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My boyfriend and his two cats moved in a couple weeks ago, and I am pleased to say that they both love it. They have extra room to roam, and BF has mentioned that they seem even happier now than before. This is my first time owning cats, so I'm really glad they're doing so well. I think I am officially a cat person, and I love them dearly.
One of the cats has had an ongoing problem for quite a few months now. He tends to overly clean himself, mainly on his belly. He licks to the point of it bleeding. He also tends to bite himself a lot when cleaning. He's had a cone on for months and the moment we take off the cone, he begins to lick himself furiously (again, on his belly).
From time to time, I'll notice him licking again, even with the cone on. It's rare but when we catch him, we try to distract him by playing with him.
Has anyone dealt with this before? Does anyone know how to keep him from overly cleaning himself?
Skin issues can be difficult to pin down, but the first thing to do is evaluate his diet. It's quite possible that there is something in his food causing an allergy.
Has there been any other changes (aside from the obvious) such as laundry detergent?
How about the kind of litter being used?
What has the vet said?
By the way, congratulations on discovering how wonderful it is to live with cats!
First thought is allergy, second is behavior. Just as catsmom said. Kitty may have a medical condition and if the vet didn't do blood work then it should be done, if that's negative then I'd think allergy, change the laundry soap and fabric softener and wait several weeks to see what happens. Same with the litter. Look at kitties food. If it is an allergy it may be very difficult to figure out, if it's behavioral look for changes in BF's schedule and HIS health/diet etc. ANY change other than moving which is obvious, may have triggered kitty's new behavior. But once the trigger is identified you can address it and get the poor kitty back to normal. That may include medication but hopefully it'll be soon, I'm sure the poor cat is miserable.
Congratulations on joining the kitty lover world, it is an amazing place, full of joy and laughter. They are amazing beings that bring their humans love and delight that we can never hope to repay.
Thanks so much for your replies. Dippy's old vet wasn't very helpful, so I will get an appointment with a new one right away. I will update once we find out the news.
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