may she frolic forever in the catnip fields). Sinéad says it’s about time Mama got back to writing novels! But for now, here’s our letter of the week.
Dear Most Esteemed and Knowledgeable Kitties:
I’ve got a female kitty named Trinity who has recently been licking all the fur off her lower abdomen, tail and legs. I’ve seen this behavior in other cats, and the vet tells me it is nothing serious, maybe just an allergic reaction to something. I have recently been feeding her Hills’ Science Diet, which seems to help some, since she no longer looks like (and forgive me for this) a mini poodle with a bad furcut.
Other than the naked belly, she is happy, affectionate and playful, emphasis on the last two, as she has taken to begging for attention when we (my boyfriend and I) stop paying attention to her. The only health issue I know she has is a mild form of either epilepsy or something, since she has tremors when she sleeps. There is one other cat in my houselhold named Tyga, but she has never exhibited this behavior. My father has a long-haired cat named Fuzzy who began doing this a couple years ago, but I know he has allergies, since his sinuses run constantly.
Have you come across anything like this before, and if so, have you any advice for Trin and myself?
~Belinda
Siouxsie: This compulsive fur-grooming is not at all uncommon in cats. In fact, my sister Sinéad went through a very similar thing — although she only licked the fur off her tummy.
Thomas: Sometimes allergies do play a part in this compulsive self-barbering. We cats generally show symptoms of allergies through changes in our bowel habits or through issues related to our skin.
Dahlia: Cats can develop allergies to certain foods. In fact, food allergies account for about 10 percent of the allergies seen in cats. The most common allergens are fish, beef and dairy products — which are also common ingredients in pet foods! Cats can also develop allergies to the grains that form the base of many cat foods; again, corn, being one of the most common grains, tends to be more likely to cause allergies.
Siouxsie: Apparently changing Trinity’s diet has helped to relieve some of her allergy symptoms, so you might take a look at the ingredient list for your Hill’s Science Diet food and compare it to the stuff you were feeding her before.
Thomas: Sometimes artificial colors can cause allergic reactions. If your other kibble had red or yellow pieces in it, then it had artificial colors. Naturally colored kibble is typically some shade of light to medium brown.
Dahlia: You might also have good luck feeding Trinity a premium natural cat food. Brands of kibble such as Eagle Pack, Wysong, Wellness, or Evo typically sell for about the same price as Hill’s Science Diet. These manufacturers also make “gooshy food,” so you can feed Trinity a combination of dry and canned food if you like.
Siouxsie: But if food allergies account for only 10 percent of all allergic reactions, what accounts for the other 90 percent? Well, like people, cats can be sensitive to things in their environment. If you wore clothing that contained something you were allergic to, you would likely begin to have itchy skin and maybe even develop a rash wherever that item of clothing touched you.
Thomas: It may not necessarily be the clothing that’s bothering you, though. It could be the detergent or fabric softener you used when you washed it. Or perhaps a fabric spray that you used on it. The same thing can happen to cats. We cats are very sensitive to chemicals in our environment, and if you use a lot of smelly things like artificially scented detergents and fabric softeners, or “odor removing” sprays for furniture, these can cause irritation on our skin.
Siouxsie: To that end, we’d recommend that you discontinue the use of any chemical air fresheners and switch to unscented laundry detergents and fabric softeners. If you’re using scented or “deodorant” kitty litter, definitely change over to an unscented product. You can deodorize your furniture and rugs with baking soda (sprinkle it on, let it sit 15 minutes, and vacuum it up).
Thomas: Allergies are not the only thing that can cause a cat to lick all her fur off. Sometimes this behavior is a result of stress. Cats vary in their ability to tolerate stressful events in their lives, and some things that don’t seem stressful to people can make cats very upset.
Dahlia: A common behavior for cats when they’re stressed is what’s called “displacement grooming.” You may have witnessed this if your cat made an ungraceful landing somewhere, noticed you were looking, and suddenly discovered an itch somewhere on their body that they just had to lick. It’s the “I meant to do that!” response.
Siouxsie: Generally the grooming stops after a minute or so. But if a cat feels intolerably stressed — by a move of house, a changing of schedule, addition of a new animal or baby, construction or other noise, or even a new cat moving in next door — she may resort to compulsive grooming to ease her stress.
Thomas: There are some ways you can help your kitty cope with stress. First, you could purchase a feline pheromone plug-in. These devices release a synthetic version of the pheromone relaxed and happy cats use to mark their environment. The positive feedback from these “happy cat” pheromones can help to eliminate stress-based behavior ranging from urine marking to fighting to, perhaps, compulsive grooming.
Dahlia: Mama has had good success with using “happy cat” pheromones to deal with the stress of adding a new cat to our household as well as with the stress of moving to a new home.
Siouxsie: If eliminating allergens and trying to reduce Trinity’s stress level through non-medical means doesn’t produce satisfactory results, your vet may recommend a short course of treatment with anti-anxiety or antidepressant medications (”kitty Prozac,” so to speak). These have been proven effective and safe for short-term use in treating stress-based behavior problems, because the medication seems to eliminate the anxiety that triggers the behavior issues.
Thomas: Typically, cats don’t have to stay on anti-anxiety meds for their entire lives. A short course of treatment generally “rewires” the cat’s nervous system effectively.
Dahlia: We hope this helps, Belinda. Please feel free to update us on how Trinity is doing with her fur-pulling problem.
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November 11th, 2007 @ 10:32 pm
This is exactly the same as my cat! He’s 2yrs old and was a rescue kitty. He grooms obsessively, pulling out all the hair on his belly, inside of his thighs and his armpits. He is super needy and needs to be near me or on top of me at all times. He also has tremors when he sleeps! The tremors are new and I find it particularly terrifying.
I don’t believe its allergies. My first vet put him on Pred (a steroid) which helped a little but didn’t solve the problem completely. My new vet said that steroids can often cause diabetes and if it’s not allergies then steroids are not the way to go. My vet says it’s probably behavioral but doesn’t want to jump straight to Prozac as it can have side effects and can seriously water down kitty’s personality. I tried a pheromone spray (not the felioway (sp?) plug in- as it was very expensive) and honestly I don’t remember it making that much of a difference, but would be willing to try again. I switched his diet - he eats wellness or Innova EVO and I try not to give him too much fish based foods.
Please let me know what you’ve tired- what’s worked- hasn’t worked.
I don’t care so much about the over grooming as long as he doesn’t lick sores into himself, but the tremors while he’s sleeping scare the crap out of me.(He’s recovering from a dental where he had two teeth pulled and the tremors are worse than ever.)
Please help- any suggestions are welcomed.
November 21st, 2007 @ 3:49 pm
I’m having the same problem with my little cat Gracie. She’s always licked her belly pink but now she’s licked it to where she has a big ulcer. I’m taking her to the vet on Friday. Hopefully - if I get some useful info from my vet I’ll post it for you guys.
January 9th, 2008 @ 7:47 pm
We had the same problem with our rescue kitty, Lorelei, last summer, but oddly it was after a year and a half of her joining our family. The vet thought it was allergies, which we didn’t really believe as nothing had changed and her mother (Juliet, another rescue) wasn’t at all affected. We reasoned it was more likely stress as we’d been gone intermittently over the summer. So we kept them on the same food (Innova and Fancy Feast).
In thinking about it, we also realized the crazed grooming had started soon after we’d gotten a laser point for the kitties to chase. They _loved_ it. But it also was stressing out poor Lorelei. We gave up the laser pointer and after a few months of keeping a more regular schedule, Lorelei stopped the over-grooming and now the fur is growing back. She’s regained most of her Maine coon fluffiness, except in her tail which does seem to want to poof as much as it did.
So maybe there’s some stress in your kitty’s environment you could eliminate?
The tremors I think are fairly common. They’re just dreaming. My cats growing up (rescues and pet-store purchased alike) all did it.
January 20th, 2008 @ 8:13 pm
My 7 yr old female is naughing at her forarms, underarms, and belly.so no fur any longer. i thought it was anxiety when i took the puppy out with me, but it is still continuring. no redness, sores nothing, absolutely normal skin underneath.
help.
February 11th, 2008 @ 4:17 pm
I had a cat with the same problem. She is part of a two cat household. Besides getting a simple anti-biotic for the redness in her exposed skin, I had to devote complete alone time with her. I would take her into the bedroom once a day for at least 30 minutes alone, without the other cat in sight. This one-on-one attention did the trick.
April 17th, 2008 @ 11:54 pm
My Chloe cat, short-hair black tortie, has been on cyclosporine 25 mg for over 2 years now; it stopped the licking/hair removal, altho she continued to keep her lower abdomen trimmed. We moved a year ago, and I’ve tried to wean her off more than once, from 1 per day to one every other day, then 2 days off between pills. When it gets to the latter she starts licking off the fur again. There do not seem to be any side effects to the meds, but one hates to keep anyone on meds for life!!! She is also playful, affectionate, good appetite, and has a feline house-mate whose fur is fine. Chloe does not appear stressed or depressed. Clearly an allergy, but finding the cause is hit-or-miss!!!
May 2nd, 2008 @ 10:01 am
My female cat did the same thing. I took her to one vet that said she grooms excessively because she has fleas. After 2 years of listening to that vet I took her to another vet that diagnosed a urinary tract infection along with urinary crystals. You should get the cats urine checked to rule out a urinary tract infection!!!
June 21st, 2008 @ 6:50 pm
my cat Maizie 3 1/2 yr old bengal cross has excessive bald spots on her.. tummy, bare, hind legs bare.. front legs, somewhat bare..
3 vets.. steroids..
only to find she is seriously stressed as she has serious kidney, urination problems.. struvite crystals.. she is presently, again, on anti biotics.. the licking ceases slightly when she is not so ill..so.. I try to keep her calm as can be.. she is with our other cats.. one of who was so healthy and gorgeous, her son.. but died suddenly.. my heart is still breaking.. please read my story…
I hope you have luck with your cat..
July 8th, 2008 @ 12:37 pm
My cat diggy started licking all the fur off the base of his tail (near his body) and i noticed it starting getting bad so i took him to the vet. he has excessive hair balls due to his over grooming and throws up everywhere… UGH. so the vet gave him a dose of steroids. he stopped throwing up but then he licked all the fur off of his paws front and back and his inner hind legs. so i took him back for another shot. he stopped throwing up again. but then i wanted a second opinion so i went to another vet who said it could be stress, which i though it was too, so she put him on anti-anxiety pills but now he won’t eat…. so here i am wondering now what? maybe it was allergies?… diggy is 12 and has been with me his whole life and just started this stuff about 6 months ago… but he’s been throwing up for about three years now… and the vet told me initially it was just hairballs… my little kitty… i need help. now what?
July 16th, 2008 @ 10:48 am
One thing that I haven’t seen mentioned that comes to mind is a syndrome called hyperesthesia. Mild cases can manifest as twitching back and over-grooming, severe cases can actually involve the cat self-mutilating (usually on the rump, tail, and rear legs). The nature of it is not completely understood, but one theory is that it is a mild seizure disorder (which brought it to mind in the case of Trinity). In my cat, it it relatively intermittant and is usually triggered by stress or allergies. Once she starts over-grooming, she’ll lick herself bald (and sometimes raw), and doesn’t like to be touched, like her skin is hyper-sensitive. When she gets this way, my vet puts her on a short round of low-dose seizure meds. Once the cycle is broken, she’s fine, and stays that way until the next stressor (months to years later). I’m not diagnosing your pet, but it’s something you may wish to ask your vet about!
September 4th, 2008 @ 7:59 am
my cat JT has been doing the same thing for a year and half. I got him from a rescue shelter and have been fighting to find a way for this to stop. Like many other stories, he did not start to do this until halfway through of me owning him.
I have gone to many vets and they all suggested steroids. I dont feel my cat should be on meds. but we tried them any way. they of course did not work. he lives in a house hold of 4 other cats and i believe he may be stressed. so the best of luck to all of you, i will be trying a stress removal spray, the feliway spray. If you have any advice please let me know.
September 6th, 2008 @ 6:09 pm
My cat sammy, she has just turned 9. For most of her life she has licked a bald spot on her side on the top of her back leg. She has always licked a bald area on her belly near her vagina. She stopeed for about 2 years and then this year she has went on a licking spree. She has licked almost all the hair off her belly, inside and outside of her back legs and on the bottom of her front paws. I have spent a small fortune to try and find the cause and still have not found out anything. I have been told food allergies, outside allergies, behavioral. If it was behavoral she would do it year round, as this only occurs in the fall. Food allergies, it would also occur year round. Have done the normal change foods, litter,still no luck.
September 23rd, 2008 @ 12:37 pm
My sister’s cat does the same thing - licking all his fur off. However he also has really swollen and chapped lips. So I told her to take him to the vet because of a possible allergy.
However, I noticed you mentioned you think your cat is having small seizure’s when she sleeps. To maybe clear up your mind on that - that is actually completely normal. Cat’s, like humans and dogs and most other living things, go through sleep cycles. When they are in deep sleep sometimes they will twitch. It is a sign they are dreaming! It is just like when people mumble or move around when they are dreaming. So on that aspect she is completely fine!
October 12th, 2008 @ 11:17 pm
My cat has been doing the same thing. She has completely licked her own belly raw, now has moved onto paws and now is scratching and removing all the hair from around her eyes, they are all cut and swollen. Took her to the vet and they gave her steriods and antibiotics - they helped slightly but now its back w/ a vengence. I recently switched to Hills Science Diet Hairball and have moved - I think it is a combo of both. She is a stress case and is only happy when I am home and asleep so she can cuddle next to me. Tomorrow I take her to the vet again - and I will beg them for kitty valium and in the meantime have changed her food to all natural. I hope it works I can’t bear to watch her mutilate herself any more! Anyone have luck w/ anything please let me know!
October 30th, 2008 @ 11:52 am
MY CAT IS DRIVING ME CRAZY. HE IS LICKING THE FUR FROM HIS HIND LEGS,BELLY AND HIS LEFT SIDE IS BALD UPTO HIS RIBCAGE. HE IS ON AMITRIPTYLINE ONCE DAILY AND IT ISN’T ANY BETTER! I WORK FOR A VET CLINIC AND WE MAY UP THE DOSE FOR AWHILE THEN TRY PROZAC!! THAT IM NOT HAPPY ABOUT BECAUSE THIS CAT IS LAID BACK ENOUGH, ON PROZAC HE WOULD SEEM COMATOSE! ANY SUGGESTIONS PLEASE!!!