Excessive Grooming

We have a 5 year old female spayed cat. She grooms heself to the point where
she has no hair left on her belly, hind legs and now her back. We have taken
her to the vet and he gives her a cortizone shot which helps for approx 1 week
and she is back at it again. We have tried the Feliway dispenser which seemed
to help at first but is no longer effective. I really don't like having to take
her for the cortizone shots as she is so afraid of the vet. She is a very
skittish cat. We have a male neutered 3 year old that picks on her frequently.
Has anyone else had this problem that they have had success in treating?

Thanks for any advise,
Randy
http://picasaweb.google.com/crmartin1

http://kittenwar.com/kittens/74045/

Randy it the vet can't figure it out it maybe time for a new vet. My
rumble would do this due to his epilepsy.
You may have to have the cat medicated to came him down but IMO try
stopping the other cat from picking on this one it may be causing this
nervous habit in this furball


"Randy" wrote in message
news
We have a 5 year old female spayed cat. She grooms heself to the point
where
she has no hair left on her belly, hind legs and now her back. We have
taken
her to the vet and he gives her a cortizone shot which helps for approx 1
week
and she is back at it again. We have tried the Feliway dispenser which
seemed
to help at first but is no longer effective. I really don't like having to
take
her for the cortizone shots as she is so afraid of the vet. She is a very
skittish cat. We have a male neutered 3 year old that picks on her
frequently.
Has anyone else had this problem that they have had success in treating?

Thanks for any advise,
Randy
http://picasaweb.google.com/crmartin1

http://kittenwar.com/kittens/74045/

"Matthew" wrote:
Randy it the vet can't figure it out it maybe time for a new vet. My
rumble would do this due to his epilepsy.
You may have to have the cat medicated to came him down but IMO try
stopping the other cat from picking on this one it may be causing this
nervous habit in this furball


"Randy" wrote in message
news
We have a 5 year old female spayed cat. She grooms heself to the point
where
she has no hair left on her belly, hind legs and now her back. We have
taken
her to the vet and he gives her a cortizone shot which helps for approx 1
week
and she is back at it again. We have tried the Feliway dispenser which
seemed
to help at first but is no longer effective. I really don't like having to
take
her for the cortizone shots as she is so afraid of the vet. She is a very
skittish cat. We have a male neutered 3 year old that picks on her
frequently.
Has anyone else had this problem that they have had success in treating?

Thanks for any advise,
Randy
http://picasaweb.google.com/crmartin1

http://kittenwar.com/kittens/74045/

We do try but we're not there all the time. Actually she started doing this
before we had Tippy.

Randy


http://picasaweb.google.com/crmartin1

http://kittenwar.com/kittens/74045/

"Randy" wrote in message
news
We have a 5 year old female spayed cat. She grooms heself to the point
where
she has no hair left on her belly, hind legs and now her back. We have
taken
her to the vet and he gives her a cortizone shot which helps for approx 1
week
and she is back at it again. We have tried the Feliway dispenser which
seemed
to help at first but is no longer effective. I really don't like having to
take
her for the cortizone shots as she is so afraid of the vet. She is a very
skittish cat. We have a male neutered 3 year old that picks on her
frequently.
Has anyone else had this problem that they have had success in treating?

Thanks for any advise,
Randy
http://picasaweb.google.com/crmartin1

http://kittenwar.com/kittens/74045/

Hi Randy,

What kind of flea treatment do you use on kitty? If your vet is treating as
for flea allergy (which is how it sounds), then perhaps you need to reassess
kitty's basic protection. If a flea has to bite before it's killed, then
that bite is one too many IF kitty is reacting to the bite. Of course,
kitty could be reacting to the insecticide used. You will only find this
out by trying different forms of protection. Perhaps a herbal cure would be
more gentle on her skin? Could you discuss this with your vet; kitty
needn't be present, so she would not be alarmed.

It is always possible, of course, that kitty has developed an excessive
grooming habit which she no longer needs. Some cats (quite often skittish
ones, like yours) develop a habit to solve a problem. The vet solves the
problem (cortizone shot in this case), but the habit persists. An ex cat of
mine had a similar problem and, once the vet had done her stuff, I used to
sit with puss in the evening and keep her from biting her fur. After a few
days of this kind of distraction petting, she overcame the problem. If you
try this, allow kitty an occasional nibble so she's comfortable. Always be
aware that the biting may be a real necessity (you don't want to be cruel),
but it's worth proving whether or not it's just a habit.

Another possibility is a thyroid problem. A live-in petshop cat I used to
know had this and she nearly bit all her fur away; she looked a pathetic
mess. One day I visited and she was well and hugely fluffy and hairy.
After I'd made a great fuss of her, I talked to the petshop owner: kitty had
received treatment from the vet for her thyroid problem. The difference was
amazing! Alas, if your kitty has thyroid troubles, you will probably have
to give her a pill a day for the rest of her life. Because she is so
skittish, I truly hope this isn't the case.

Well, that's my input for now. Before I sign off, though, I should mention
that a vet has recently joined this group. You may be lucky and get a
response from him.

Good luck, and love to kitty.
Spider

"Randy" wrote
We do try but we're not there all the time. Actually she started doing
this
before we had Tippy.


Randy,

I have one of these cats. Once, when our other cat was invading her
turf, she had her entire flank bald. When I fixed the situation, the hair
grew back. Matthew is right.

(My cat also gets depo shots for allergies. Her grooming,
however, appears to be totally emotional.)

When you are not there, separate them. As Yoda said, "Do or
no not, there is no "try."

"Randy" wrote in message
news
We have a 5 year old female spayed cat. She grooms heself to the point
where
she has no hair left on her belly, hind legs and now her back. We have
taken
her to the vet and he gives her a cortizone shot which helps for approx 1
week
and she is back at it again. We have tried the Feliway dispenser which
seemed
to help at first but is no longer effective. I really don't like having to
take
her for the cortizone shots as she is so afraid of the vet. She is a very
skittish cat. We have a male neutered 3 year old that picks on her
frequently.
Has anyone else had this problem that they have had success in treating?

How long ago did the now 3 year old enter your now 5 year olds life? When
did the excessive grooming start? After the arrival of the younger cat?

If so, perhaps seperating or removing the younger cat is the solution.

"Judy" wrote:
"Randy" wrote in message
news
We have a 5 year old female spayed cat. She grooms heself to the point
where
she has no hair left on her belly, hind legs and now her back. We have
taken
her to the vet and he gives her a cortizone shot which helps for approx 1
week
and she is back at it again. We have tried the Feliway dispenser which
seemed
to help at first but is no longer effective. I really don't like having to
take
her for the cortizone shots as she is so afraid of the vet. She is a very
skittish cat. We have a male neutered 3 year old that picks on her
frequently.
Has anyone else had this problem that they have had success in treating?

How long ago did the now 3 year old enter your now 5 year olds life? When
did the excessive grooming start? After the arrival of the younger cat?

If so, perhaps seperating or removing the younger cat is the solution.

Sweetpea was 2 years old when we got Tippy. Her excessive grooming started
about 1 year before we got Tippy.

Randy

http://www.crmartin.zoomshare.com

"Spider" wrote:
"Randy" wrote in message
news
We have a 5 year old female spayed cat. She grooms heself to the point
where
she has no hair left on her belly, hind legs and now her back. We have
taken
her to the vet and he gives her a cortizone shot which helps for approx 1
week
and she is back at it again. We have tried the Feliway dispenser which
seemed
to help at first but is no longer effective. I really don't like having to
take
her for the cortizone shots as she is so afraid of the vet. She is a very
skittish cat. We have a male neutered 3 year old that picks on her
frequently.
Has anyone else had this problem that they have had success in treating?

Thanks for any advise,
Randy
http://picasaweb.google.com/crmartin1

http://kittenwar.com/kittens/74045/

Hi Randy,

What kind of flea treatment do you use on kitty? If your vet is treating as
for flea allergy (which is how it sounds), then perhaps you need to reassess
kitty's basic protection. If a flea has to bite before it's killed, then
that bite is one too many IF kitty is reacting to the bite. Of course,
kitty could be reacting to the insecticide used. You will only find this
out by trying different forms of protection. Perhaps a herbal cure would be
more gentle on her skin? Could you discuss this with your vet; kitty
needn't be present, so she would not be alarmed.

It is always possible, of course, that kitty has developed an excessive
grooming habit which she no longer needs. Some cats (quite often skittish
ones, like yours) develop a habit to solve a problem. The vet solves the
problem (cortizone shot in this case), but the habit persists. An ex cat of
mine had a similar problem and, once the vet had done her stuff, I used to
sit with puss in the evening and keep her from biting her fur. After a few
days of this kind of distraction petting, she overcame the problem. If you
try this, allow kitty an occasional nibble so she's comfortable. Always be
aware that the biting may be a real necessity (you don't want to be cruel),
but it's worth proving whether or not it's just a habit.

Another possibility is a thyroid problem. A live-in petshop cat I used to
know had this and she nearly bit all her fur away; she looked a pathetic
mess. One day I visited and she was well and hugely fluffy and hairy.
After I'd made a great fuss of her, I talked to the petshop owner: kitty had
received treatment from the vet for her thyroid problem. The difference was
amazing! Alas, if your kitty has thyroid troubles, you will probably have
to give her a pill a day for the rest of her life. Because she is so
skittish, I truly hope this isn't the case.

Well, that's my input for now. Before I sign off, though, I should mention
that a vet has recently joined this group. You may be lucky and get a
response from him.

Good luck, and love to kitty.
Spider

We use advantage flea treatment although all our cats are indoor only. She does
sit on our lap in the evening and receives plenty of attention when she wants
it. She loves the attention. I will ask our vet about thyroid problems.

Randy

http://www.crmartin.zoomshare.com

"Randy" wrote in message
news
"Judy" wrote:
"Randy" wrote in message
news
We have a 5 year old female spayed cat. She grooms heself to the point
where
she has no hair left on her belly, hind legs and now her back. We have
taken
her to the vet and he gives her a cortizone shot which helps for approx
1
week
and she is back at it again. We have tried the Feliway dispenser which
seemed
to help at first but is no longer effective. I really don't like having
to
take
her for the cortizone shots as she is so afraid of the vet. She is a
very
skittish cat. We have a male neutered 3 year old that picks on her
frequently.
Has anyone else had this problem that they have had success in treating?

How long ago did the now 3 year old enter your now 5 year olds life? When
did the excessive grooming start? After the arrival of the younger cat?

If so, perhaps seperating or removing the younger cat is the solution.

Sweetpea was 2 years old when we got Tippy. Her excessive grooming started
about 1 year before we got Tippy.

Randy

Have you asked your vet about food allergies?

Judy