How do I stop a cat from pulling it's hair out with it's teeth? She doesn't do this in just one spot.

Question

Cat is not young or old. Have had both cats for 2 years. Playing and paying more attention to her does not make a difference.

She has gone to vet - nothing wrong there. Can she be stressed for 2 years???? I doubt that ! What other options are there?

Answer 1

It sounds like she either has a skin condition/irritation or that she is highly stressed. Either way, I would advise you to take her to the vet for a professional diagnosis. They will then be able to advise you on treatment or solutions. And in the meantime, just be very gentle with her and give her lots of praise and reassurance.

Answer 2

If she hasn't been seen by a vet recently, then it's worth taking her for a check-up as there could be an underlying health problem such as parasites, allergies or even food intolerance.

If your vet can rule out health problems, then she may be doing it because she feels stressed. When a cat is feeling anxious, they use grooming as a comforting diversionary activity rather than facing up to the problem. You need to determine the source of the stress and either remove or alleviate it.

A Feliway plug-in may help as they emit an aroma that cats find soothing. Bach Flower Remedies can also be helpful in treating stress. The link below tells you which ones to use and how to administer them.

http://www.critterchat.net/bach.htm

EDIT: Boredom or frustration can cause an otherwise healthy cat to over-groom. How well do the two cats get along? Do they get on okay or is the other cat the more dominant one? Is there any possibility that she's being bullied? Have there been changes of any kind within your home that might have triggered this behaviour? Even minor things like new furniture or re-decorating can be a huge deal to a sensitive cat. Spend more time brushing her, so that she still benefits from the comfort of being groomed, without her getting over zealous doing it herself. Your vet may decide to fit her with an Elizabethan collar to help break the habit. The link below has lots of information that you might find helpful.

http://www.kittens-lair.net/cat-health/lick-dermatitis.html

The Celia Haddon Cat Problem Page has an article you may find helpful below on skin allergies in cats, together with a check list of 18 reasons why cats feel stressed or unhappy.

http://www.celiahaddon.co.uk/pet%20problems/cats/frameset.html

Hope you find a solution. Good luck.

Answer 3

I've had cats do this (over-grooming), and it's usually an increase in noise, smells, activity in the house that makes them nervous----it's how they cope.
Stress for a cat in a household can just mean the furniture being in different places, or the schedules changing---they prefer everything to be very stable and quiet and predictable.

Both got over it just fine.

Answer 4

If it's just in one spot, she might have something itching her there. Take a look and see if she has a bite or perhaps a rash of some sort.

You might even want a vet to look at her and see what's going on with her skin.

Good luck!

Answer 5

Is she balding herself? If she's not balding herself I wouldn't worry about it. If she is balding herself you definitely need to talk to your vet. Some cats will bald themselves because of skin problems or because of emotional stress. I had a cat that balded herself because she missed my brother when he went off to college.

Answer 6

All she is doing is un knotting her hair.
Shes cleaning herself, shes using her teeth as a comb.

Answer 7

if shes pulling it out with teeth..., try to poor a bit of lemon juice in her mouth every time she does it... but you dont wanna stop her from cleaning... hmmm

Answer 8

sry i cant really help but i have a suggestion, have you asked the vet?

Answer 9

VET_ASAP Can be stress induced-what is going on in your home?

Answer 10

Don't stop it. Shes just cleaning herself.