Cat Is Licking Himself, Hair Loss

[Kxng7233]

So for the past 2 months, my relatives have been coming and go. Also there is a new baby in the house. Jingles had a little bald spot before all these new changes, but it got worst in the past 3 weeks. He licked both his back legs bald. He also peed on the floor when my relatives came the first day.

I am not sure if this a stress related or food allergy. I am using ResQ Organics skin treatment for 3 days but no improvement yet.

Anyone have ideas?

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi! Try some low volume harp music - it's known to help relax cats, or kusc.org, or the app Relax My Cat.

Six Surefire Strategies To Reduce Stress In Cats

If by chance it's food related, here's a database; CatFoodDB - Cat Food Reviews to help you find the best cat food for your cat

 

[stephanietx]

You can also try running Feliway diffusers in your house to see if that helps decrease his stress. Have you changed litter or food within this time period?

 

[Kxng7233]

You can also try running Feliway diffusers in your house to see if that helps decrease his stress. Have you changed litter or food within this time period?

I’ve been using Feliway, but doesn’t seem to help.

He’s been having the same food. I wonder if he developed food allergy. He’s been having Zikipeak lamb, venison, rabbit and mackerel. Also some Nature Variety turkey and chicken. So a food elimination will be hard since he’s been having all kinds of protein......

 

[Furballsmom]

You could try a different calming diffuser, thunderease and sentry have them...

Try music, and what if you transitioned to fancy feast for a little while?

 

[Pantherprincess]

View attachment 253295 So for the past 2 months, my relatives have been coming and go. Also there is a new baby in the house. Jingles had a little bald spot before all these new changes, but it got worst in the past 3 weeks. He licked both his back legs bald. He also peed on the floor when my relatives came the first day.

I am not sure if this a stress related or food allergy. I am using ResQ Organics skin treatment for 3 days but no improvement yet.

Anyone have ideas?

I would think this is mites... needs the vet ASAP!!!

 

[Pantherprincess]

I would think this is mites... needs the vet ASAP!!!

 

[Pantherprincess]

View attachment 253295 So for the past 2 months, my relatives have been coming and go. Also there is a new baby in the house. Jingles had a little bald spot before all these new changes, but it got worst in the past 3 weeks. He licked both his back legs bald. He also peed on the floor when my relatives came the first day.

I am not sure if this a stress related or food allergy. I am using ResQ Organics skin treatment for 3 days but no improvement yet.

Anyone have ideas?

VET TIME!! Mites!!

 

[foxden]

He’s been having the same food. I wonder if he developed food allergy. He’s been having Zikipeak lamb, venison, rabbit and mackerel. Also some Nature Variety turkey and chicken. So a food elimination will be hard since he’s been having all kinds of protein......

Chicken appears to be a more "allergenic" protein for many members.
Why not try to eliminate foods with chicken and any poultry byproducts for at least 6 weeks to see if that makes a difference.
The foods you mentioned won't have a lot of byproducts or meal ingredients, however.

I had a HUGELY stressed 6 year old kitty I adopted from a coworker who added 2 new large dogs to their house.
Tipper ALWAYS licked the fur from her tummy and inside back legs. She never created any sores, but in the 8 or so years we had her, she never allowed that fur to grow back. Not "normal" cat behavior, but this was her new normal.
She was always a high-strung and nervous kitty for us, even when she was an only kitty.

 

[CaturdayNightsAllRight]

Are the licked areas warmer to the touch than the rest of your kitty? I used to take care of a cat who licked all the fur off of two spots on his sides (mirror images to one another) and the spots were noticeably warmer that the rest of his body. His owner took him to the vet, but other than the warm patches he was healthy and the vet could find nothing wrong.

I also had a cat that would obsessively groom the base of his tail and even rip out the fur to the point of bleeding. No mites or other nasty pests, just a nervous animal. This usually coincided with something startling...which for that poor guy was everything.

I would definitely recommend a trip to the vet to check for pests. You might also want to create a zen space just for your kitty that he can escape to when things get stressful. Something elevated so that he can feel out of reach, but where he has a good view of everything. I would also recommend that guests keep their noise to a minimum when in the same room as the cat. I know that's hard with a baby...

I would also recommend (if you are not doing this already) lots of pets, snuggles and playtime. It could be your kitty is feeling ignored and the grooming is a sign of stress related to that change.

Good luck and I hope all goes well!

 

[Elfilou]

Elfie is now 3 years old and for the past 2 years, when winter shifts over to spring, she starts having some sort of season related allergy and starts licking and biting herself because of itchiness. She also got bald spots, the first time was the worst.

Of course, the vet explained this to me, the licking and biting in turn causes more itchiness because the site is open and raw. The only way for those bald spots to regrow hair is for the cat to completely leave it alone.

Two years in a row now she would get an injection against the itchiness- she'd leave it alone and the hair would grow back by the time the allergies were over. Now I don't suspect, from what you describe, that was your cat is going through is some sort of allergy I do think its stress related. But it could not hurt to ask your vet for one of those anti-itch injections (I dont know what its called) to at least test out if that is it.

If it is stress, here is some things that help, as another mammal with compulsive anxiety LOL.

Routine. Scheduled feedings and rituals help establish a routine; your cat knows what to expect every day.

Excersize. Physical relief can mean mental relief. 10 to 15 minutes a day is really the minimum you should do for your cat and it will suffice. Dogs need to be walked, cats need to be played with.

Proper diet and nutrition. This one speaks for itself! We all feel better when we eat healthy.

Good luck and let us know.