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Has anyone had a cat that licks his fur constantly, to the point where his bottom half is bald? Grayson showed up at my back door a year ago this month and he looked like that and was very skinny. After I took him in, he appeared to get better. He had been to the vet and at that time we assumed he had been shaved for his neuter by someone, but he wasn't microchipped, and nobody responded to my lost and found posts on Next Door and FB. The vet didn't think he had mites or a skin condition, just that it was probably either stress or that he had been shaved.
We thought maybe he had anxiety because he got somewhat better after having a stable home and now he's back to licking himself bald. He is an inside/outside cat, mostly inside and he hates canned cat food. If he sees me coming at him with the dish that has canned food he runs away.
No food issues over here, but I did see a Jackson Galaxy with a cat licking itself bald. Either something is causing him itching, like an allergy, or he's OCD. Some treatment in either case would probably help him.
I had one cat which did this. They were littermates and when his sister stopped being friendly with him he started to lick his fur off in distress. After they got their problems sorted out by becoming an upstairs cat and a downstairs cat he stopped doing it.
My cat Binx and him now appear to have reached an agreement where they now tolerate each other but are not friendly yet. Grayson appears happy and is affectionate so I guess my next step is to take him back to the vet. The first one I took him to doesn't seem all that knowledgeable.
Our calico has done this, off and on, for most of her life. For about a year, we tried medicating her with Prozac. Pros: it stopped the overgrooming. Cons: She turned into a zombie and lost weight (a common side effect of the drug). So we opted to stop the drug.
We've tried Rescue Remedy (worked ok for her) but we've had better results using CBD oil. We don't use it daily, but you certainly can. We know what her triggers are (vet trips, fireworks during the holidays, etc.) and will give her doses during that time.
It's also possible that Grayson may need time to settle into his new home. When we adopted our Lucy (she was left outside by a former neighbor), she initially licked her bum/back end area raw for a few weeks. But, as she settled in that stopped and she's never done it again.
I had Buttons from 1990 until 2004. She was a rescue and lived indoors with me. She licked her tummy so it was smooth and hairless. Tried diazepam which didn't help. In the end, since the skin looked good, I left it like that. She seemed fine and happy (and spoiled) for all those years. There is no telling what kind of trauma these cats have been through so I just chalked it up to nerves.
I give him some catnip when he starts serious licking but it only distracts him for a little while. Grayson has a vet appointment this morning at 10:15. It may just be a nervous thing, but he started a hot spot on his back yesterday. I also want to make sure he doesn't have mites or some sort of parasite.
Well, we're back and the doc thinks it is allergies. He has no mites or fleas. He gave Grayson a cortisone shot. Now, I'm wondering what he could be allergic to. My first thought is his food. He eats Iam's Proactive for Urinary Tract health. Chicken is the first ingredient. I remember someone telling me that chicken is the number one allergen in dogs and I'm wondering if cats have the same issue.
Catsmom you can probably offer some advice here. Grayson also won't eat wet food, not even people tuna or chicken. He runs away when he sees me coming with the plate of canned food. I tried all the things you suggested years ago with one of my other cats to no avail. He will take a couple of licks and that is it.
I'm going to research the best dry food for cat allergies and continue to see if I can find some wet food he likes. I think I've tried just about everything out there.
chiluvr1228- Last year my daughter's cat licked until he had hotspots, the vet said it was probably allergies. Took forever to get them healed and we went through this more than once. We tried some microcynAH spray, which may have helped relieve itching.
I think what may have had the most effect was adding fatty fish to his diet. It's not an every day thing but once a week or so I pull a bit of cooked salmon or salmon skin from the freezer and give it to him. He hasn't had a severe episode of scratching himself raw in nearly a year now. If you think you could get your kitty to eat fresh fish it might be worth talking to your vet about. (I buy the salmon for me from the meat dept and freeze a portion for kitty)
"Likewise, essential fatty acids (fish oils) are similarly ineffective during sudden episodes because they require several weeks to take effect. Cats predisposed to atopic dermatitis should be tried on fatty acid supplements to see if they help lessen future flare-ups and clinical signs." https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-p...ergies-in-cats
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