I think my kitten is licking her fur off!!?

Question

My five to six month old kitten walked away from me and I saw an area of missing fur on her hind leg. She has a line (about three to four inches in length and a quarter of an inch wide) on each hind leg of just skin. It doesn't seem to bother her too much because she doesn't move her leg when I touch it. The skin does not look swollen or infected, but it is very rough.

Since I've noticed this, I have also been noticing that she licks a lot. I know some cats really want to be clean, but she is also nibbling as if she itches all over. I have checked for fleas and haven't found any. We have another cat and two dogs who seem okay.

I began feeding her soft food once every couple of days. However, I started that after I noticed the missing fur. Other than that, nothing has changed. I have heard that cats can pull out their fur if they are overly stressed, but I don't think she has anything to be stressed about. . . like I said, I haven't changed anything!

Any ideas?

Oh, when I notice her licking (to the point where it doesn't look like she's cleaning herself) I stop her so she doesn't make it any worse.

Answer 1

Take the cat to a vet. Medical advice should not be sought on Yahoo Answers!!

Do you see any black specks on your cat when you comb her? Black specks that maybe turn red when wetted? These are flea dirts, the number one sign that fleas are present - you don't usually see the live fleas themselves unless the infestation is severe.

Chalice

Answer 2

you should take her to the vet..she may have an allergy or she may have ringworm which is very common in cats and they scratch by licking the area and it takes the fur off there is meds you can get over the counter for this...she may need more oil in her diet fish oil that is to keep her skin from being dry which also may be why she licks it till the hair comes off..but a vet will be able to help you figure out which it is

Answer 3

Hmm..Well fleas come to mind, but you say you had her checked? Have you heard of ringworm? What it is, it's a round ring that's a fungus, and cat's are more prone to it than dogs/humans. It's contagious to humans, dogs, birds etc.
I actually have ringworm right now. It's a little red ring on my arm, and it's itchy. The reason I mention it, is both b/c when you get it it's really itchy, and b/c if it were to get in your hair, your hair would fall out in that spot.... lol! I use lotrimun and that works well.. Okay, adios!

Answer 4

Go see the vet about it. It's either an allergy to something, or she may have an anxiety disorder. My sister's cat used to lose all of the hair on her ears and face periodically. It was an unknown allergy. As long as she took her for treatment periodically she never had a problem.

Answer 5

My female cat does this to her right front paw. She not only licks it fervishly, but also like to chew on it (kind of like a person would chew on their fingernails).

Over-licking on one spot is often attributed to allergies, but can also be a habit picked up that they can't shake. In my cat's situation, she had an injury to her paw that required her to clean it, but once the injury had healed, she kept licking that same paw out of habit and "over-grooming" it.

It can also be a behavioral action that indicates stress.

I would take her to a vet as only they can really diagnose if it's physiological or psychological.

Answer 6

i had a cat like this before. He would bite into his fur and physically yank it from his body.

For a while he had to wear one of those satellite dishes around his head. Once the novently wore off he "pulled" much less

Answer 7

There are many possible causes including allergies. What kind of food does she eat? Is there any grains in it? Please take her to the vet to rule out parasites, etc. and then move on to possible allergens.

Answer 8

talk to a VET ASAP