Over grooming cat

catlover85

[EMAIL="govnar_kat@hotmail.com"]govnar_kat@hotmail.com[/EMAIL]

My cat has been overgrooming for a couple of years until he started getting better and let his fur grow back. But recently he has started again and it's worse then before. We've tried all sorts including Feliway herbal tablets and the vet has recently started giving him steroid injections but nothing seems to be helping. He's had all sorts of test that all came back negative. He doesn't appear stressed and is not off his food and there have been no changes in his environment. Has anyone has this problem if their cat pulling their fur out? I have no idea what to do!!

podperson

We had the same problem with our cat a few years ago - was getting so bad she was nearly bald on her tummy and the top of her tail. After spending a fortune on vets bills to be told that she must be stressed (and there was no reason for her to be, no change in enviroment or circumstances and she's a house cat so nothing outside would have been bothering her) ended up getting a second opinion and she was put on steriod tablets for a while, helped a little but didn't clear up totally and in the end she just stopped doing it. No idea what brought it on or why she stopped again - actually started doing her tail again a few months ago but again seems to have stopped now. She seems perfectly happy and doesn't seem to bother her so have just decided to leave her be unless it gets really bad again.

catlover85

Thank you. He's been seen by a couple if vets as well with no diagnosis except stress and he is nearly bold on his tummy and back legs and has a strip down his back, which is slowly growing back but he has recently started on the base of his tail. We keep trying to gently discourage him an he does eventually settle down. He's happy in himself, so maybe he will just stop in time.

BillTrac

Catlover85,

we have two Ragdolls who generally have magnificent coats and the older one lost all of hers through over grooming. She used to be a fantastic looking cat, like the second Ragdoll we have.

I took her to the vets who first gave her an injection to try and ease the need to wash herself all the time. And also we use Advantage monthly which now sees her with her coat back.

Vet seemed to think it was a stress related problem which became a habit. She always used to wash her right paw when she was happy, but the washing of her coat was a real change.

Now she is back to the beautiful girl she was.

Kaelea

My cat does this every year without fail, she ends up with 4 bald spots on her sides

it starts as soon as the central heating goes on, stops March ish time

like you the vet tried everything, we can't find a cause,

13 years later she still does it every year, its not causing her any harm so we leave her to it

your cat could be the same and its just one of those things ??

juliebunny

I've got a multi cat household and my bw elderly girl went through a phase of about a year pulling her fur out. Now she has established her place in the house, it has stopped. I also noticed it was better in summer when they were all out and about more - in winter I guess they are more stressed indoors. Like kids on a rainy day.

Last year one of my other cats started doing the same - it turned out she has asthma - since we have that under control, she now has a lovely coat of fur again. :j

I have also put litter trays in 2 locations around the house, 3 feeding stations and water bowls and this has also helped in my 'lotso cats' household!

Jo.80

Quite interesting to read about this as my cat does this every year too. It's normally every February/March time for the last 4 years.
She chews all the fur out her hind legs and behind, so she sports a bald bum for a few months(!)- poor thing. I have taken her to the vets and there is no sign of fleas, mites, etc and the vet couldn't really do anything. I have just resorted to simply buying anti-itch/soothing wipes from the pet store which I put on every so often. It also states it has a bitter taste so prevents them from doing it more. Sometimes she can look quite sore. But I wouldn't say my cat is stressed - I've just put it down to a seasonal thing - maybe change in the weather. She has a nice fluffy bum at the moment so I'll just have to wait and see if she does again this year!

catlover85

He does sound like he has a bunged up nose when he breaths occasionally, could that be asthma?

lostinrates

One of our cats did this when in quarantine. Obviously for her it was stress related, and out of quarantine she never did it again. while in the quarantine cattery they made lots of effort to keep her relaxed and busy (this was many years ago) but it was only removing the stress (i.e. coming home to us) that stopped it.

Good luck finding out the cause!

alarox

My cat Poppy started over-grooming a few years ago. She had no fur at all around the base of her tail and backside, she looked a right state! For over a year I tried several things - flea treatment, vet visits for injections, steroid treatments, nothing worked. As a last hope I bought an elizabethan collar from a pet shop and some pet skin cream. I made Poppy wear the collar for a week, and applied the cream every day. It healed her skin and broke the over-grooming cycle. All her fur's grown back now, though I'm sure she hated me for the collar!