i asked this last night but hoping to get more responses today. what do i do?

Question

with a cat that pulls out his own back hair or hisses and gowls at his own tail, and please dont say shoot it and its not nessesarily a take it to the vet problem. Weve been using fronline all sumer so it isnt fleas and the only place he pulls it out is his back. he does only seem to do it when he annoyed or i find that his food dish is empty. I think hes just nuts. but very kind to everyone but himself and his tail, lol.
It does seem like an anger control problem, and he is feed off the floor, so the dog dosent eat all the his food. and normally his bowl is full or half full. im getting really sick of waking to fluffs of cat hair all over my couch and carpet. He also brings every sock and anything else white that he can and drags it into the livingroom, I think he is just nuts.

there is nothing wrong with his tail!hes just nuts. He will be cleaning himself licks away happily on his legs his belly his feet even his tail but when he get to his back he just rips it out, he dosent even nessesarily have to be upset in anyway to do this and he is not scatching alot. As ive said over and over hes just nuts.

Answer 1

my cat has the problem with pulling out his hair. i asked the vet how to get him to stop and she suggested this stuff called bitter apple. it was a spray that had a really bad taste so he wouldn't like the taste of his fur and hopefully stop pulling it out. i tried it and yeah, he stopped pulling the hair out of his tail but started to pull hair out of his legs and stomach instead!!! so i stopped using it for fear he would soon be totally bald! i talked to the vet again and she said it may have started as an anxiety thing and then just turned into a habit. so basically i just have to live with his bad habits!!!

maybe they are nuts..hahaha!!!
but i love him anyway...he puts up with my habits so i'll put up with his!
best of luck!

Answer 2

I have seen many cats with similar problems, and can tell you that some times, a change in the routine whether small or large can evoke this response. While it can also be a medical problem, you would need to have the vet check it for a condition called stud tail. There is a gland at the base/to top of the tail that sometimes may become clogged, oily, and can be uncomfortable. This is so very rare, but can not be totaly ruled out. While there are alot of medications in which to deal with the inappropriate behavior, few if any are a cure all, and it is a feat at times to medicate a cat. Try looking hard at any changes that have occured in the environment first, then either modify those changes, or see the vet for a medical consideration.
Lots of luck to you.

Answer 3

This is a "take him to the vet" problem. From the sounds of it, your cat is neurotic. A friend of mine had a siamese that started doing the same thing. I don't think he ever hissed at his tail, but he was pulling chunks of hair out. The vet could find no medical reasoning for this, so he put the cat on valium.

He's not "nuts" in the classic sense. Neurotic animals usually become that way out of frustration.

So take him to a vet to rule out any skin conditions. Once that's done, you can talk to the vet about your options as far as medication.

Answer 4

You know cats have anal gland problems just as dogs do. It may not be as common in cats but most of them have just those kind of symptoms(chewing tail and pulling hair from back) He may just be nuts but it IS important to see a vet to rule out gland, skin, or fleas problems. Even if he has no fleas one can jump on bite and leave. If your cat is allergic to flea saliva the reaction can be the same as the symptoms you described. He is uncomfortable and needs to have you look out for him. Please see a vet.

Answer 5

In your first question you asked if your cat was "crazy" and gave no details. In this question you go into detail and I have the feeling that the cat is suffering from some allergy, most probably from his food.

"The skin (and hair in a cat) is the body's largest organ of detoxification, and a rash or irritation is a natural way of eliminating a toxin."

"When the condition is treated with drugs, the activity of the immune system is suppressed, and the toxin is prevented from leaving the body." Robert Goldstein, DVM.

"Flawed food. Commercial pet foods are loaded with highly process, inferior-quality ingredients and chemicals that may contribute to overall ill health or trigger allergic sensitivities. Feeding the same food continually could set off an allergic reaction that manifests itself as itchy skin."

Itchy skin can drive a person or a cat "crazy".

Step #1 is to find a food without corn, a known allergen for cats and dogs. That means no grocery store food as they are universally 2/3 corn. Solid Gold (Katzen Flocken), Natural Balance, Eagle Pack are quality foods without unnecessary chemicals and their meat sources are high quality and not treated with chemicals. Science Diet is loaded with corn and sells for $2.04 per lb. So is Purina One ($1.72 per lb.), Iams ($2.50 per lb.)

Solid Gold has brown rice as filler at $1.50 per lb (pet discount store price), Natural Balance also uses high quality meat at $1.66 per lb.

So buy a better food for your cat. Click on my name at the icon for a "recipe" for switching dry cat foods. This must be done gradually with a cat as they never "take" to any change in their diet.

After about two months on the new food (it takes about three weeks to successfully make the switch) you should see an improvement in the scratching behavior.

In the future do not use just one food for your cat. Get him used to different foods with different protein sources, not just chicken. The brands I mentioned use duck, venison and meat other than chicken.

Answer 6

Animals are like people, some of them are are not quite mentally right. How old is the cat and have you taken it to a vet to find out if this is an organic problem. You'll not know until you can rule out physial health problem's. Please take him to the vet, that the only one with real answer's to the cat's problem. He's definatly uncomfortable in some way. Good luck to you both.

Answer 7

Hi Rhonda...there's a possibility your kitty could be suffering from a behavioural condtion called Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) or also Feline Hyperesthesia Syndrome (FHS). Many of the symptoms you are describing seems to parallel the disorders. If this is a possibility consider locating a feline behaviourist who also is a vet in your region to see what options you can consider before resorting to medication (anti-depressants) in order to treat. Some cats can benefit from short-term medication treatment with behaviour modification techniques.

Here are a few websites on Feline OCD & Feline Hyperesthesia Syndrome (FHS):
http://www.petplace.com/cats/feline-hyperesthesia/page1.aspx
http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index.jsp?cfile=htm/bc/140222.htm
http://www.purelypets.com/articles/felinehyperesthesia.htm
http://www.paws-and-effect.com/pawsandeffect8.html
http://www.geocities.com/pndtpa/glossary/feline-hyperesthesia.htm

Answer 8

It could be that his tail is bothering him, as in there's something painful there. My grandpa had a dog that had cancer which spread to his tail. It was very painful for him and he kept chasing it in circles and chewing at the tip. He chewed it raw. They eventually had to take off most of his tail. He continued to chase his "tail" due to phantom pains.
I recommend taking him to the vet to rule out any medical causes of this behavior.

Answer 9

if you bathe him it could be his shampoo, try using a gentle batheing shampoo for cats, second I understand a cat with an attitude I have one. but I love my cat. this is what you can try with his attitude problem, you can get a spray bottle and fill it with water and when he acts out like this spray him a little with the spray bottle it works for cats with anger problems, I admit my cat is spoiled. I had a similar problem I put down dry food for him he has that at all times, but when he ran out of wet food and I didnt know it he would come in the living room and jump me and growl and bite. so after I talked to the vet he told me to try the spray bottle thing and it worked. now he is nice to me when he runs out of food. just be careful not to spray it in his eyes. trust me it works.good luck

Answer 10

Maybe he thinks his tail is another cat. When my cat gets bored he chases his tail. He don't hiss at it though. Maybe theres something that is underneath his skin or something else that makes him itch on his back.