Before we start our column this week, we want to let you know that June is National Adopt a Shelter Cat Month! If you're looking for a new cat to add to your family, pay a visit to your local animal shelter and see if your new friend is waiting for you there. All three of us are rescue kitties, and we're so glad we have a loving happy home for the rest of our lives. Millions of cats are waiting for their Forever Homes right now, and you can help. Our human grammie has done her part; she rescued a pregnant stray cat and she's fostering this sweet girl (who she calls Rosabelle) for our local humane society until the kittens are born. If you live in midcoast Maine and you're missing this kitty -- that's her in the picture at right -- please e-mail Mama and she'll help you get reunited. If you recognize her but you threw her out to fend for herself because she's pregnant, well, *hisssssssssssssss* to you! Rosabelle is safe and healthy -- and her kittens will be, too -- but she's one of the lucky ones. Most cats that get thrown away suffer a much worse fate.

Dear Sinéad, Siouxsie and Thomas:
Hi guys. My sister's cat, Thor, has a problem. Thor has literally licked off all of his fur that he can reach. He now has a mohawk going down his back because he cannot reach certain areas. His skin looks absolutely normal though. My sister's vet says he can find nothing wrong with him and does not know what to do. Could this be some kind of allergy or something? and if so, how can she get him all better? She has another cat named Damien who is fine. Any help you could give would be great. Thank you very much.
~Beth

Sinéad: Beth, we think you're pretty well on-target with your assessment. The main causes of compulsive licking behavior in cats are allergies and stress. The good news is that both of these problems are manageable if you're willing to do some extra work and make some changes in your environment.

Siouxsie: As with humans, some cats are more inclined to develop allergies than others. This has a lot to do with their breed, their environment in utero, and the amount of exposure the cat has had to chemicals.

Thomas: Cats are very sensitive to toxins in their food and their environment, so the first thing to do if you have a cat with allergies is to reduce or eliminate these toxins as much as possible.

Sinéad: The first key to reducing allergies rests in the cat's diet. Store brand cat foods typically have a lot of chemical preservatives and artificial colors or flavor enhancers, and are made from poor-quality meats (typically those not fit for human consumption) and grains. Cats with allergies require a diet with as few of these impurities as possible. We recommend feeding Thor the highest-quality food you can afford.

Siouxsie: Premium foods such as Nutro Natural, Wysong and Eagle Pack (to name a few) are made with high-quality meat and natural preservatives such as Vitamin E oil. And they're really yummy, too! They cost more than the stuff you buy at the supermarket, but we eat less of it and we're healthier in the long run, so ultimately it pays for itself.

Thomas: We cats are carnivores, and a lot of dry foods are full of grains. We don't really digest grains all that well, and some grains -- corn, in particular -- can cause allergic reactions. If you feed dry food, we recommend you look for a kibble that uses rice or other grains instead of corn.

Sinéad: The second key to detoxifying a cat lies in water. City water contains chemicals such as chlorine and fluoride, and often has other minerals that can be irritating to cats. Even cats living in rural areas where the water is "hard" (alkaline, with a lot of minerals) can suffer from water-related problems. We recommend that you purchase a pitcher filter and put all drinking water through the filter before drinking it.

Siouxsie: You could buy bottled water, but that would quickly become very expensive. Not only that, but the quality of bottled water varies drastically from brand to brand and from region to region. A pitcher filter setup will cost you about $30 or less initially, and replacement filters (which last up to three months each) cost $18 or so for a pack of three.

Thomas: When Mama lived in The City, she gave us pitcher-filtered water. It was pretty good. I like the water we get out here in The Country better, though. It tastes sweet and clean.

Sinéad: Other potential sources of chemical contamination in Thor's environment include perfumed cat litter, chemical air fresheners (both spray and plug-in diffuser variety), carpet shampoos or cleaning/deodorizing powders, perfumed laundry detergents and fabric softeners, cigarette smoke, "outgassing" from particleboard furniture or carpet adhesive, and paint fumes.

Siouxsie: We recommend that you reduce or eliminate as many of these as possible. The worst offenders are the chemical air fresheners and cigarette smoke. Particles from these effluents settle in our fur and we eat them when we groom ourselves. This can make us itch from the inside, and that just makes us crazy!

Thomas: There are perfume-free detergents and cat litters that are just as effective as the ones that smell a lot, and our sensitive little noses tend to prefer things that don't stink. And if you smoke, you can certainly go outside to do that. We know humans who smoke cigarettes but don't smoke inside because of their cat's allergy. One of them actually told Mama, "If I had a human child who was allergic to cigarettes, I wouldn't smoke around her, so why should it be any different because it's my cat that's allergic?"

Sinéad: Cats' systems can become chemically burdened through overvaccination, intensive drug treatment, or surgery as well. We're not saying you shouldn't vaccinate your cat or give him antibiotics if he has an infection. But what we are saying is that you should discuss these issues with your vet. If your vet won't listen to your concerns, find another one who will; many vets are becoming more aware of health issues related to overvaccination or extended treatment with certain kinds of drugs.

Siouxsie: We would also recommend that you consult with a holistic veterinarian. Holistic vets generally have a good success rate in treating cats with allergies. They use tools such as vitamin supplements, dietary changes, herbal and/or homeopathic remedies, and some even use massage or energy healing. Most conventional vets are willing to work with holistic vets, and likewise, most holistic vets are willing to work with conventional vets. To find a holistic vet in your area, ask around among people who might know such things or look in your local phone book. Another resource you can use is the directory of practitioners at the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association website.

Thomas: If you find a holistic vet who demands that you immediately cease all contact with "allopathic" vets or cease all standard medical treatment, find another, more reasonable, practitioner. There's no room for arrogance or ego trips when it comes to your cat's health.

Sinéad: The other common cause of compulsive licking is stress. If you have gone through major changes in your life recently, Thor may be having trouble adapting to those changes.

Siouxsie: Grooming is a self-comforting behavior. It's something we do when we find ourselves in an uncomfortable position (such as, say, having attempted to jump onto a counter and landed on the floor on our butts), or if we've just had a spat with another cat.

Thomas: A cat that exercises grooming behavior to the point of making himself bald may be suffering from a manifestation of obsessive-compulsive disorder. The grooming is a ritual that causes comfort by releasing endorphins and other soothing brain chemicals, and the more anxious the cat is, the more he grooms in an attempt to calm himself.

Sinéad: If reducing or eliminating environmental toxins and switching to a more wholesome diet doesn't stop Thor from his compulsive grooming, we would recommend that you visit a professional animal behaviorist. A behaviorist is like a psychologist for animals, and he or she can help you find out why your kitty is grooming himself bald.

Siouxsie: It's possible that a short course of treatment with anti-anxiety drugs may be required to reduce Thor's stress level and eliminate the anxiety-grooming-calming chain reaction. Some people think the idea of "kitty Prozac" is ridiculous, but as with people who have chemical imbalances in their brains, sometimes a little pharmaceutical boost can make a huge difference in your cat's quality of life.

Thomas: We're sure this is a no-brainer, but we're going to say it anyway: Never, ever use any prescription drugs on cats without direction and careful monitoring by a vet! If your buddy Mark the Narc has a few Xanax he's willing to sell you, don't buy them and feed them to your kitty to see if they help. Not only would you be engaging in illegal activity, but you could make your cat very, very sick!

Sinéad: If you're reluctant to try pharmaceutical assistance, we would recommend that you look to that holistic vet we mentioned earlier for some other advice. There are a wide variety of homeopathic and herbal remedies, and flower essences, that can help soothe a cat's jangled nerves.

Siouxsie: Mama's had good luck treating us with homeopathy and flower essences when we've had anxiety problems or stress. Of course, she's done so under the guidance of professionals in the field and has always talked openly with our vet about what she's doing.

Thomas: Well, Beth, we hope this helps you and your sister help poor Thor to stop licking all his fur off! Also, in this column, we talked briefly about a couple of flower essences Mama has used to solve a compulsive grooming issue in our own family, so check that out too. Good luck to you and your sister, Beth!

Got a question? Need some advice? E-mail us at advice@paws-and-effect.com. None of the material in this column is meant to be a substitute for regular veterinary care.