My Dad got a cat for free from the pound.  She is a British
Short-haired tabby, female and altered.  The reason why she was free,
was because she has pulled out her alot of her fur.  The volunteers at
the pound said she was surrendered by a family that had a Rotweiler,
and she was frightened all the time.  Once she got to the pound she
could hear the dogs in the dog section and was terrified.  3 trips to
the vet revealed nothing wrong with her physically.  They do believe,
however, that she is very nervous and that was her way with dealing
with stress.  She needed a household with no other cats, no dogs, and
no young children running around.  That suited my Dad to a T, since he
is all alone.  Have you ever heard of a cat doing this?