Older cat pulling hair out

[paulareenee]

Every day when I come home from work I see clumps of hair in the floor. I have observed her a couple of times DIGGING with her teeth and pulling hair out. It is on her back and tail. She is about 17 years old. A friend of mine had a similar problem with her young cat and it turned out to be allergies. Any suggestions?

Paula

 

[jenscuffins]

I'd first make sure she doesn't have fleas, then suspect allergies.

 

[kaleetha]

It could be allergies or it could be anxiety. I'd take your kitty to the vet and see what they have to say about it.

Some things to think about: How long has she been doing this? Did you switch her food recently? Is there new people or pets or something else going on in the neighborhood? Is there an old, new or healing injury that she could be worrying at?

One of my cats licks herself raw, and I've got a Feliway plug-in which seems to help some. In Kanoe's case, we're not sure if it's anxiety or allergies yet. The Feliway might help though. It's available online, should be at Petsmart or perhaps through your vet. It's a bit pricey but worth it, in my opinion.

Hope this helps and keep us updated on your kitty!

 

[paulareenee]

What the heck is a Feliway plug-in? Is it for allergies or fleas?

No fleas. She is an indoor cat and never ventures outside. No food change. No new or healing injury. She's been doing it for a couple of weeks. I DO have a new upstairs neighbor that is VERY loud and inconsiderate and always making a lot of noise, but she couldn't be reacting to that could she?

Anyway, thanks for the quick replies.

 

[z06 butterfly]

My ten year old female begain doing the same thing when I first brought a new cat in to the house. She has stopped now, but it took a few months. It was just stress b/c she was so used to being the only one.

 

[menagerie mama]

It is possibly arthritis. A lot of animals do that if they're in pain, like my mom's old kitty. I would have a talk with your vet about getting some pain medication for her. See what they say. I heard something else about sensations they can have if they're diabetic? It's like a nerve thing I guess, but I don't remember what was originally posted, you could do a search.