is it overgrooming or worse

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crazy about cats - 03 Jul 2006 17:19 GMT

Hi I have 3 kids of the four legged variety. Snickers a Persian, Wiley a
Maine Coon and Bugga Boo a kitty my husband found on the street. We have had
Snickers for 9 years, Wiley for 7 years and Bug for 6 years.

Almost a year ago Wiley started to lick the hair off his beautiful tail and
it has not stopped.. This week Bugga boo has hair loss behind his ears, on
his temples, and under his neck his whiskers are even shorter-which upon
watching them together Wiley and Buggy are constantly grooming each other,
but Wiley has been giving special attention to Buggys head and neck and will
actully bite at those areas. Snickers gets left out because she is a big
crab. Where the hair is missing it looks as though they have been shaved or
are balding, it is either thin and soft or it is stubbly and very short.

I know it is not a life threatening situation they both act fine, with their
sweet little personallities and are eating and drinking fine. Could this be
a nervous over grooming disorder? They never go outside so how could they
have fleas? And if it is something beyond Wiley just being weird wouldn't
the problem have appeared in Bug before now?

I am wanting some advice before I see my vet again. We live in the mid-west
in a rural area where most of the vets see only livestock and think of cats
as dispendable. Don't get me wrong I like our vet but I think he would
handle the situation better if they were cows. the last time he just laughed
said it made Wiley look funny and said not to worry it would probably grow
back soon, he did not see anything wrong.

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Cheryl - 04 Jul 2006 04:19 GMT

> I am wanting some advice before I see my vet again. We live in
> the mid-west in a rural area where most of the vets see only
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> Wiley look funny and said not to worry it would probably grow
> back soon, he did not see anything wrong.

Has there been a diet change lately? Since the cats have all been
together for a while, I'd doubt stress unless something else has
changed. Also, since it's affecting Wiley and Bug, there are other
things besides fleas to think about. Mites (hard to find, but some
are partial to carpets, paper, etc) or some sort of contact allergy
that affects those two, but not Snickers - though Snickers being
long haired, maybe you just can't see the effects yet. Different
cats can have different allergies. Also, allergies can present
themselves with no notice, even if they've been exposed to these
allergens without breaking out in itchies in the past.

Think about everything in the environment that might have changed;
litter brand, food, cleaning supplies, etc. But I think the big
clue is the fact that two of your cats are now affected.

I have a cat who is severly affected by allergens in the
environment, and through some reading about pet allergies one thing
was interesting - pets (like people) can have allergies to many
things, but when more than one allergen is present, the symptoms
show up more than when the presence of only one of the allergens
produces symptoms that you hardly noticed before.

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Cheryl

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crazy about cats - 04 Jul 2006 05:47 GMT

We have given the cats Iams since kitten formula and have not even changed
from original formula. The cat litter has been the same for years and I use
the same cleaning supplies as far as I know I haven't changed anything. It
makes it really difficult to pinpoint since Wiley lost his tail hair almost a
year ago and Bug has been in the last week. I keep leaning towards something
with Wiley and his grooming habits because Snickers does not allow either of
the boys that close to her. She has the thickest coat but the boys are also
long haired. I will have the vet check for mites and allergies. What do you
do for your cat's allergies?

>> I am wanting some advice before I see my vet again. We live in
>> the mid-west in a rural area where most of the vets see only
[quoted text clipped - 23 lines]
>show up more than when the presence of only one of the allergens
>produces symptoms that you hardly noticed before.

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Cheryl - 05 Jul 2006 02:57 GMT

> We have given the cats Iams since kitten formula and have not
> even changed from original formula. The cat litter has been the
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
> the vet check for mites and allergies. What do you do for your
> cat's allergies?

Currently just Depo Medrol shots every several months. He's been to
a vet dermatologist, and was on allergy shots for a while, and they
seemed to diminish the frequency of the need for Depo shots, but
not by much. The weekly shots were stressful for him. Then we tried
Atopica (cyclosporine) which is really only labeled for use with
dogs, but the vet dermatologist has had good luck with using it for
cats, too. But it made him horribly nauseous so that's been
discontinued. He had allergy testing (skin tests like humans get)
and he tested positive to various pollens, molds, dustmites, cat
dander, house dust. Allergens hard to keep him isolated from unless
he lives in a bubble. He's 5 years old, and I've had him since he
was less than one year old, and he's always had breakouts of skin
lesions from allergies.

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Cheryl

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crazy about cats - 05 Jul 2006 15:10 GMT

Well I am taking my boys to the vet today. Hope they know what is wrong and
can fix it. I will let you know what he says. Thanks for your help!

>> We have given the cats Iams since kitten formula and have not
>> even changed from original formula. The cat litter has been the
[quoted text clipped - 15 lines]
>was less than one year old, and he's always had breakouts of skin
>lesions from allergies.

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