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Cat Forum / General Topics / July 2005obsessive self cleaning
Sabrina has an issue of obsessively cleaning her self to the point of licking all her fur off an area down to the skin and peachfuzz. About a year ago the vet per her on these little pink pills saying the problem was anxiety related. Those pills worked, but had me thinking... cat licks for anxiety issues, yet how much anxiety do I give the cat trying to pop a pill down her every night. And we all know how much our babies love taking pills ... NOT!! Anyhow, the issue kinda subsided for a while, but within the last few weeks I noticed she's back at it again and her bald patch is growing. This time she's focusing on her belly, and her scar area from the amputation last fall. And let me tell you, she wakes me up n the middle of the night with the licking. If I put my hand on her to deter her from licking - she licks my hand. Its like some weird obsession. I know they sell sprays and stuff to keep cats from scratching furniture and other spray stuff (bitter apple) that is non harmful to dogs but keeps them from chewing on things. I wonder if there is something to spray on her that will keep her from licking. Yet, that interfers with her natural grooming instinct. I guess I'm stuck with popping pink pills for the rest of her life. > Sabrina has an issue of obsessively cleaning her self to the point of > licking all her fur off an area down to the skin and peachfuzz. [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] > > I guess I'm stuck with popping pink pills for the rest of her life. Have you tried Feliway? -- not to spray on her, though. Feliway is used for behavior modification. It comes in refillable plug-in diffusers (which releases pre-measured amounts) and as a spray. I would suggest that you get 2 or 3 diffusers and station them in areas where Sabrina spends a lot of time, such as the living room and the bedroom. MaryL > > Sabrina has an issue of obsessively cleaning her self to the point of > > licking all her fur off an area down to the skin and peachfuzz. [quoted text clipped - 28 lines] > > MaryL I'm sorry, I'm not trying to be rude, but what does Feliway have to do with obsessive licking? Anyway, does Sabrina tend to get bad hairballs as a result of the licking? If she's removing that much hair, it has to be going somewhere. You may have to continue the pills if she's suffering from hairballs as well. kili > > > Sabrina has an issue of obsessively cleaning her self to the point of > > > licking all her fur off an area down to the skin and peachfuzz. [quoted text clipped - 38 lines] > > kili Feliway is a mood altering pheromone - it calms the cats. Much the same way as the smell of a Big Mac or Whopper will excite a fat person ;)  SignatureThe ONE and ONLY lefthanded-pathetic-paranoid-psychotic-sarcastic-wiseass-ditzy former-blonde in Bloomington! (And proud of it, too)? http://www.geocities.com/the_magic_mood_jeep/ http://community.webshots.com/user/mgcmdjeep >I'm sorry, I'm not trying to be rude, but what does Feliway have to do with >obsessive licking? Anyway, does Sabrina tend to get bad hairballs as a [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > >kili That is the amazing thing - she never coughs up hair balls and we haven't noticed a change in her deficating habits either. Its weird. > I'm sorry, I'm not trying to be rude, but what does Feliway have to do with > obsessive licking? Anyway, does Sabrina tend to get bad hairballs as a [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > > kili Feliway is an excellent mood-altering product, and it often has a soothing or calming effect on cats. Obsessive licking is often related to stress. Moreover, the OP said that her vet thinks this is "anxiety related." Another fairly obvious thing to watch for (but I would assume that her vet has already done this) is to check to an allergic reaction to fleas. MaryL "MaryL" <carstan101@yahoo.comTAKE-OUT-THE-LITTER> wrote in message > Have you tried Feliway? -- not to spray on her, though. Feliway is used for > behavior modification. It comes in refillable plug-in diffusers (which > releases pre-measured amounts) and as a spray. I would suggest that you get > 2 or 3 diffusers and station them in areas where Sabrina spends a lot of > time, such as the living room and the bedroom. > > MaryL Have you tried electric shock therapy? It works for my cats. I run an electric wire containing 110 volts to my kittys water dish and when they get thirsty *ZAP* a kitchen covered in fur and instant dog food! Mars Project >Have you tried electric shock therapy? It works for my cats. I run an >electric wire containing 110 volts to my kittys water dish and when >they get thirsty *ZAP* a kitchen covered in fur and instant dog food! Maybe you should up the electricity to 50 million volts and then try it on yourself. > And let me tell you, she wakes me up n the >middle of the night with the licking. Light sleeper? >If I put my hand on her to deter her from licking - she licks my hand. >Its like some weird obsession. My understanding is when she licks you she is saying "thank you for loving me and taking care me." It's her way of expressing appreciation to you. Have you tried another vet? >> And let me tell you, she wakes me up n the >>middle of the night with the licking. >Light sleeper? that's an understatement! >>If I put my hand on her to deter her from licking - she licks my hand. >>Its like some weird obsession. >My understanding is when she licks you she is saying >"thank you for loving me and taking care me." It's her >way of expressing appreciation to you. oh, I thought that was just my dog... :-) >Have you tried another vet? No, I have not. My vet has been very good to me on many issues. >Sabrina has an issue of obsessively cleaning her self to the point of >licking all her fur off an area down to the skin and peachfuzz. [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] >give the cat trying to pop a pill down her every night. And we all >know how much our babies love taking pills ... NOT!! Have you checked out what might be causing the anxiety? One of our cats TIGGER had an anxiety problem manifested by constant grooming on her belly. She ended up with raw-looking sores and red marks. The cause of the anxiety was our force-feeding of our other cat WHIFF who had cancer. WHIFF was on chemotherapy but we had a constant battle to keep her weight up which is why were feeding her that way. Anyway it really upset TIGGER. We were also not paying as much attention as we normally did to her because all our efforts went on WHIFF. When the treatment we gave WHIFF ended we realised the psychological damage this whole process had caused TIGGER. We started to pay more attention to TIGGER and cuddled and groomed her ourselves and often. The anxiety-grooming eventually stopped and her skin cleared as she returned to her normal self. > Sabrina has an issue of obsessively cleaning her self to the point of > licking all her fur off an area down to the skin and peachfuzz. Our Luna started doing this a couple of months ago. The vet said it was probably stress. I suggested Feliway and she said it was a good idea. I've also been spiking their water with Rescue Remedy and it seems to work. > I guess I'm stuck with popping pink pills for the rest of her life. I prefer a more natural approach. Try the Rescue Remedy, available at your local health store or online. SignatureVictor Martinez Owned and operated by the Fantastic Seven (TM) Send your spam here: uce@ftc.gov Email me here: pistorLITTER@BOXaustin.rr.com Hi, My cat has the same problem, and his vet said it was just allergies and told me to get an allergy med for him. This only made him sleepy, and when he woke up he started right in licking again. He is almost bald on both sides of his back legs and on part of his stomach. I don't agree that it's only allergies. You mentioned that your cat had amputation....mine was hit by a car (before I adopted him) and has a lame right leg. My theory is that both of our cats have issues with something that happened to their bodies. Licking can be a form of easing pain, tingling sensations, and other feelings they may be having. I don't know what the answer is to this problem, perhaps something for pain? >Sabrina has an issue of obsessively cleaning her self to the point of >licking all her fur off an area down to the skin and peachfuzz. [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] > >I guess I'm stuck with popping pink pills for the rest of her life. SignatureKuji |
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