We have a problem with Sophie, one of our cats. Over the past month, we've noticed that the fur on her tail and hind legs has been slowly fading away. Our once beautiful, fluffy calico now looks like a chemotherapy patient. The fur inside her hind legs looks shaved clean, and in a couple of places, I can see her skin.
I began to notice this obsessive grooming behavior about a month ago. Until then, she seemed like a totally normal, well-adjusted kitty. In fact, of the three, she always appeared to be the most easy-going and self-confident-- full of that "cattitude" that calicos are so famous (or is it infamous?) for.
I've taken her to the vet twice to rule out any physical reason for the compulsive licking. The first time, the vet did find a slight case of cystitis, which we treated, and evidence of fleas, which we've also treated. (Although she's still scratching, so maybe they're not really gone?) The doctor also recommended using Bach's Rescue Remedy. I can't really tell that it's working, but I keep buying it. We've also tried Feliway, with the electric diffuser, although I suspect we didn't have enough units for it to be truly effective.
We did experience a change in our household harmony, recently. One of our cats, Lily, began to bully our other cat, Shai. So, for the past 3 months, Shai has been living in our office/second bedroom behind a closed door. Now, Sophie is forced to spend more time with Lily. That could be a problem, too.
I've done a little research on excessive grooming, and here's what I've learned:
1) Cats will lick if an area of their body is itchy or painful (like from fleas or an allergy)
2) Cats will lick if they're stressed
3) Licking helps regulates a cat's body temperature in hot or cold weather.
Well, our cats are indoor kitties, so I guess I can rule out reason #3. But my frustration is that the cause could be either of the first 2 reasons--or both. How do I know? Should I ask the vet to take more tests?
Looking over the blog posts, it seems like other kitties have this problem, too, but I see more guesses than success stories. Do you have any experience stopping this behavior? If so, I'd love to hear your stories and get your advice. Thanks!
I began to notice this obsessive grooming behavior about a month ago. Until then, she seemed like a totally normal, well-adjusted kitty. In fact, of the three, she always appeared to be the most easy-going and self-confident-- full of that "cattitude" that calicos are so famous (or is it infamous?) for.
I've taken her to the vet twice to rule out any physical reason for the compulsive licking. The first time, the vet did find a slight case of cystitis, which we treated, and evidence of fleas, which we've also treated. (Although she's still scratching, so maybe they're not really gone?) The doctor also recommended using Bach's Rescue Remedy. I can't really tell that it's working, but I keep buying it. We've also tried Feliway, with the electric diffuser, although I suspect we didn't have enough units for it to be truly effective.
We did experience a change in our household harmony, recently. One of our cats, Lily, began to bully our other cat, Shai. So, for the past 3 months, Shai has been living in our office/second bedroom behind a closed door. Now, Sophie is forced to spend more time with Lily. That could be a problem, too.
I've done a little research on excessive grooming, and here's what I've learned:
1) Cats will lick if an area of their body is itchy or painful (like from fleas or an allergy)
2) Cats will lick if they're stressed
3) Licking helps regulates a cat's body temperature in hot or cold weather.
Well, our cats are indoor kitties, so I guess I can rule out reason #3. But my frustration is that the cause could be either of the first 2 reasons--or both. How do I know? Should I ask the vet to take more tests?
Looking over the blog posts, it seems like other kitties have this problem, too, but I see more guesses than success stories. Do you have any experience stopping this behavior? If so, I'd love to hear your stories and get your advice. Thanks!