Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I posted a while ago about my ragdoll's overgrooming till there wasn't much hair at the base of his tail. The vet proscribed progesterone, and this seemed to stop it for a while, but not long enough for the three week habit breaker gap. He seems to do it now just as a habit, he is still on a reduced dosage of progesterone, but the prescription is almost up and I don't think I'll renew it. Any other suggestions before he goes back to the vet?
Thanks!

I think you should discuss with your vet the possiblity of an antianxiety medication. Very often the overgrooming is caused by psychological rather than physical problems. A recommendation for an animal behaviorist is a good idea also.
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Smile, it will make them wonder what you are up to!

I have a neutered short hair cat, 5 years old, who is doing the same kind of thing. He's removed the hair from a portion of his tail, a section about an inch long, just about an inch from the base of the tail. He's also licking his abdomen down to the skin. I've used the hormone treatment 3 times. It worked fairly well the first time, less the second, and very little the third. Next trip to the vet, he started treatment for a food allergy - - he's on a special diet. He's been on it for about 7 weeks (I'm told it could take 9 weeks to get results) and he's still licking away the hair as much as ever. I have another cat the same age (also neutered and declawed) who doesn't exhibit this behavior. I can't think of what anxiety this cat could have: there are few guests here, no small children, (even when someone is here - I'll hurt anyone's feelings before allowing a cat to be mistreated)...he's got all the toys, food, water, and litter he could want...I'm at a loss for what to do after the next couple of weeks, unless he starts to show some improvement. Perhaps he does need anxiety treatment, but I wish I had a better understanding of the problem.

Actually your cat could be anxious by being UNDERstimulated - bored in fact. You might try playing more with your cat.

Keep working with your vet to find a root cause of this over-grooming. It can take several attempts to get to the root of the cause if it is not something obvious like fleas or other pests. There is so much guesswork involved.
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Smile, it will make them wonder what you are up to!

I don't remember the details of your previous post, but here are my thoughts:

Number one, is this cat and EVERY animal in the household on Frontline Topspot every month? He needs to be from now on, because if he's allergic to one thing, he's probably allergic to all kinds of other things too, fleas and pests being a common trigger. Flea allergies can cause just this sort of thing, even if you never see them. One flea, sneezing on him two months ago or something , could still have him going today if he's allergic.

Number two, I'm not a big fan of horomone treatment until most other avenues have been tried. Naturally if he's suffering and it provides much needed relief then I'm for it...but would still be looking for the cause.

Number three -- the other avenues I would try is an allergy diet to make sure it isn't a food allergy. Your vet should be able to tell you more about this, or I could if you want. Your kitty must eat NOTHING but his new diet for this to be an effective trial. He might need to try a few different diets, 3 months at a time for each, before finding one that works. These diets will be prescription most likely, obtained through your vet.

Number four -- allergy testing with a specialized dermatologist is what I would do if the other things don't work (including the behavioral tips others mentioned). I would do that before trying horomone therapy -- horomone therapy for this sort of thing reminds me of treating a problem with steroids -- it only masks the condition, but the cause is still there waiting. Allergies in cats (and dogs) manifest themselves most often as skin problems. I really think your kitty is likely suffering from allergies and the grooming has also become habitual...like a kid who won't stop scratching the bug bite or the poison ivy, it's a cycle.

Good luck!

Food algeries and fleas/ticks have been ruled out. I'm not sure what triggered it, but I think he continues now just out of habit. He can be a little sensitive, and demands a lot of attention when I'm home. I've been trying lately to give him attention and play with him a lot in case he has been bored. He was an outdoor cat the first two years of his life, for the last year he has been an indoor cat only. He seems to have adjusted, but I know he would love to be let out. (Not going to happen while I live where I do.) My sister once had a cat that overgroomed, and the only way they got him to stop was to use one of those funnel collars. I know my cat would hate it, but maybe it would work.
Thanks for the advice.

Does the cat have to wear the "funnel" for very long to break the habit? (I'm not sure if it would be harder for me or for him. Think how uncomfortable and frustrating that thing must be. Ugh.) Still, I fear that if he doesn't stop, he's going to develop some infections or worse.
As suggested, I'm trying to spend more time with him and get him to play more. I do think that may help because of the way he reacts and his attitude. He's already a friendly cat but going out of my way to give him extra attention seems to bring out his good qualities. Thanks!
I've done some more research on other web sites and am surprised at the variety of cures that are suggested for this problem... even herbal remedies and acupuncture! Actually, some of the herbal stuff sounds tempting... Does anyone know a cat this has helped?
Thanks.

>>I've done some more research on other web sites and am surprised at the variety of cures that are suggested for this problem... even herbal remedies and acupuncture! Actually, some of the herbal stuff sounds tempting... Does anyone know a cat this has helped?
>>Thanks.

As for the variety of opinions you're seeing, I think that may be true of almost any health and/or behavior problem. I notice it not only on pet-related sites, but also on sites and in books dealing with human disorders. In fact, different medical and veterinary schools teach different approaches, and consequently we often come across varying opinions within the medical community. This is one of the reasons that we seek second opinions when necessary as well. Different practitioners evaluate problems (and therefore, treatments) quite differently.

The best tip I can ever give anyone trying to correct any behavior problem is to give the selected treatment a chance to work. Few remedies, whether behavioral, holistic, or traditional medicinal, work overnight. Once your cat has been evaluated and the treatment that seems to fit him/her best has been selected, stick with it for a while. Most "cures" take a bit to work. Of course, if your cat's condition worsens or is serious enough to require immediate relief, then stop any exacerbating factors right away.

As for herbal remedies and accupuncture, I don't have any tips on that as it's not my field. (Hence, second opinions. ) We have a message board on CatHobbyist.com called "Ask the Holistic Vet." If you post your question there, he will have better tips for you in this area than I would.

That said, it's been my experience that most overgrooming occurs when the cat has some sort of parasite, food intolerance, or allergy. All can be very difficult to pinpoint and can take a lot of trial and error in conjunction with your vet to find the culprit.

Best of luck to you and your cat. Please keep us updated!

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PHCurious
Cat Chat Host

My kitty has been back to the vet since my last posting because the overgrooming was getting worse after 2 months on the prescription diet. I saw another (older and hopefully more experienced ) vet at my usual clinic who said this is psychogenic and changed the treatment. I'm to give the cat 1 mg of Diazepam every 12 hours. So far, he is still exhibiting the behavior (perhaps less?) but I don't expect him to suddenly stop something he's done for so long. It does seem to be providing some relief because I've noticed that he seems more playful. He's to see the vet again in 2 weeks.

I've also considered that this may be an environmental allergy of some sort, but can't think of what it could be. The house isn't _that_ dirty. I don't use carpet freshening products. I've changed to a "baby friendly" product for laundering slipcovers and comforters in case he was allergic to the regular detergent. I've switched from clumping litter to the type that doesn't clump. It's still the same brand though.... hmmm... maybe I should buy something different next time...

>>Food algeries and fleas/ticks have been ruled out. I'm not sure what triggered it, but I think he continues now just out of habit. He can be a little sensitive, and demands a lot of attention when I'm home. I've been trying lately to give him attention and play with him a lot in case he has been bored. He was an outdoor cat the first two years of his life, for the last year he has been an indoor cat only. He seems to have adjusted, but I know he would love to be let out. (Not going to happen while I live where I do.) My sister once had a cat that overgroomed, and the only way they got him to stop was to use one of those funnel collars. I know my cat would hate it, but maybe it would work.
>>Thanks for the advice.

Can you let us know how food allergies were ruled out? Perhaps your cat has an intolerance, but not necessarily an allergy, to some ingredient in his food.
Also, have other allergies been ruled out? Are you using any new products in the home? Carpet cleaner? Laundry detergeant? Cleaning products?
You may very well be right in your guess that whatever triggered the overgrooming is no longer a problem, but his overgrooming has become habit. In fact, this is typically how obsessive-compulsive disorder starts. If this is the case, using a "funnel" could be helpful. (They're called Elizabethan collars or E-collars for short.) If he's not able to overgroom, he will start finding alternative behaviors that are incompatible with grooming. Cats do hate wearing these at first. However, they get used to them in a few days. Some are quicker than others. If you decide to go this route, watch your cat carefully for the first few days. Sometimes they get themselves sort of stuck while they're adjusting. They learn to adapt fairly quickly though. Similarly, anti-anxiety medication is helpful to some cats in a similar situation.
Keep in mind that all the behavior modification or veterinary treatment in the world isn't going to fix this permanently if your cat is having a reaction to something he's eating or in his environment. If behavioral methods don't work, you're going to have to play detective and keep searching until you find the culprit. Sometimes this can be harder than it sounds. I once had a cat who had a bad reaction to his food. Yet I hadn't changed his food. It took a while for me to figure this out, but the cat food company changed the formula of his food. Although I hadn't switched brands or flavors, I had unknowingly started feeding my cat a different food. It can be frustrating.
Please let us know which route you take and how it works for you. I hope that by the time you read this post, the problem has already been resolved and your cat is back to his non-scratchy self.

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PHCurious
Cat Chat Host

Declawing is a cruel and unnecessary form of torture but since you're cat is already declawed it sounds like this is the source of its anxiety. When a cat loses its claws, it's the human equivalent of chopping off the tops of our fingers right at the top knuckles. Imagine how irriated, worried, frustrated, upset we'd be if we couldn't scratch ourselves when we itched or - for a cat - if it couldn't scratch or stretch in its normal behavioral patterns and urges. Go to an animal behaviorist and do your cat a favor - put him on some buspirone.