My cat has OCD! anyone else?

Question

recently we discovered my cat had OCD.. he has pulled out almost half of his fur.. he is an over groomer... I took him to the vet after I noticed that his grooming had gotten in the way of his daily life... he wasnt even eating.. anyway we did other test and she determined he had OCD -- obsessive compulsive disorder-- I had the idea to put a lamp shade collar on him, and it has been a week, it seems to have helped ... he licks his collar now but his hair is growing back.. my question is does anyone have any suggestion for things to do to help him.. I mean he cant live the rest of his life in the lampshade collar can he... also what do I say when people say we should put him to sleep.. my mother in law keeps stating she doesnt know who is crazier the cat or us.. for spending that much money on him.. but I love him and he is my cat even if he is special needs! sorry question plus venting alittle..

Answer 1

My 8 year old cat has had that problem much of her life.

What to say to people that suggest putting a cat to sleep just because its grooming too much and has a bald butt? How about...kiss MY bald butt,lol! Geeze,what a horrible thing to do,kill a pet because it's bald and looks homely!

My cat is FINALLY showing improvement this year and the fur has grown back. It was so bad she was bald everywhere her tongue could reach. The exact cause is unknown but we found a combination of things *together* helped stop it. Doing each thing alone didn't,not sure why though...

1) Feed one can of Friskies tuna and egg each night or even every other night. Our vet called it "kitty heroin" because even sick cats go crazy for it. I think having a can at night helps settle her down and makes her less likely to overgroom. Grooming is to not only clean the fur but also to massage the cat and help them relax. The food seems to do that so she is much less anxious. The vet said she doesn't know why but that it does help.
I also found that it helped stimulate the appetite of another of my cats that was dieing of cancer.

2) A monthly flea preventative like Frontline or Biospot. I've never seen a flea on her or my other cat,but the vet said that one or two may have gotten in and cats are good at immediately removing them so you never see them. All it takes is one bite from one missed flea to trigger overgrooming in a cat with flea allergies.

3) Spraying a spray called Dermcare,it makes her fur/skin taste yucky so even a hard core neurotic like my cat can't keep grooming,hehe. I got it at Petsmart,it's not prescription so is cheap.

4) Worming. My cats are exclusively indoor cats and have always tested negative for parasites but our vet said to try it anyway,it sometimes relieves chronic tummy discomfort in cats,which can trigger overgrooming. Some parasites also don't show up in standard tests and that may be why.
But it also may not have any effect,it's just one of the things we did.

You can also try little outfits,like made for hairless sphinx cats or hairless dogs and newborn human sleepers with a small hole cut in where the pee and poo come out. Adorable!

Good luck with your kitty, I know how frustrating it is and it takes a long time to see results,fur grows back slowly and dealing with breaking a bad habit takes even longer.

Answer 2

Wow, I didn't know a cat could have OCD, although in retrospect, looking back on cats I had long ago, I could believe it. I'm not sure if either of my cats could be diagnosed OCD, though I know they both have their own compulsions, and certainly have a few neurotic tendencies (the younger one is -very- paranoid about anyone seeing him when he's being pet, as if there's something wrong or demeaning about enjoying the attention, he'll run out of the room if a second person enters it... it's kind of endearing in a strange sort of way!)

Unfortunately I really don't have any suggestions other than to either do things that try to distract him - take him to petsmart and go to the toys and try to find something that really gets his attention and keeps it, that might help. Also ask the vet for a few suggestions, if she's dealt with other cats in similar situations she may have some sound advice.

As far as putting the cat to sleep, don't - he's not just a pet, he's part of your family, 'special needs' pets are just as deserving of love and affection as 'normal' pets are. If people ask about it, politely try to steer the conversation to other topics - after all, it's really none of their business. If they can't take the hint gently and persist just let them know (as nicely as possible) that it's nothing to concern themselves with and that you and your family have decided to keep that as a private topic of discussion - if they continue even after that just point out that pets are just like children, they are -not- "disposable" creatures, having them means making a commitment to caring for them, and if you had a child that you found out needed special care no one would ever suggest having the child "put to sleep" rather than spending the time and money to care for him or her... that should (hopefully) get the point across completely and prevent the topic from coming up again. :)

Answer 3

First off the venting is completely understandable. He is your baby. Do not listen to anyone in the aspects of having that sweet little kitty put down. Just ask them, so if you develop OCD would you like for us to have you put down? Animals are like people they can have physical and yes mental problems just as well. You may want to look into getting a clicker. So if he becomes over indulgent in cleaning use the clicker to remind him. It is nothing more than a training device to break animals of well bad habits. It is not harmful in anyway. Just as a comfort my uncle has three dogs. He had one before that had epilepsy and his bills for this dog alone were in the thousands but he loved her as if she was his child. Just recently one needed lasik eye surgery and he got it done. So do what you have to do to care for your cat. Try to alternate the collar so that he doesn't go bald. Poor baby. I do feel for you. I hope that he will get better and I hope what I have said helps in some fraction.

Answer 4

There are medicines that the vet can give him to help with this problem which sounds more like an allergy to me. When people advise you to euthanize your beloved pet simply say " thank you for your opinion but if I had wanted it I would have asked.....really". You might tell your mother-in-law that it was unanimously decided that the cat voted and it was a tie on if crazy was you guys or her. Good luck, you are a special owner!

Answer 5

i have a cat i rescued...not from a shelter, but off the street...he was near death dehydrated and starved...a sack of bones...soon after getting him home i discovered he had a dime size hole in the top of his mouth...i did research and discovered he was a partial cleft palate. i asked my vet if i should put him to slepp... my vet asked me how old i thought he was. i thought he was at least 5 yrs old...my vet asked me if i thought he (the cat) didnt deserve to be given a second chance, since he managed to live that long with his deformity...i wholeheartedly agreed. not he is a fat, loveing, happy boy...but he pulls his hair out...to the point of making sores. it started at the base of his tail and has worked its way up his back. i just recently heard of ocs...i never thought of the elizibethan collar...that was brilliant. here is a link or 2 i found on it.

http://www.catsplay.com/thedailycat/2002-12-09/news/2002-12-09.html
http://www.news.cornell.edu/releases/Feb97/pica.hrs.html

Answer 6

One of my cats has the same thing! He pulled out almost half his fur and the vet gave us some pills for him. Though it turned out that the pills were for the dog..

We usually just put some hot sauce on his fur, he hates the taste but it won't hurt him if he eats some.

It's a bit harsh but it works!

Answer 7

I have OCD. Take him to a cat psychiatrist. lol J/k, but don't put the poor kitty to sleep. Give him to me.

Answer 8

my cat has OCD instead of meow she goes EMOW alphabetically