For cats with unexplained overgrooming......

[kai bengals]

......itching to the point of hair removal with scabbing and self mutilation, consider the litter you are using.

Over the past 5 years we've had 5 cats with this condition, 4 bengals and 1 singapura. All of them are allergic to Tidy Cat clumping litter.

Once we switched out to a brand with no perfumes and no chemicals, all of the over grooming and self mutilation stopped within 24 hours.

It took me awhile to make the connection, but I am now 110% convinced and there will be no more Tidy Cat or any other brand with perfumes and odor blockers in our home.

Tidy Cat is a great product, but it can wreak havoc on a cat with sensitive skin.

 

[addiebee]

I like Dr. Elsey's Precious Cats. About the best of the clumping clay litters, IMHO. No scent. Very little dust. Does the job.

 

[kai bengals]

Originally Posted by AddieBee

I like Dr. Elsey's Precious Cats. About the best of the clumping clay litters, IMHO. No scent. Very little dust. Does the job.

Yes! That's what we switched to for all our cats and no more problems. Swheat scoop also elliminated the problem, but it's dusty and makes the house smell like a barn.

 

[sharky]

Hum I wonder... I also used to use tidy cats but changed for health reasons... of the humans... about a yr later Zoey came and I found out she was highly allergic , to at the time I thought all clay but it was tidy cats and another scented brand... I have used beninite clay with her with solid results... Here I use chicken feed with a newspaper based mix with occational clay

 

[addiebee]

BTW - I HATE the perfumey scent in just about all of the Tidy Cat products that I have tried. They give me a headache. Re: smell - I find it's better to give them lots of "depth" to work with and the Dr. Elsey's dries it out. Since I have been more "generous" with filling the pans and letting the litter work its magic - scooping only once a day - things seem to be better actually.

The cheapy, cut-rate pet store that is on the route from my place to my boyfriend's sells the 40 lb bag of multi cat for $11 -best price in the area. Petsmart charges nearly $17

!!!! (This is the same place that sells TOTW for $19 for 15 lbs - also best $ in the area.)

 

[strange_wings]

Whenever anyone on here mentions sensitive skin type allergies I always point out litter and any scented products in the home.

Tomas had his eyes get irritated badly from Tidy cat and other unscented (supposedly dustless) clay litters still made him cough.

 

[kai bengals]

Originally Posted by strange_wings

Whenever anyone on here mentions sensitive skin type allergies I always point out litter and any scented products in the home.

What I've noticed is that nearly everyone (including myself), that has a cat with skin issues, seems to be automatically pointed to food allergies by their Vets.
Seems most Vets aren't thinking outside the box (no pun intended). It now seems so obvious to me, with the amount of daily contact a cat has with with it's litter, that it should be one of the top things to consider.

 

[strange_wings]

Originally Posted by Kai Bengals

What I've noticed is that nearly everyone (including myself), that has a cat with skin issues, seems to be automatically pointed to food allergies by their Vets.
Seems most Vets aren't thinking outside the box (no pun intended). It now seems so obvious to me, with the amount of daily contact a cat has with with it's litter, that it should be one of the top things to consider.

In my case it was a kitty with respiratory issues so that was the first thing I thought. Also, my husband has asthma and several allergies himself - the clay litter, especially scented ones, would cause an attack if poured around him and if the cats started digging too much. I myself am sensitive to chemicals and have sensitive skin, so when I see an animal or person itching a bunch I think"what's on them?".

I think it's probably harder for vets to convince people that litter or other things around the home could be a culprit. Just try convincing a person that the perfume they wear is making you sick - you'll get an argument that it isn't possible.

 

[otto]

This is a very informative thread. I use plain clay litter, no scents added, and yes it is dusty. But the cats are only breathing it when they use the boxes, so I don't worry about that too much.

I want to add, that cats can be sensitive to more than just a heavily fragranced litter. I know many people like to put those awful "air freshener" plug ins near litter boxes and this is the worst thing anyone can do. Who knows what those things put out? I have a sensory intolerance disorder and any kind of air freshener, but especially plug ins, make me gag. Just think how much more sensitive a cat's nose is to those things.

Also, if a cat is having a skin allergy, the person's laundry detergent, fabric softener, and any cleaning agents need to be considered. And yes, even the perfume a person may wear, or hand lotion.

 

[white cat lover]

Margo had some issues with hairloss when I was using Tidy Cats litter, however at the time it never occured to me. I slowly started switching over to a different litter, as I wasn't happy with the TC. Once on a new litter, we had no problems (Arm & Hammer Unscented Multi Cat). Margo is picky about her litter, so I had to choose carefully. I was looking into changing her diet - when all I had to do was change her litter & we've been problem free for 6+ months.

 

[jellobaby]

They just discontinued my litter, and so we switched to the Tidy Cats light weight and one of my cats has developed a rash on his belly we think is from over-grooming.  It was great to find this post that confirms some of my suspicions.  We are going to try Dr. Elsey's and see how that goes.  Thank you!