Cat pulling fur

[Mark129]

Hello all!

I have a question regarding said topic in title.

My girlfriends cat is pulling out his fur, alot went on - basically he got very stressed and we noticed he starting pulling fur, vet said he was stressed, but now he has settled and still has bald spots on his hind legs from doing the same.

One thing i've noticed is that the store sent out the wrong food, it was not hypoallergenic (he normally gets hypoallergenic food) i've done some animal care courses before and im just trying to find out whats wrong with him, it just the food is what i'm thinking, but im by no means a cat expert.

hopefully someone can help and shed some light on this for me!

Mark

 

[CindyH66]

Good morning ! You could be right on target. pulling out fur is a sign of stress. what is causing the stress can take a little detective work, but worth keeping after. I had one kitty, snowball who pulled all of her belly hair out ! Took her to the vet.. she was in the early stages of renal issues , and just wasn't feeling good. Once we found the underlying issue, and started treating it, she stopped pulling out the hair. Good luck finding your cause.. and hope your fur baby is feeling better, whatever is bugging him !!

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi! I would say go with your instincts that this might related to the food. Get him back on his 'normal' food, and see if he stops pulling his hair out. Depending on how long he has been eating the wrong food compared with the length of time for this new hair pulling issue, it could take a couple-three weeks for it to slow down and then stop once he is back on his regular diet.

In the meantime, also look for new triggers that could be causing him stress, just in case you find out it is not food related. Cats that are easily stressed can be set off by what we humans take for granted, so it could be critters/other cats roaming about outside that he can see or sense, construction in the area, new furniture/flooring, strange or new scents in the home - and, on and on. Because of where you indicated the hair loss is (back legs) it could be an issue with the litter you are using, especially if you recently changed it.

If you've never tried cat calming products you might consider that too. There are all kinds of diffusers/sprays and/or chews/liquids to add to his food. Just do an internet search on 'cat calming products; to see what's available, and know that not all of them work on all cats, so you might have to do some experimenting. And, there is also cat music that some members on this site have had success with helping to calm their cats. David Teie's Music for Cats which is on Prime and Spotify, Cat In My Arms on Spotify and elsewhere, and RelaxMyCat.