My cat is grooming too much, losing his fur.?

Question

My cat has this ongoing problem; he spends too much time grooming, and as a result the fur on his spine is almost all gone. He is only indoor, with no other living organisms on his body, and the vet is clueless. He only suggests cortisone shots every couple months, but I am hesitant to continue this route. Please let me know if you experienced similar problem with your cat, and if you were able to find a solution. If you are in San Francisco, CA area and have a vet suggestion, let’s talk offline.

Thanks,
Justyna

So, I am working partly from home, no kids, and this guy is getting lots of love, believe me. We are both crazy about him.
So the vet thinks it is either mental or allergy related The cortisone shots were actually helping and he would stop for a month or two, but I'd rather not give him steroids.
We try to distract him and play with him everytime we see him lick, but we can't do much when we sleep.

Answer 1

what you need to do is spend more time with him this happened to my cat when my husband and I were working all the time and then when I went onto maternity leave and was at home all the time it cleared up. He wants love and attention

Answer 2

My dog did this. We took him to the vet, and the vet said it was anxiety and boredom. Your vet should have known this, and there really isn't much of a reason that cortisone shots would help. Find a new vet.

What we did to help my dog was to play with him more often. We played with him all the time after we found this out. Whenever we caught him licking his paws (that's where the big problem was with him), we would tell him, "no," and then get him into a game of fetch or chase. Whenever your cat starts grooming his back, tell him no and then get out the string!

Good luck!

Answer 3

Have you come up with any solutions? My kitty is doing the same thing! He constantly licks his stomach, and has moved to the base of his tail now. I am very worried about him, we are close, so close my family actually calls him my son. :) He has no fleas, etc, and the cortisone shots dont help. The vet has even given us a liquid to give him to ease any itching he might have from allergies, that doesnt help either. They have suggested it is a mental problem, and that he may need sedatives. I DONT want to do that, I dont want to drug him up and lose his playfulness. Could you let me know if you find anything out? Thanks!

Answer 4

I had a cat that would groom herself until her belly was pink and hairless. She was happy and I just let her alone. Check him for Butfleas. If he is just quietly grooming and not frantic let him be If he seems happy leave him alone. Some say it is boredom and if you can play more that could help but basically cats are loners and could care less about their human slaves. Give him a little cat nip and see if he has fun with that and leaves himself alone.
Basically get him high for a short time of non mutiliation

Answer 5

Poor guy needs more time and attention. My male cat in Cali did the same thing. He is alone daily for very long periods. Try spraying the area with Tea tree oil to sooth. He quit on his own and the hair grew back.

Answer 6

It may be nerves! I brought a new kitten into the house and shortly after my 8 year old cat started grooming and licking off some of her fur on her belly.

Answer 7

Cats have allergies like us and that can cause them to over groom. My cat also does something similar and the holistic pet facility in NYC told me to switch her over to raw food and give her a vitamin supplement. I use raw venison and a powder vitamin supplement that really helped. I have tried using fish oil mixed in the food, that was also suggested, but my cat wouldn't eat it. It is not anymore expensive to feed them raw and their poop stinks far less.

Answer 8

TEA TREE OIL IS TOXIC TO CATS!!!!!!!!!
BAD IDEA!!!!!!!!!