12 Yr Old Male Cat Licking Himself Bald Is It Feliway Or Pure Vita?

[laamonkey]

My male (inside only) cat has started licking himself bald on his side and scratching like crazy on his neck. We do not have fleas. After doing some research, I am thinking that it may be an allergy. About 1.5 months ago we put a Feliway Diffuser in the house because our other cat goes crazy when he sees other cats outside the windows or door. The only other change is that we started giving him Pure Vita Chicken & Peas Grain Free dry food.
Has anyone else experienced an overgrooming issue with their little buddy while using Feliway or Pure Vita?
I appreciate any input!
Thanks!

 

[tabbytom]

Hello laamonkey , welcome to TCS

Your kitty could be allergic to the change of food and its ingredients. What were you feeding him before the change? Was he scratching and licking like now? If he is not, it could be the food.

It you said there's no fleas but it could be other parasites like mites or ringworm, or dry skin or there's a pain and he's scratching and licking as he's experiencing pain or discomfort or out of boredom, anxiety or some compulsive behavior.

If it persists and before it gets worse, let him be seen by a vet

 

[margd]

Welcome to TCS! I wish it was under more pleasant circumstances. It sounds like your poor cat is miserable right now, poor little darling.

It's not impossible that he's allergic to the Feliway but since you've had it going for a month and a half, it seems to me that the itching should have developed sooner. I'd start first by changing food, especially since if you try eliminating the Feliway first, your other cat may act up again. Going grain free is a step in the right direction but you might look for foods that are both grain-free and lacking chicken. It's not uncommon for cats to develop allergies to chicken so trying another source of meat might resolve the issue.

You may need to put your cat in a cone or a onesie until the itching is no longer so severe. Sometimes overgrooming becomes a hard-to-break habit that perpetuates itself so it's important to limit your kitty's access to the itchy places. You might consider asking your vet about giving him some benedryl to take the edge off the discomfort. That sometimes helps but you should never give it without getting an okay from your vet and getting information on dosing.

I'm not really answering your question since I don't have the hands-on experience with either Feliway or Pure Vita that you're looking for. Hopefully someone who does will help with the voice of experience but I did want to mention the point about chicken being a known allergen for cats.

 

[silverpersian]

I haven't tried Pure Vita, but my cat exhibited symptoms very similar to what you are describing, and it turned out to be a chicken allergy. I feed him homemade raw. I eliminated the chicken, and the symptoms disappeared. I reintroduced it, very gradually, as part of a rotation. He was fine for a while, but developed feline acne after a year or so. We eliminated the chicken again, and the acne disappeared. It's worth mentioning that he can (and regularly does) eat turkey and cornish hen without any problems, so you may not need to eliminate all poultry.

 

[StefanZ]

Feliway isnt known to cause allergies. I suppose its possible, but surely rare.

Peas are know to sometimes give allergies - in humans too. So food would be mine main suspect... Observe it may take several weeks after you take away a food, for a real improvement to be seen.

So change food and look see...

Vets have possibilites to test quicker, there are nowadays especial tests for it.

 

[StefanZ]

ps, 12 yearsh, eh? So it may be other problems too. Some liver problems may cause excessive licking them too... Taking one example.

So make a change in food, but a vet visit and health test may be wise anyways.