My cat Smudge is licking her hair off, anyone have any advice?

Question

My cat really has me stumped,Ive always had animals but dont know what to do now. My cat is licking herself red raw,started at base of tail and has now moved up back and under belly.I have taken her to the vets who cannot find anything medically wrong with her and my other 3 cats show no sign of hair loss.The vets said i must have changed something to make Smudge stressed but nothing has changed in 2 years and this problem started 6 months ago.We have not moved and i have been with the same bloke 4 years,she is not fighting anymore then usual with other cats and diet has not changed since she was born (i know this as i bred her), no new additions to family either. The vets have tried treating her with numerous injections all of which have failed. I need to get this sorted as the vets say that if this behaviour continues then Smudge is going to get very serseptible to skin infections and will have numerous problems as she is actually breaking the skin as her grooming is that intense.

Answer 1

One of my cats licks all the fur off of her belly as soon as spring starts and doesn't let it grow back until the weather starts getting cold again. It stumped all of the vets who have seen her. But it's her little idiosyncracy that just started when she was around 7. One thing that does slow her down is if I rub oil of cloves on her belly. It's the stuff the dentist uses to numb your gums. Only here it numbs her tongue and slows her down. Eventually it becomes something of an aversion therapy. She'll still do her thing, but she's not so raw and red all the time.

Answer 2

This problem could be behavioural or medical, one of the answers before mine covers the medical side (the one that mentions the collar to let it heal).

Sometimes the problem can be both of these, or may start as medical and become an behaviour problem.

The behavioural problems can be very hard to treat, I strongly suggest that you get your vet to recommend you a local behaviour therapist. I personally am an animal behaviourist but do not feel I know enough about this particular area to help, but there are definatly people that can.

This type of behaviour is normally due to stress, but it can be very hard for us humans to determine what that stress is. You haven't said how old your cat is or how old the others are, it could be something as simple as a change in the order of dominance between the cats, and this can change at anytime.

Really hope your vet can put you on to someone in ur area to help.

I would be very interested in hearing how things go.

Good luck

P.S. There is a phermone infuser and spray you can get for cats that helps to calm them, but sadly I can't remember what the cat one is called, but I know the dog version is called DAP. Your vet should have the cat version or you may be able to get it from the interent. The pheremone is something the mother cat produces when she has kittens to calm them down and make them relax. This may help to chill your cat out a little if it is due to stress, but it is hard to tell.

Answer 3

So the vet didn't help? Did they not tell you what was wrong? Well that stinks. She may have a skin problem. You should have your vet take skin samples and see if she has mange or something like that. Although I doubt it's mange... I know my friend's cat did this... I don't remember what she said was wrong with her. They changed her food. Her hair is growing back now. I would try what someone above suggested, to spray your cat down with a spray that is like sour apple, and cats hate it. Try giving her a flea bath. You know those little cones they put over an animals head to keep them from biting themselves? You could try that too. It'll keep your kitty from licking herself. I really don't know what to tell you. If you've tried everything, then I'd suggest going to another vet and demanding them to tell you what is wrong with her and what they can do. Don't just let them say, "Just do this and she'll be fine." make them tell you what's wrong so you can do your own research if the treatment they prescribed isn't working. Best of luck!

Answer 4

Can't really tell you what the problem would be(wish I could), but I would be very careful with the injections, especially if they are steroid shots, as they can sometimes throw the cat into being a diabetic,as this happened to my niece's cat. However she was lucky, after giving her cat insulin for about a month, he became normal again and does not need the insulin. Maybe the Rescue Remedy, that you can get at the health food store, would be a benefit to the cat, especially if he is stressed.

Answer 5

Your cat licking her fur off may be a bad habit or a bit like a obsessive compulsive disorder because I know animals can get it. I would try putting some cream onto the sore area and so the anti-Bactria cream will help the skin get better and it might stop Smudge from pulling her fur out because she wouldn't like the taste of the cream

Answer 6

It's called a Lick Induced Lesion. It may be caused by an allergy to flea bites (flea bite dermatitis) in which case take her to the vet for a cortisol shot and a flea treatment like Advantage. If she doesn't stop then you may have to get her a Victorian collar (the cone) to keep her from licking the spot until its healed.

One of my cats had the same problem.

Answer 7

I also have had a cat that did the same thing. He initially was stressed and I think it became habitual for him to do so. I would use an antibiotic cream and try switching to a better cat food. After trying a million things, switching him to IAM's has been the only thing that worked! I tried that after my aunt told me her kitty was grooming this way too and switched her diet.

Answer 8

Has there been any stray cats outside that may be upsetting her? What about cleaning chemicals, perfumes, or air fresheners, have you changed anything there? Also check her for fleas, we have one cat that one flea bite will cause him to like himself raw, plus he has allergies to pollen. He's on flea treatments, but during the spring and fall he will lick himself raw on his lower back, belly and legs. He stopped going outside last fall on his own and now has all his hair. We had tried shots, sprays and topical medicines nothing worked, only him staying inside has.

Answer 9

Strangely enough your cat has exactly the same problem as my housemates cat.She licks and chews her fur as if nibbleing fleas but def does not have them.She even has a scabby feel to her when stroked and is quite manky looking for a well cared for cat.I came across come treatment that bravely garantees it can cure all cat skin problems or your money back! but isnt cheap.I will ask him and post info asap.

Answer 10

It sounds like obsessive grooming.
http://www.vet.cornell.edu/fhc/news/lick.htm

Another possibility: Have the vets checked her hormone levels? Sometimes hormonal imbalances can cause overgrooming.
http://www.petplace.com/cats/psychogenic-alopecia-in-cats/page1.aspx

You may want to try using a Feliway diffuser to help calm her and reduce her stress levels until you can find out what is motivating her to overgroom. http://www.farnampet.com/product.php?pid=100586&key=300100&cat=Behavior+Modification&maincat=Cat

Sometimes things that can really stress cats out may be things that we aren't even aware of, such as a strange cat coming around and looking in your windows and doors, or something noisy occurring while you're away during the day such as nearby construction, or strange people coming around the house. If she likes classical music (many cats do), try leaving classical music playing softly on a radio for her.

minimizing stress in cats:
http://cats.about.com/cs/healthissues/a/stress.htm

Some stress-reducing techniques that may help her:

play therapy:
http://www.littlebigcat.com/index.php?action=library&act=show&item=playtherapyforcats

T-touch:
http://tteam-ttouch.com/ttouch.shtml

I hope she's better soon!