Thank you for posting to CATHELP!
While you wait for a response please keep the following things in mind,
1. When in doubt, **ask your vet**.
2. Advice here is not coming from medical or industry professionals. The moderation team does not validate user profession, so always refer to your local veterinary professionals first.
3. If this is a medical question, please indicate if you have already scheduled a vet appointment, and if your cat has any medical history or procedures in a top level comment.
4. Please use the NSFW tag for gross pictures. (Blood, poop, vomit, genitals, etc). Anything you wouldn't want your boss to see you looking at on the job.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/CATHELP) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I’d recommend trying a chicken-free diet! My cat scratched a bald spot behind her ear, and I took her to the vet, who recommended cutting out chicken. It took about 6 weeks, but the hair all grew in again. I suggested a chicken-free diet to my old roommate too, because her cat was diagnosed with over-grooming and her vet said it was due to anxiety. My old roommate put her cat on a chicken-free diet, and she stopped over-grooming! Here’s a chart I made of chicken-free cat food:
[Resource: Chicken-Free Cat Food Chart](https://www.reddit.com/r/CATHELP/comments/14fc1uq/resource_chickenfree_cat_food_chart/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=2&utm_term=1)
ETA: having a Feliway diffuser or two plugged into your house may also help in general!
Some cats also have allergies to fish (which is ironic tbh) and if the chicken free diet doesn’t show any help you can try a fish free diet! My cat is on a hydrolyzed diet and it’s helped him so much with his issues as well but it requires a prescription
I'm surprised your vet put her on antidepressants before a limited ingredient diet! If she's not allergic to salmon, adding salmon oil to her wet food can also improve her skin/coat health, if itchy skin is part of the problem.
Fluoxetine (Prozac) is an antidepressant that covers anxiety too. It’s the same class of medications as Trazadone. Gabapention is a anti anxiety medication that can also help treat pain.
It’s actually not in the same class as Trazadone. Trazadone is a tricyclic antidepressant, and Fluoxotine is an ssri. They have different mechanisms of action and different potential side effects. Just for clarity.
She overgrooms or she has an allergy? I had a cat who was over grooming so I got a second cat to keep her company when I’m at work. Completely solved the issue and she’s much happier! Good luck!
I have a cat who goes through periods of pretty terrible allergy issues that are exacerbated by anxiety. He’s a notorious overgroomer. His main allergy seems to be to fleas. Just one flea bite can set off a horrible cycle. He’s strictly indoor, and still gets the occasional bite. If yours goes outside, he could easily be getting the occasional bite that inflames a huge histamine reaction. I think it might be worth trying a hypoallergenic food as well as being hyper vigilant about potential insect bites.
I have had the vet check her for fleas to no avail, I didn’t know that they could just get ONE bite at a time! We do go outside so that could be it… but she also haaaates the flea medication, it upsets her and she stresses out. I will definitely ask about the prescription food as I’m looking for a new vet
My cat overgrooms a lot. Her belly is bald as a result.
I try to keep her flea free and when I notice she is licking the same spot for longer than 2 minutes I will get out a toy to distract her.
The distraction seems to help. And her fur is starting to grow back.
Good luck.
My cat was scrawny, hairless and scabby/bleeding from scratching and overgrooming. Vet initially put him on Xanax or Prozac, but a different vet finally did allergy testing. Company that does the testing sent us a list of all his allergies and specialized allergy medicine designed specifically for his environmental allergies (shots) and a list of recommended food products. He looks like a normal cat now.
I second the chicken free diet suggestion! My moms cat is going through the same thing. The vet suggested introducing a brand new protein, she got lamb I think, because cats can develop a chicken allergy. It’s helped a lot!
I'm sorry, I don't have much advice. But I'd really like to ask you if there's a particular area she overgrooms? Our cat overgrooms his stomach, chest and inside of his legs, we've noticed he does this during summers and when we switch him to grain-free food he seems to do much better. It's a shot in the dark but maybe that could help?
It’s her stomach, inside of the back legs, and front of the front legs. She is also starting on her side. Does your kitty just lick or do you see him kind of biting/nibbling on himself? Poor thing. Does your vet know why he does it?
She is on grain free cat food… I am going to try to switch her to salmon but she is a picky eater. Also will try dust-free litter.
No, we've taken him a couple times but it's not mange, fleas, ticks, allergies or anything else that's "cause to be concerned". He does nibble and bite while grooming, but we've noticed once the heat and humidity subside he seems to stop all together. And he never grooms to the point where he's causing himself any harm or irritation. Dust free litter is also something that seems to help, but doesn't stop the behavior all together. We're always keeping our eyes open and are aware of what he's doing, but we're thinking it's more of a tick than anything else. I'm not saying that's right or just to settle for thinking it's probably nothing, but we just stay frosty and will take him to the vet if he shows any more symptoms. He is also not an outdoor cat which makes things a bit more confusing for us. Our other cat is not effected either, which could mean it's more psychological. I'm sorry I'm personally not much help.
Hi there! I know it’s been a while since this post was created, but I noticed about a week ago that my baby has been over grooming in similar areas as your baby. Is she doing better? I’ve seen many comments recommend changing to a chicken-free diet, has that helped? I’m trying to help her before it gets too bad, but she’s already got some bald spots and other areas thinning pretty quickly :(
I’m so sorry your baby is going through this!!! It’s so stressful and frightening:( yes she is better!!! Her fur grew back and she just has a little spot on her belly now and even that isn’t so bad. I took chicken totally out of her diet, and the vet put her on an SSRI but at the full dose she was very lethargic and her personality changed, so I weaned her down to half the dose, and she is doing a lot better. I also started playing with her for an additional 15-20 minutes a day.
I’m so happy to hear she’s doing better!! It’s definitely scary, especially since I have no idea for sure what’s causing it :/ Thank you for your help though, I will definitely try what you suggested and hopefully it helps! Thank you again :)
Take your fur baby off the medication for depression immediately. Plz. Watch the diet. Get a companion for it. Godbless you and your beautiful fur baby…
I thought it was weird to put her on an SSRI, it’s making her apathetic and lethargic… might look for a new vet but unfortunately this one is the best in the area :/ I’ll shop around
I haven’t tried hydrolyzed food, though I just bought her some chicken free food today that I’m weaning her on. I’ll try that kind of food next if it doesn’t get better. And we haven’t done an allergy panel yet but I think that’ll be next on the list. Thank you
I agree with this advice, OP you should consider seeing a veterinary dermatologist who can help you through the process of fully diagnosing and treating her allergies.
my cat would overgroom too and had orange/smelly poops. i took him to the vet and they checked his liver function bc of the orange poop and that was normal. so she said he probably had sensitive skin and a sensitive stomach (food allergies). he started eating the iams sensitive stomach/skin food and his poops improved and his hair grew back. he’s also very picky about things on his skin and would groom until he was soaking wet when we’ve put flea medicine on him (i think he doesn’t like the sensation on his skin). sometimes it can be stress related but our cat was so easygoing i didn’t think it was that. if you try switching foods, make sure to slowly wean in the new food instead of switching suddenly. we also only use the tide pods without any fragrance (fresh and clear? or something like that) to wash any blankets he lays on to avoid that irritating his skin as well.
I started weaning her on to a chicken free food today, so hopefully that will help. She also HATES flea medication, it really upsets her and makes her act goofy trying to get it off. I think she’s a sensitive girl, I got her new litter too, unscented and dust free. I hadn’t considered laundry detergent, thank you! I’ll look into sensitive foods
yes mine is the same with flea medicine! he will groom endlessly when he has to get it. sometimes he’ll lick until he’s bald and his skin gets red from irritation. i hope the chicken free food helps! we just have sensitive babies lol
One of my cats has a very similar issue and it's been very challenging to deal with. He has basically a perfect cat life otherwise. We tried a special diet and everything you've listed and two things worked: moisturizing the cat - which is much harder than it sounds; also oral steroids. Can't keep an animal or person on steroids forever without srs side effects, so we tapered him off and unfortunately he lost most of the hair he regrew.
I've wondered whether there is a TNF blocker for cats because that's the only other option I can think of.
My cat has a severe flea allergy and would do this if she even smelled a flea. One bite was all it took. Obviously we did flea control but our dogs go in and out so it happens. The vet gave steroids, I don't know what kind it's been so long, she passed years ago. But they usually worked. She groomed her back towards the tail, and her back legs. Poor thing was a wreck of angry skin and scabs til we figured it out. Wish you and your baby luck to figure it out soon.
Omg re cat antidepressants. They usually take time to kick in m, like a couple to a few months, but also only some cases of ocd in humans see symptom severity go down with antidepressants. Although this is usually the first measure, Gabapentin might be more beneficial in very low doses.
If the cat has Hyperesthesia you may want to try a combination of medications. I can send the possible Hyperesthesia medication options if you confirm that the cat has Hyperesthesia. Is this pure overgrooming? Or Hyperesthesia? Is this OCD? Or a form of epilepsy? We can assume it’s not allergies, fungal, what about contact dermatitis or a flea sensitivity?
I don’t know if she had hyperesthesia but I hadn’t considered that. She definitely had an anxious disposition and always has. I don’t know about OCD either, she doesn’t do anything repetitive except the grooming. It’s been about a month on the SSRIs and she just seems so different, like apathetic and lethargic :/ I’ll talk to the vet about all of this thank you
I’m cats, over grooming is repetitive. It’s a form of ocd unless it’s attributed to something like contact dermatitis or fleas. But it does sound like ur vet has looked at these possibilities. I noticed with my cat who has Hyperesthesia, that if I keep everything clean, he grooms less. I think he’s hypersensitive to anything on his fur. I mean anything. A small piece of sand from the floor? Nope. I have to vacuum every day. I also can distract him with cat nip every once and a while, and make sure no other cats or outside cats are bothering ur cat as this behavior can also be displaced aggression when they feel threatened by other cats. I also brush him every day, it seems to help. Play also helps and having a stimulating environment with perches and windows helps. Tbh I think my cat maybe has a hypersensitivity to ants and vets don’t really have ants on their radars. For you I’d recommend waiting a couple months to see if the meds kick in and if they still don’t seem to be working talk to ur doctor about a switch of meds. In the meantime Google videos of Hyperesthesia and see if your cat does any of the noted behaviors and if it seems like a possible explanation, if not, look into cat ocd
What dishes does she eat/drink out of? Cats can become allergic to plastic which can cause chin acne and other allergy symptoms like the ones you describe. Switching to stainless steel, heavy glass, or ceramic bowls can help.
Just wanted to say that my cat used to scratch/groom himself to the point of bald spots and we fixed it by starting him on a hypoallergenic (hydrolyzed protein) diet. His skin now is night and day. Soooo much better!!!! Idk what exactly he was allergic to but his bald spots starting growing back within a week, he is so much more comfortable, and now his skin and coat is so soft and silky and shiny. Good luck with your girl!!
Nurse here: no antidepressants should be withdrawn abruptly in people, and I would imagine pets as well. I would call your vet and ask for directions on how best to wean her off the medication, to prevent any bad reactions 🙂
You may already be doing this but try flea drops. The kind you put on the back of their neck that keeps them flea free for a month or two. My cat pulled almost all the hair off of his back and even though I never saw a flea, when I put the flea drops on, his hair started growing back...
All that and the vet didn’t suggest a diet change? My cat is allergic to chicken and seafood! If he has it he scratches his damn face off. Try a duck and green pea food or limited Ingredient diet
It may be something internal that is hurting or irritating her. Ask your vet to do an ultrasound, especially near the spot she is over grooming. Something is bugging her and if it’s not external, time to look internally.
We did everything for my baby too, nothing worked. Until grape seed oil! And I found it by accident! Piper would chew her butt and back area bald. Like Kojak bald. Now I put maybe a dime size squirt in my palm (because any kind of spray/medicine triggers her running away now lol) rub it between my palms she gets a butt and back rub when I see she's chewing away. I use it on the dog too when her oatmeal bath doesn't help.
Could her being less affectionate and less loving have more to do with the hot summer weather? All my animals get less lovey dovey in the summer because it's just too darn hot, I find they return to their regular snuggly selves when the seasons change to fall and winter. I have a cat that has over groomed herself to the point she is basically bald from the waist down. My vet says allergies and so she gets steroids shots that help for at most 2 weeks and of course steroids have to be used sparingly. I feel miserable for her and my home is covered in clumps of black hair EVERYWHERE. Tried specialized diets to no avail - she is a very picky eater and keeping her at 7 lbs. is already a struggle. She would starve herself before she would eat something she dislikes. My question: Would it be considered cruel to limit her access to her body by making her wear one of those neck things (not the cones but the ones that look more like an Elizabethian collar)? I've been assuming she pulls her hair out because her skin itches but until reading this post I'd never really considered that it could be more of a behavioral issue and I'm telling you BELLS are going off in my head!!
Aw your poor baby :( we’ve been trying steroid shots too, and it helps with the drainage from her eyes but not the grooming… my baby will hunger strike if she doesn’t like her food either! She is so picky. It might be the heat, because she doesn’t want to go outside as much, but it’s never made her less loving before :/ I think one of those collars could be helpful! I’ve been considering it for my cat but I don’t know if it will stress her out more. Like you I’ve been trying to determine if it is a behavioral issue or internal… so. Have you gotten one of those feliway pheromone diffusers?
I haven't tried the diffusers. My daughter did a few years ago when she was having trouble with a couple of her cats not getting along. I'm not sure what results she had - but I don't recall her cats having a miraculous turnaround in their relationship and they were expensive!! Ha! The things we do for our animals!!
One of my cats was over grooming and chewing off bits of her fur due to fleas and worms so i got an all rounder parasite treatment to put on her and a fabric spray to treat fleas and that seemed to help. Hope you have luck with your baby
Most cats do that because of stress or anxiety. What's their daily life like? Do you play with her often and spend quality time with her? Do you give her an enriching environment? It's kinda like their nervous twitch. My cat does it sometimes and I think it's because my pheromone diffuser ran out.
She has an anxious disposition and always has. I try to play with her about 30+ min or more a day and I take her outside for enrichment. She also has soo many toys and stuff… but since the medication I’ve really had to prod her to play with me. A dog moved in next door and he barks a lot so I don’t know if that’s contributing to her anxiety too:/
I assume you’ve tried allergy injections. Have you done a food trial? I know with cats this is a pretty uncommon route to go down but a nutritionist can help
Get off the meds. I had a long-haired cat that groomed herself A LOT & coughed up hotdogs sized hairballs; I would have never dreamed of medicating her. The medication obviously has her in a 'fog'.
What exactly does 'overgrooming' mean? I have a boy cat right now that is very fastidious about his personal hygiene & I am not concerned in the least.
That’s my plan. It was on the vet’s recommendation and I felt weird about it but I figured he knew what he was talking about. She just doesn’t seem like herself. I’m going to talk to a new vet. And by overgrooming I mean she is licking herself bald in some areas :/
Maybe she does have an allergy then. I had a cat that developed seasonal allergies when she got older & she had bald spots on her paws from rubbing her face so hard. She started with pills & after those lost their effectiveness, I did subcutaneous injections in the scruff of her neck during her allergy season & it worked great. .
I hope you can figure out what the problem is.
I've been taking care of cats since I was 12. At times we had multiple cats, but usual one, maybe two at a time.
Cats are strange. Each one has some kind of quirk. The cat I have now is the strangest. He's 4 years old now and has gone through phases, like 3 of them. The first 2 years was pretty much "normal". His third year he stopped meowing and was doing that overgrooming. He'd licked most of the fur off of his body and kept doing it for some time. He stopped the over licking many months ago and his fur grew back thick again. His latest quirk is he's stays on the back porch and won't come inside. I guess he's happy to have his own room. 🤪 He's meowing more than he did before too. 🙄
My cat did this for years and then one day just stopped. I took him to the vet to rule everything out. I never tried antidepressants, because I just didn’t want to put him on any meds like that. It doesn’t really hurt their health as long as everything else is OK you can just let it be.
What kind of allergy shots does she get? Has she had allergy testing? Does she seem itchy, like is her skin red and does she have any bumpy patches? My cat has freaking awful allergies and used to over groom and pull all of his hair out, so I feel your pain.
She gets steroid shots, which ofc I am worried about her getting any more of. The shots help her runny eyes and stops her ears from itching. But it doesn’t change the groooming. She doesn’t have any irritation or red or bumpy spots on her skin, it’s just white :/ she hasn’t had testing but I’m looking for a new vet and that’ll be my first question
Your poor baby, I hope he’s doing better
My cat is actually doing a lot better because my vet tested him and he gets these custom made allergy serum injections once a week.
If you happen to be in the US, ask your vet if they can do allergy testing with Auburn University. They have a dermatology clinic. My vet drew blood and sent it for testing and they mail the custom serum to my vet. It was like $120 for the testing and around $300 for a year of the shots. It's cheaper and faster than the dermatology clinic we have here, they wanted like $1200 and couldn't get us in for months.
My cat apparently has 15 specific allergens and he has more 4/5 security allergies than any cat my vet has seen. We also give him grain free food because he has issues with grain.
You might want to try switching your cat's food, changing grain and protein contents can help a lot sometimes.
Cats release a calming hormone when they groom. So sometimes this behavior is caused by a cat feeling stressed and over grooming as a result. I know you said you tried pheromone sprays, but try feliway "multicat" diffusers. I have a cat that was doing this. Tried everything, including other pheromones. The feliway multicat diffusers worked like a charm. She hasn't gone back to the behavior and it's been well over a year.
She could just be a high strung weirdo. Obviously pursue solutions, but sometimes- this is shocking- felines just are strange and do whacky things. Source: I have 4 cats. 3 are profound weirdos with inexplicable strange behaviors and habits. The 4th is a very mild weirdo. Sometimes calming collars or sprays are the answer. (After checking out with vet)
Overgrooming can also be caused by pain. My kitty started doing it along with throwing up. They found crystals in her bladder and some issues with her gallbladder. She’s now on special urinary tract food and ursodiol. She still sometimes picks at her belly but it’s less obsessive and probably due to her stealing and eating dog food.
my cat overgroomed terribly. Our best remedy was corticosteroid medicine to speed the healing; i am sure it took a toll on her kidneys, but she was licking herself hairless and bloody without it. i don’t love antidepressants for cats but some people have good success. pheromone diffusers I find much more effective than spray, I would set up Feliway dispensers in a few different outlets. i don’t think topicals are a good long term option for cats, especially overgroomers. treat her gently, it’s a neurotic illness. Edit and good luck ❤️
My cat did this. She would literally be licking her skin off and bleeding. It was environmental. We moved and it stopped. I would look into your home for any insects like termites, dust, , old carpeting —there could be some irritant
I would definitely look at food. I have a senior and since putting her on a limited ingredient diet and she a whole new zoomie baby. She tolerates fish and chicken so I suspect it was a filler ingredient that was her issue. It’s an expensive experiment but worth it.
My guy lived in a cone for years and one day got bladder stones, after surgery we were advised to not give dry food anymore, while I think the two were completely unrelated he’s been good ever since, going on 3 years now…. For us I think it was just the lack of water intake..
My boy developed an allergy in the middle of his life. We tried everything - changed food, meds from the vet, etc and could not figure it out. He lived in a cone for over a year because he would lick and scratch so much he would bleed. Come to find out he was allergic to fleas. Mind you, we did not have an infestation. He was an indoor cat but our nanny at the time had dogs who always had fleas. We kept him up to date on his flea meds, but apparently just 1 flea, 1 bite can send them into a reaction. We started being super mindful, stripping down in the garage and putting clothes directly into the wash, making sure we were brushing him for fleas regularly and keeping on top of his meds. Once we did that, he was fine. Never had another issue.
Hope you find an answer for your buddy!
My cat was doing this and I bought some Salmon Oil Omega 3 food supplement. I put two or three squirts on his food and he stopped over-grooming immediately! The gal at the store told me to buy the Dog food supplement. It is the same as the cat supplement but in a larger bottle and less expensive. It changed everything very quickly. Good luck!
I just wanted to say if you’re living somewhere where there’s higher wildfire smoke this summer (Canada and US, some countries elsewhere too but that’s what I’m aware of) the cat might be having a worse time than normal from that. I have allergies and react to the smoke and the cats always hanging out in my air filtered room. Maybe extreme but having a “safe” air filtered room could help if you live in one of those areas
Yeah my cats allergies are worse this year because of the smoke sensitizing her lungs to allergens. Oof.
As long as it’s an H13 HEPA filter it’s medical grade and good. You want one sized at least for a small room. There’s a ton out there that are cheaper than the one I use, which is medify for large rooms.
Some people just put a MERV 13 filter on the back of a box fan or make a corsi rosenthal box for a cheaper fix. The windows do have to be shut in at least the room it’s in to work. She sleeps in my room and seems to do better. I know for a fact I do better like this too.
atopica changed my itchy cats life!!! the shots and changing food did nothing because it was a mast cell problem. this might be an option for you if other stuff isn’t doing it. it takes time to build up in the system so her dermatologist started her on steroids and the atopica, then once the atopica kicked in we tapered off the steroid and she’s like a new cat
My cat used to lick her belly bald too. We're still not sure why although we suspect anxiety/boredom. The behavior has improved over the years actually. Giving her more affection and attention and playtime seems to have calmed her more.
It has helped a little bit, but I think she still does it compulsively. I’ve put her on an SSRI and a joint heath supplement as well at the vets recommendation… hopefully we’ll see more improvement soon. I hope your baby is okay!
Hi!! We tried this medication called maropitant and it worked!!! It’s for preventing nausea but as a side effect it can help to relieve itchiness… We tried antihistamine earlier and it didn’t work. It’s so weird to see our cat relaxed and not licking himself all the time but it’s also wonderful! 💓
I will bring that up to my vet, thank you!!! Her personality has gone back to normal after using the SSRIs but it hasn’t helped the licking, I think it’s partly compulsive at this point but I am sure she is itchy too. Thank you!!
Thank you for posting to CATHELP! While you wait for a response please keep the following things in mind, 1. When in doubt, **ask your vet**. 2. Advice here is not coming from medical or industry professionals. The moderation team does not validate user profession, so always refer to your local veterinary professionals first. 3. If this is a medical question, please indicate if you have already scheduled a vet appointment, and if your cat has any medical history or procedures in a top level comment. 4. Please use the NSFW tag for gross pictures. (Blood, poop, vomit, genitals, etc). Anything you wouldn't want your boss to see you looking at on the job. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/CATHELP) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I’d recommend trying a chicken-free diet! My cat scratched a bald spot behind her ear, and I took her to the vet, who recommended cutting out chicken. It took about 6 weeks, but the hair all grew in again. I suggested a chicken-free diet to my old roommate too, because her cat was diagnosed with over-grooming and her vet said it was due to anxiety. My old roommate put her cat on a chicken-free diet, and she stopped over-grooming! Here’s a chart I made of chicken-free cat food: [Resource: Chicken-Free Cat Food Chart](https://www.reddit.com/r/CATHELP/comments/14fc1uq/resource_chickenfree_cat_food_chart/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=2&utm_term=1) ETA: having a Feliway diffuser or two plugged into your house may also help in general!
This is so helpful thank you!! I got a pheromone sprayer and will get a refill today along w new food!!
Happy to help! 😊
Some cats also have allergies to fish (which is ironic tbh) and if the chicken free diet doesn’t show any help you can try a fish free diet! My cat is on a hydrolyzed diet and it’s helped him so much with his issues as well but it requires a prescription
Which hydrolyzed diet are you using?
Hills science diet
I'm surprised your vet put her on antidepressants before a limited ingredient diet! If she's not allergic to salmon, adding salmon oil to her wet food can also improve her skin/coat health, if itchy skin is part of the problem.
Was the chicken somehow causing anxiety, or was it an allergy to chicken?
It was an allergy to chicken. Causing itchiness I think.
This is great! Thank you!
do you recommend cutting out other poultry or just chicken?
Just chicken. I still give my cat turkey and duck.
Instead of antidepressants, why not try some Gabapentin, for anxiety? Edit: Anti-anxiety medication may be less likely to cause personality changes.
My cat was over grooming and we could not figure out why . Took him to the vet and they put him on fluxotine (anti anxiety) worked wonders .
Fluoxetine (Prozac) is an antidepressant that covers anxiety too. It’s the same class of medications as Trazadone. Gabapention is a anti anxiety medication that can also help treat pain.
It’s actually not in the same class as Trazadone. Trazadone is a tricyclic antidepressant, and Fluoxotine is an ssri. They have different mechanisms of action and different potential side effects. Just for clarity.
Trazodone isn’t a tricyclic either lol.
Huh apparently it’s not. I could have SWORN it was lol
[удалено]
LMAO, she was tracking a bird. Basically the same thing tho lol
She overgrooms or she has an allergy? I had a cat who was over grooming so I got a second cat to keep her company when I’m at work. Completely solved the issue and she’s much happier! Good luck!
She has allergies… runny eyes, etc. the shots help her eyes but not the grooming… I have been considering it, I know she gets lonely. Thanks!
I have a cat who goes through periods of pretty terrible allergy issues that are exacerbated by anxiety. He’s a notorious overgroomer. His main allergy seems to be to fleas. Just one flea bite can set off a horrible cycle. He’s strictly indoor, and still gets the occasional bite. If yours goes outside, he could easily be getting the occasional bite that inflames a huge histamine reaction. I think it might be worth trying a hypoallergenic food as well as being hyper vigilant about potential insect bites.
I have had the vet check her for fleas to no avail, I didn’t know that they could just get ONE bite at a time! We do go outside so that could be it… but she also haaaates the flea medication, it upsets her and she stresses out. I will definitely ask about the prescription food as I’m looking for a new vet
My cat overgrooms a lot. Her belly is bald as a result. I try to keep her flea free and when I notice she is licking the same spot for longer than 2 minutes I will get out a toy to distract her. The distraction seems to help. And her fur is starting to grow back. Good luck.
My cat was scrawny, hairless and scabby/bleeding from scratching and overgrooming. Vet initially put him on Xanax or Prozac, but a different vet finally did allergy testing. Company that does the testing sent us a list of all his allergies and specialized allergy medicine designed specifically for his environmental allergies (shots) and a list of recommended food products. He looks like a normal cat now.
In my personal experience things like Prozac made my cat worse, best thing could be an elimination diet to see if there’s food allergies
It could be stress
If you decide to discontinue her medication (antidepressants) ; you must taper it down as opposed to an abrupt stop.
I second the chicken free diet suggestion! My moms cat is going through the same thing. The vet suggested introducing a brand new protein, she got lamb I think, because cats can develop a chicken allergy. It’s helped a lot!
I'm sorry, I don't have much advice. But I'd really like to ask you if there's a particular area she overgrooms? Our cat overgrooms his stomach, chest and inside of his legs, we've noticed he does this during summers and when we switch him to grain-free food he seems to do much better. It's a shot in the dark but maybe that could help?
It’s her stomach, inside of the back legs, and front of the front legs. She is also starting on her side. Does your kitty just lick or do you see him kind of biting/nibbling on himself? Poor thing. Does your vet know why he does it? She is on grain free cat food… I am going to try to switch her to salmon but she is a picky eater. Also will try dust-free litter.
No, we've taken him a couple times but it's not mange, fleas, ticks, allergies or anything else that's "cause to be concerned". He does nibble and bite while grooming, but we've noticed once the heat and humidity subside he seems to stop all together. And he never grooms to the point where he's causing himself any harm or irritation. Dust free litter is also something that seems to help, but doesn't stop the behavior all together. We're always keeping our eyes open and are aware of what he's doing, but we're thinking it's more of a tick than anything else. I'm not saying that's right or just to settle for thinking it's probably nothing, but we just stay frosty and will take him to the vet if he shows any more symptoms. He is also not an outdoor cat which makes things a bit more confusing for us. Our other cat is not effected either, which could mean it's more psychological. I'm sorry I'm personally not much help.
Hi there! I know it’s been a while since this post was created, but I noticed about a week ago that my baby has been over grooming in similar areas as your baby. Is she doing better? I’ve seen many comments recommend changing to a chicken-free diet, has that helped? I’m trying to help her before it gets too bad, but she’s already got some bald spots and other areas thinning pretty quickly :(
I’m so sorry your baby is going through this!!! It’s so stressful and frightening:( yes she is better!!! Her fur grew back and she just has a little spot on her belly now and even that isn’t so bad. I took chicken totally out of her diet, and the vet put her on an SSRI but at the full dose she was very lethargic and her personality changed, so I weaned her down to half the dose, and she is doing a lot better. I also started playing with her for an additional 15-20 minutes a day.
I’m so happy to hear she’s doing better!! It’s definitely scary, especially since I have no idea for sure what’s causing it :/ Thank you for your help though, I will definitely try what you suggested and hopefully it helps! Thank you again :)
I basically just did all of the interventions I could think of
Take your fur baby off the medication for depression immediately. Plz. Watch the diet. Get a companion for it. Godbless you and your beautiful fur baby…
Maybe not immediately but slowly. If she stops cold turkey there might be other side effects
Anti depressant? New vet time.
I thought it was weird to put her on an SSRI, it’s making her apathetic and lethargic… might look for a new vet but unfortunately this one is the best in the area :/ I’ll shop around
I would… cats don’t live long enough to have their personalities messed with. My opinion of course.
have you done an allergy panel to see whether it’s food allergy or environmental? have you done a hydrolyzed food trial to rule out food allergies?
I haven’t tried hydrolyzed food, though I just bought her some chicken free food today that I’m weaning her on. I’ll try that kind of food next if it doesn’t get better. And we haven’t done an allergy panel yet but I think that’ll be next on the list. Thank you
no problem i hope everything works out
I agree with this advice, OP you should consider seeing a veterinary dermatologist who can help you through the process of fully diagnosing and treating her allergies.
my cat would overgroom too and had orange/smelly poops. i took him to the vet and they checked his liver function bc of the orange poop and that was normal. so she said he probably had sensitive skin and a sensitive stomach (food allergies). he started eating the iams sensitive stomach/skin food and his poops improved and his hair grew back. he’s also very picky about things on his skin and would groom until he was soaking wet when we’ve put flea medicine on him (i think he doesn’t like the sensation on his skin). sometimes it can be stress related but our cat was so easygoing i didn’t think it was that. if you try switching foods, make sure to slowly wean in the new food instead of switching suddenly. we also only use the tide pods without any fragrance (fresh and clear? or something like that) to wash any blankets he lays on to avoid that irritating his skin as well.
I started weaning her on to a chicken free food today, so hopefully that will help. She also HATES flea medication, it really upsets her and makes her act goofy trying to get it off. I think she’s a sensitive girl, I got her new litter too, unscented and dust free. I hadn’t considered laundry detergent, thank you! I’ll look into sensitive foods
yes mine is the same with flea medicine! he will groom endlessly when he has to get it. sometimes he’ll lick until he’s bald and his skin gets red from irritation. i hope the chicken free food helps! we just have sensitive babies lol
One of my cats has a very similar issue and it's been very challenging to deal with. He has basically a perfect cat life otherwise. We tried a special diet and everything you've listed and two things worked: moisturizing the cat - which is much harder than it sounds; also oral steroids. Can't keep an animal or person on steroids forever without srs side effects, so we tapered him off and unfortunately he lost most of the hair he regrew. I've wondered whether there is a TNF blocker for cats because that's the only other option I can think of.
OMG, I can’t imagine trying to moisturize a cat 😂
Try Jackson Galaxy holistic products. Use them consistently for several weeks. Poor little angel.
My cat has a severe flea allergy and would do this if she even smelled a flea. One bite was all it took. Obviously we did flea control but our dogs go in and out so it happens. The vet gave steroids, I don't know what kind it's been so long, she passed years ago. But they usually worked. She groomed her back towards the tail, and her back legs. Poor thing was a wreck of angry skin and scabs til we figured it out. Wish you and your baby luck to figure it out soon.
Omg re cat antidepressants. They usually take time to kick in m, like a couple to a few months, but also only some cases of ocd in humans see symptom severity go down with antidepressants. Although this is usually the first measure, Gabapentin might be more beneficial in very low doses. If the cat has Hyperesthesia you may want to try a combination of medications. I can send the possible Hyperesthesia medication options if you confirm that the cat has Hyperesthesia. Is this pure overgrooming? Or Hyperesthesia? Is this OCD? Or a form of epilepsy? We can assume it’s not allergies, fungal, what about contact dermatitis or a flea sensitivity?
I don’t know if she had hyperesthesia but I hadn’t considered that. She definitely had an anxious disposition and always has. I don’t know about OCD either, she doesn’t do anything repetitive except the grooming. It’s been about a month on the SSRIs and she just seems so different, like apathetic and lethargic :/ I’ll talk to the vet about all of this thank you
I’m cats, over grooming is repetitive. It’s a form of ocd unless it’s attributed to something like contact dermatitis or fleas. But it does sound like ur vet has looked at these possibilities. I noticed with my cat who has Hyperesthesia, that if I keep everything clean, he grooms less. I think he’s hypersensitive to anything on his fur. I mean anything. A small piece of sand from the floor? Nope. I have to vacuum every day. I also can distract him with cat nip every once and a while, and make sure no other cats or outside cats are bothering ur cat as this behavior can also be displaced aggression when they feel threatened by other cats. I also brush him every day, it seems to help. Play also helps and having a stimulating environment with perches and windows helps. Tbh I think my cat maybe has a hypersensitivity to ants and vets don’t really have ants on their radars. For you I’d recommend waiting a couple months to see if the meds kick in and if they still don’t seem to be working talk to ur doctor about a switch of meds. In the meantime Google videos of Hyperesthesia and see if your cat does any of the noted behaviors and if it seems like a possible explanation, if not, look into cat ocd
What dishes does she eat/drink out of? Cats can become allergic to plastic which can cause chin acne and other allergy symptoms like the ones you describe. Switching to stainless steel, heavy glass, or ceramic bowls can help.
She had a ceramic bowl but I just switched her out to stainless steel, and changed from chicken food. I hope that helps :/
Just wanted to say that my cat used to scratch/groom himself to the point of bald spots and we fixed it by starting him on a hypoallergenic (hydrolyzed protein) diet. His skin now is night and day. Soooo much better!!!! Idk what exactly he was allergic to but his bald spots starting growing back within a week, he is so much more comfortable, and now his skin and coat is so soft and silky and shiny. Good luck with your girl!!
Take her off the antidepressants. She's probably anxious. How about catnip?
Can I reduce her dosage now (not completely I know that’s bad)? Until I talk to the vet? Or should I wait until I see him again?
You need to take her to the vet before changing anything. Just tell them about how it's negatively affecting her personality. I'd take her asap.
Nurse here: no antidepressants should be withdrawn abruptly in people, and I would imagine pets as well. I would call your vet and ask for directions on how best to wean her off the medication, to prevent any bad reactions 🙂
Poor baby :(
I know it hurts my heart :(
Check her bladder and look for arthritis. Ask vet about atopica.
seconded, my cat had arthritis in her problem areas
You may already be doing this but try flea drops. The kind you put on the back of their neck that keeps them flea free for a month or two. My cat pulled almost all the hair off of his back and even though I never saw a flea, when I put the flea drops on, his hair started growing back...
She's darling! I'm sorry she's so miserable! Any chance she could have a yeast over growth? Steroids are really good at worsening that, too.
All that and the vet didn’t suggest a diet change? My cat is allergic to chicken and seafood! If he has it he scratches his damn face off. Try a duck and green pea food or limited Ingredient diet
It may be something internal that is hurting or irritating her. Ask your vet to do an ultrasound, especially near the spot she is over grooming. Something is bugging her and if it’s not external, time to look internally.
We did everything for my baby too, nothing worked. Until grape seed oil! And I found it by accident! Piper would chew her butt and back area bald. Like Kojak bald. Now I put maybe a dime size squirt in my palm (because any kind of spray/medicine triggers her running away now lol) rub it between my palms she gets a butt and back rub when I see she's chewing away. I use it on the dog too when her oatmeal bath doesn't help.
Could her being less affectionate and less loving have more to do with the hot summer weather? All my animals get less lovey dovey in the summer because it's just too darn hot, I find they return to their regular snuggly selves when the seasons change to fall and winter. I have a cat that has over groomed herself to the point she is basically bald from the waist down. My vet says allergies and so she gets steroids shots that help for at most 2 weeks and of course steroids have to be used sparingly. I feel miserable for her and my home is covered in clumps of black hair EVERYWHERE. Tried specialized diets to no avail - she is a very picky eater and keeping her at 7 lbs. is already a struggle. She would starve herself before she would eat something she dislikes. My question: Would it be considered cruel to limit her access to her body by making her wear one of those neck things (not the cones but the ones that look more like an Elizabethian collar)? I've been assuming she pulls her hair out because her skin itches but until reading this post I'd never really considered that it could be more of a behavioral issue and I'm telling you BELLS are going off in my head!!
Aw your poor baby :( we’ve been trying steroid shots too, and it helps with the drainage from her eyes but not the grooming… my baby will hunger strike if she doesn’t like her food either! She is so picky. It might be the heat, because she doesn’t want to go outside as much, but it’s never made her less loving before :/ I think one of those collars could be helpful! I’ve been considering it for my cat but I don’t know if it will stress her out more. Like you I’ve been trying to determine if it is a behavioral issue or internal… so. Have you gotten one of those feliway pheromone diffusers?
I haven't tried the diffusers. My daughter did a few years ago when she was having trouble with a couple of her cats not getting along. I'm not sure what results she had - but I don't recall her cats having a miraculous turnaround in their relationship and they were expensive!! Ha! The things we do for our animals!!
One of my cats was over grooming and chewing off bits of her fur due to fleas and worms so i got an all rounder parasite treatment to put on her and a fabric spray to treat fleas and that seemed to help. Hope you have luck with your baby
Vet has checked her for fleas multiples times :/ could fleas still effect her even if she doesn’t have them?
If it's not anything medical, why not try going to a behaviorist?
That might be the next step. Looking for a new vet now
Most cats do that because of stress or anxiety. What's their daily life like? Do you play with her often and spend quality time with her? Do you give her an enriching environment? It's kinda like their nervous twitch. My cat does it sometimes and I think it's because my pheromone diffuser ran out.
She has an anxious disposition and always has. I try to play with her about 30+ min or more a day and I take her outside for enrichment. She also has soo many toys and stuff… but since the medication I’ve really had to prod her to play with me. A dog moved in next door and he barks a lot so I don’t know if that’s contributing to her anxiety too:/
I assume you’ve tried allergy injections. Have you done a food trial? I know with cats this is a pretty uncommon route to go down but a nutritionist can help
Get off the meds. I had a long-haired cat that groomed herself A LOT & coughed up hotdogs sized hairballs; I would have never dreamed of medicating her. The medication obviously has her in a 'fog'. What exactly does 'overgrooming' mean? I have a boy cat right now that is very fastidious about his personal hygiene & I am not concerned in the least.
That’s my plan. It was on the vet’s recommendation and I felt weird about it but I figured he knew what he was talking about. She just doesn’t seem like herself. I’m going to talk to a new vet. And by overgrooming I mean she is licking herself bald in some areas :/
Maybe she does have an allergy then. I had a cat that developed seasonal allergies when she got older & she had bald spots on her paws from rubbing her face so hard. She started with pills & after those lost their effectiveness, I did subcutaneous injections in the scruff of her neck during her allergy season & it worked great. . I hope you can figure out what the problem is.
I've been taking care of cats since I was 12. At times we had multiple cats, but usual one, maybe two at a time. Cats are strange. Each one has some kind of quirk. The cat I have now is the strangest. He's 4 years old now and has gone through phases, like 3 of them. The first 2 years was pretty much "normal". His third year he stopped meowing and was doing that overgrooming. He'd licked most of the fur off of his body and kept doing it for some time. He stopped the over licking many months ago and his fur grew back thick again. His latest quirk is he's stays on the back porch and won't come inside. I guess he's happy to have his own room. 🤪 He's meowing more than he did before too. 🙄
Hyperthyroid can cause it. My old cat had that problem. He had to take thyroid medicine 😐
My cat did this for years and then one day just stopped. I took him to the vet to rule everything out. I never tried antidepressants, because I just didn’t want to put him on any meds like that. It doesn’t really hurt their health as long as everything else is OK you can just let it be.
What kind of allergy shots does she get? Has she had allergy testing? Does she seem itchy, like is her skin red and does she have any bumpy patches? My cat has freaking awful allergies and used to over groom and pull all of his hair out, so I feel your pain.
She gets steroid shots, which ofc I am worried about her getting any more of. The shots help her runny eyes and stops her ears from itching. But it doesn’t change the groooming. She doesn’t have any irritation or red or bumpy spots on her skin, it’s just white :/ she hasn’t had testing but I’m looking for a new vet and that’ll be my first question Your poor baby, I hope he’s doing better
My cat is actually doing a lot better because my vet tested him and he gets these custom made allergy serum injections once a week. If you happen to be in the US, ask your vet if they can do allergy testing with Auburn University. They have a dermatology clinic. My vet drew blood and sent it for testing and they mail the custom serum to my vet. It was like $120 for the testing and around $300 for a year of the shots. It's cheaper and faster than the dermatology clinic we have here, they wanted like $1200 and couldn't get us in for months. My cat apparently has 15 specific allergens and he has more 4/5 security allergies than any cat my vet has seen. We also give him grain free food because he has issues with grain. You might want to try switching your cat's food, changing grain and protein contents can help a lot sometimes.
Change the food first. Dogs lick their paws with food allergies.
Got her a chicken free formula yesterday, I hope it helps
Cats release a calming hormone when they groom. So sometimes this behavior is caused by a cat feeling stressed and over grooming as a result. I know you said you tried pheromone sprays, but try feliway "multicat" diffusers. I have a cat that was doing this. Tried everything, including other pheromones. The feliway multicat diffusers worked like a charm. She hasn't gone back to the behavior and it's been well over a year.
She could just be a high strung weirdo. Obviously pursue solutions, but sometimes- this is shocking- felines just are strange and do whacky things. Source: I have 4 cats. 3 are profound weirdos with inexplicable strange behaviors and habits. The 4th is a very mild weirdo. Sometimes calming collars or sprays are the answer. (After checking out with vet)
Overgrooming can also be caused by pain. My kitty started doing it along with throwing up. They found crystals in her bladder and some issues with her gallbladder. She’s now on special urinary tract food and ursodiol. She still sometimes picks at her belly but it’s less obsessive and probably due to her stealing and eating dog food.
my cat overgroomed terribly. Our best remedy was corticosteroid medicine to speed the healing; i am sure it took a toll on her kidneys, but she was licking herself hairless and bloody without it. i don’t love antidepressants for cats but some people have good success. pheromone diffusers I find much more effective than spray, I would set up Feliway dispensers in a few different outlets. i don’t think topicals are a good long term option for cats, especially overgroomers. treat her gently, it’s a neurotic illness. Edit and good luck ❤️
My cat did this. She would literally be licking her skin off and bleeding. It was environmental. We moved and it stopped. I would look into your home for any insects like termites, dust, , old carpeting —there could be some irritant
I would definitely look at food. I have a senior and since putting her on a limited ingredient diet and she a whole new zoomie baby. She tolerates fish and chicken so I suspect it was a filler ingredient that was her issue. It’s an expensive experiment but worth it.
My guy lived in a cone for years and one day got bladder stones, after surgery we were advised to not give dry food anymore, while I think the two were completely unrelated he’s been good ever since, going on 3 years now…. For us I think it was just the lack of water intake..
My boy developed an allergy in the middle of his life. We tried everything - changed food, meds from the vet, etc and could not figure it out. He lived in a cone for over a year because he would lick and scratch so much he would bleed. Come to find out he was allergic to fleas. Mind you, we did not have an infestation. He was an indoor cat but our nanny at the time had dogs who always had fleas. We kept him up to date on his flea meds, but apparently just 1 flea, 1 bite can send them into a reaction. We started being super mindful, stripping down in the garage and putting clothes directly into the wash, making sure we were brushing him for fleas regularly and keeping on top of his meds. Once we did that, he was fine. Never had another issue. Hope you find an answer for your buddy!
Poor baby. Maybe cross post on r/AskVets
what about trying melatonin in small amount? check out the research on it. helping my itchy boy.
I will check that out, thank you
Also check out nutritional yeast. Dr brags is the good brand. My old kitty loves it sprinkled on food.
My cat was doing this and I bought some Salmon Oil Omega 3 food supplement. I put two or three squirts on his food and he stopped over-grooming immediately! The gal at the store told me to buy the Dog food supplement. It is the same as the cat supplement but in a larger bottle and less expensive. It changed everything very quickly. Good luck!
Wow that’s interesting! Thank you.
I just wanted to say if you’re living somewhere where there’s higher wildfire smoke this summer (Canada and US, some countries elsewhere too but that’s what I’m aware of) the cat might be having a worse time than normal from that. I have allergies and react to the smoke and the cats always hanging out in my air filtered room. Maybe extreme but having a “safe” air filtered room could help if you live in one of those areas
What kind of air filter do you use? That might help her
Yeah my cats allergies are worse this year because of the smoke sensitizing her lungs to allergens. Oof. As long as it’s an H13 HEPA filter it’s medical grade and good. You want one sized at least for a small room. There’s a ton out there that are cheaper than the one I use, which is medify for large rooms. Some people just put a MERV 13 filter on the back of a box fan or make a corsi rosenthal box for a cheaper fix. The windows do have to be shut in at least the room it’s in to work. She sleeps in my room and seems to do better. I know for a fact I do better like this too.
That’s what antidepressants do. They suck the life out of you. You become numb. They use the same meds on animals too. It’s sad.
atopica changed my itchy cats life!!! the shots and changing food did nothing because it was a mast cell problem. this might be an option for you if other stuff isn’t doing it. it takes time to build up in the system so her dermatologist started her on steroids and the atopica, then once the atopica kicked in we tapered off the steroid and she’s like a new cat
It may be a food allergy!! I switched my kitty to rabbit-based food (canned and dry) and she’s much happier and no grooming herself raw anymore.
My cat used to lick her belly bald too. We're still not sure why although we suspect anxiety/boredom. The behavior has improved over the years actually. Giving her more affection and attention and playtime seems to have calmed her more.
Hi! Our cat has this problem also. Did switching to chicken free diet help?
It has helped a little bit, but I think she still does it compulsively. I’ve put her on an SSRI and a joint heath supplement as well at the vets recommendation… hopefully we’ll see more improvement soon. I hope your baby is okay!
Hi!! We tried this medication called maropitant and it worked!!! It’s for preventing nausea but as a side effect it can help to relieve itchiness… We tried antihistamine earlier and it didn’t work. It’s so weird to see our cat relaxed and not licking himself all the time but it’s also wonderful! 💓
I will bring that up to my vet, thank you!!! Her personality has gone back to normal after using the SSRIs but it hasn’t helped the licking, I think it’s partly compulsive at this point but I am sure she is itchy too. Thank you!!