Why does my cat keep licking herself to where she has no fur left?

Question

My cat keeps licking herself on her back (mostly the left and right side) to the point where she has no fur left and she has blisters. She's 10 years old but she's only had this problem for 2 years. Her vet gives her shots every 3 months which helped for awhile but now it's not helping much. What is wrong with this picture? Should I be more concerned?

Here's a picture of what she looks like.

http://saradove.com/annifur1.jpg

Answer 1

she has an allergy to something
it looks like a flea allergy and it is pretty bad from the way that she looks. they can get bitten by one flea and break out like that and maybe you should chage her food. ask your vet about science diet ZD this is a low allergen cat food that works wonders they have it in dry and soft cat food. also she needs antibiotics for her skin and ask your vet to bath her in a shampoo called relief this is very good for their skin and it is for dogs or cats that have skin allergies it works great on my little dog that has allergies. you also should put frontline on her once a month to kill any fleas that may get on her before she starts losing her hair even more.

good luck and i hope some of my suggestions work

Answer 2

she could have allergies....which is more common than you think or it could be stress related. If you have recently moved, had somebody leave or move into the home, it could have caused your cat to become stressed. This will cause her to lick both sides of her body...usually her belly, and right above her tail...to the point where she has no hair left or little hair left. Removing her from the stressful situation will help calm her down. Also, the vet can prescribe something to reduce her anxiety. If it's allergies the vet can prescribe some antihistamines for her and some steroids to reduce the itching. Her fur will take about 3 months to grow back to normal after the issue has been treated


try removed all fish oil and/or fish related products from her food. Believe it or not, a lot of cats are allergic to fish. Do this for 3 months without giving her any treats to see if the problem goes away...if it does then you have an allergy and is fixed without fish products in the food...look at the bag of cat food and try to find a food that has no fish products

Answer 3

The problem with using steroid shots long-term is that you are just masking the true cause of the problem and that they lose their effectiveness over time. I think it is irresponsible of your vet to keep giving her shots and not help you find out the underlying cause.

Rather than spending more money on the shots I would put it into a specialist in feline allergies. Corn and chicken are two frequent allergens for cats and dogs. You could go to CA Natural dry food (if that is what you feed her) which is food with only chicken and brown rice. After using that for a month or six weeks you might be able to conclude that the corn was bothering her. If it is still going on you could try Natural Balance's venison and pea. Vets do have special allergy diets for cats and I wonder why your vet has not suggested trying some of these foods out.

Click on my name at the icon for a "recipe" in switching from one dry food to another.

I hope finding what she is allergic to in her food will help clear up her problem.

Answer 4

I would say it's either a skin infection or allergies, causing her skin to become itchy. My dog had really bad allergies and at one point he scratched all the fur off of his eyelids. He had to go in for a shot every little while too (depo medrol is usually what they give for allergies). I would say that maybe it started off as allergies, and maybe has progressed into a skin condition. But this is purely a guess based on your info and picture. Only your vet can know for sure.

Answer 5

i'm not sure about the blisters, but i'd get a second vet's advice. our old cat licked the fur off his belly for several years, got shots every so often to help it. he got extremely sick suddenly one day (vomiting, not eating) and when they took him in, the vet discovered he had advanced cancer all over his body and he had to be put down.

we often wonder now if he knew something was wrong inside and was licking because of this. may be unrelated, but better to not find out the hard way.

good luck.

Answer 6

Your pet could be having an allergic reaction of some sort, either to food, pollen, fabric, powders or flea treatments or even fleas themselves. If she's been doing this for some time it may have started as "scratching" an itchy spot but escalated to being psychosomatic and habitual due to the release of endorphins (for example: the "feel good" response one gets while scratching a mosquito bite). It's a good thing she's seeing her vet, but you may want to consider asking your veterinarian for a dermatology or specialist referral (understanding not to be condescending to your pets primary care provider, but just seeking additional expert advice for the health of your pet and your sanity). The shots she's getting may be steroids - to help curb the itching and reduce the blister site, but IF it were an allergy she could be allergy tested and given specific medications or food(s) to help eventually eliminate this problem. A consult I have been familiar with is a pet allergy clinic in Atlanta - you may want to contact them if your pet's vet has no leads = Atlanta Skin & Allergy Clinic 2728 Shallowford Rd Atlanta 770 936 8922 - and see if they can lead you to some referrals in your area or you could browze the local phone book.

Answer 7

it could be anxiety. Have you started a new job or started going to school in the last 2 years? If you cat has had you around all the time and then suddenly you are gone most of the day she can get very stressed out. I had adopted a cat with that problema while ago. his tail was almost compleatly bare. He stopped once i got him. I think it is because i was there with him and his previous owners worked long hours and took alot of vacations.

maybe you could try and get your cat a buddy. Though being 19 it may not work out so welll. I think there are videos for cats too that may keep her amused

Answer 8

It's not necessarily a physical ailment, like fleas or dry skin. Some behavioral/psychological problems manifest themselves in cats as excessive grooming - to the point that hair falls out or open wounds are created. If you have been treating her for several years and it's not helping, maybe it's time to try a different approach.

My cat was diagnosed by my veterinarian as having severe separation anxiety. The first medication suggested by veterinarian was Amytriptalline, which is like an anti-depressant medication. That made my cat extremely grumpy and lethargic. The veterinarian then switched him to Clomipramine, He was on it for quite some time, until the behavior stopped, and then taken off.

Answer 9

in case you notice that your cat grooming habit replaced possibly you pays closer interest. it must be a demonstration of allergies in case you she your cat nibbling at and around paws and licking greater suitable than familiar. Take a moist paper towel and run in down your cats tail (flees have an interest in white) and plus you would be waiting to verify if any flee poop is left at the back of (dried crusty bits while moist revealed as dried blood) If all else fails swing by using the vet for an elementary verify up good success

Answer 10

It looks like some kind of hot spot or allergy. At that level it isn't very life threatening, but it does make her terribly uncomfortable. I would take her back to the vet and ask for something more localized, like a spray, that will alleviate the itch.

If it were just a nervous habit, you could try putting bitter apple on her, but that wouldn't help the itch.