Overgrooming

Andrewv31

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I need to know if there was a solution to this. My cat has been overgrooming for the past 2-3 months and has a cone on for the duration of us trying to find an answer with the vet. I have read about other members having this issue and feel somewhat relieved I’m not the only one dealing with this. Please help.
 
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mani

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A Andrewv31 welcome to TCS! We moved your post from an old thread. Perhaps you could give more information about what is going on?
If it's stress the cone may exacerbate it. How old is the cat?
 
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Andrewv31

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Well he had 3 canine teeth removed 4 months ago and the vet thinks the reason he is overgrooming is due to a poultry allergy but there is no food that doesn’t have poultry in the ingredients that is also apart of his kidney diet. He is 14 years old and weighs 16 pounds. He is an awesome cat and has an e collar on for the duration of the 4months besides a show 2 week skid when he didn’t overgroom. I noticed several people have dealt with this same issue and it can be difficult to resolve due to be such little food out there for cats. Any help is appreciated. Thank you.
 

Furballsmom

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Hi!
Has he had his mouth rechecked? The overgrooming started right after the teeth were removed, and not before even though he was being fed food with chicken in it prior to the dental work?

Can you talk to another vet in a different clinic?

There are some cat foods available with novel proteins such as rabbit, venison, alligator, boar and bison, and even kangaroo. For a kidney diet it isn't necessarily the protein itself that is important as much as making sure that the phosphorus content of the food is low. If you decide to look into any of these proteins, check the manufacturer's website for the nutritional breakdown. Often they'll list a few on the product page but then will provide another link for a more detailed breakdown of all of the ingredients, vitamins, minerals etc and they often provide both As Fed and Dry Matter Analysis.

"you want your cat to eat food with less than 0.5% phosphorus on a dry matter analysis basis. In practice, most therapeutic kidney foods have a phosphorus level of around 0.4-0.7%, so many of them are above the AAFCO minimum for healthy adult cats of 0.5% on a dry matter analysis basis".

This is the website that quote is copied from. There is a tremendous quantity of information, but if you take it a bit at a time especially regarding diet and food, it can be quite helpful.

Tanya's Comprehensive Guide to Feline Chronic Kidney Disease - Which Foods to Feed, and Which to Avoid

For your cat's overgrooming, try chamomile tea. Store bought is safe for him if he licks it, and it is anti bacterial, anti fungal and will ease his discomfort.

You may also want to consider Cat Music since he may be stressed. There is Relax My Cat, Music For Cats and spotify etc has harp music for cats.

One more thing, this can be very useful as well for kidney kitties (my Poppycat absolutely LOVES the baby food soup);
Tips To Increase Your Cat’s Water Intake – TheCatSite Articles
 

mani

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My cat overgroomed from arthritic pain.. the areas were around his hips and down his back legs, along with his tummy. I also as away for a while and he was looked after by a housesitter. That exacerbated the issue (stress).
Since he's been on meloxicam for the arthritis (and of course, I'm now home) his hair is growing back.

I'm reading this as he only started overgrooming after his extractions? I'm wondering why it's definitely a food allergy?
My boy recently had many teeth out and is taking a long time to get used to his 'new mouth'. I wonder whether this could be stress from having an odd feeling mouth? Where is he grooming?
 
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Andrewv31

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Well at first he was overgrooming his forelegs and then he stopped for acouple of weeks and we had the e collar off of him until I noticed he was overgrooming his chest. Regarding his teeth, he has gotten them rechecked several times when I have taken him in. They have done skin scrapings and no signs of anything. It could be psychological but he has had the e collar on for a long time and I figured it would have broken by now. I am working with the vet to find a good food alternative to his allergies but other than that thank you!
 

Furballsmom

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What I'm suggesting is that I don't believe it's allergies causing this. The over grooming started right after the dental work was done, is that correct? If so, changing the food isn't going to have an effect.

Would you consider using the chamomile tea to help your cat feel better?

Do you have multiple water bowls out for your cat, cleaned daily with fresh filtered water daily?

Can you consider talking to a different vet in a different clinic? Having a cat in a collar for four months is not normal.
 

mani

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Well at first he was overgrooming his forelegs and then he stopped for acouple of weeks and we had the e collar off of him until I noticed he was overgrooming his chest. Regarding his teeth, he has gotten them rechecked several times when I have taken him in. They have done skin scrapings and no signs of anything. It could be psychological but he has had the e collar on for a long time and I figured it would have broken by now. I am working with the vet to find a good food alternative to his allergies but other than that thank you!
My vet has told me that stress is a factor the majority of the time. The collar itself could well be a stressor.
It's not so much that there's anything wrong with his mouth, but that it feels very different to him. Grooming is a way of making a cat feel better...it comforts them.
You may like to try a Feliway diffuser. They work for some, but not all cats by releasing pheromones that act as a comfort.
 
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Andrewv31

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What I'm suggesting is that I don't believe it's allergies causing this. The over grooming started right after the dental work was done, is that correct? If so, changing the food isn't going to have an effect.

Would you consider using the chamomile tea to help your cat feel better?

Do you have multiple water bowls out for your cat, cleaned daily with fresh filtered water daily?

Can you consider talking to a different vet in a different clinic? Having a cat in a collar for four months is not normal.
Yeah I honestly don’t think it’s allergies either but we have have changed his diet pretty severely. He used to have dry food 24/7, and now he gets a half a can of wet food twice a day which has differently levels of protein and is very different. I just want to make it clear he’s not in a plastic collar he is in one that is much more comfortable and is very used to it by now , that said I can’t stand him in a cone either but I can’t have him licking off all of his hair. I have taken him to the same vet so many times in the past couple of months I really just want him to be better. It sucks knowing he’s in a cone all day trust me.
 
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