My cat's back fur is wet and stained. Why is this happening?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is most likely just saliva stain just meaning that he has been licking at it. It does not seem irritated so there is no need at this time to seek veterinary care. However, if at some point the skin underneath becomes irritated, bleeds or develops a discharge, have him evaluated by your veterinarian. Good luck!

Saliva staining can have this discoloration on fur or it may be a reaction to rubbing against something. Sometimes they over groom and lick an area due to an allergy or a wound or stress if there was change of some sort. If you can break the cycle and find the underlying cause, they hair will grow back out white and look normal again

A common cause of light colored hair turning orange or rust colored is from saliva staining. This can occur when a cat or dog is licking excessively. In cats, this can be cause by a range of medical things, including fleas, mites, ringworm, and allergies. It can also be a stress response. I would recommend that you have Zelda checked out by a vet to make sure that her skin is healthy - sometimes we will see something that you may not have realized was abnormal. If they do not find a medical cause, they can discuss Zelda's home environment and help you identify things that you could change to help with feline stress. Here is an article that discusses overgrooming in cats: http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=2565 Here is a product that can help stressed out kitties if other causes of itching have been ruled out by a vet: http://pet-supplies.drsfostersmith.com/search?view=grid&cartcount=0&wishcount=0&division=dogs&w=feliway&x=0&y=0

Your kitty is likely a nervous or stressed cat, especially if stressful events (new neighborhood cat, new boyfriend, new baby, mvoing, removing or adding furniture, new puppy , etc.) have happened before she started the excessive licking. This licking pattern would be typical for overgrooming. Your vet needs to rule out parasites, fungal and bacterial infections. If there is none of these then you can try to help your cat by removing anything stressful in the house that can be removed and placing Feliway dispensers in the areas she spends most of the time. Feliway is a pheromone that makes cats happy and takes away stress. You will need to do this for at least two months before you will see success. If this does not work, then your vet can do some medication trials to see whether she will stop the overgrooming.

There are a number of reasons that a cat will overgroom themselves, but one of the most common reasons that we will see a cat overgroom the inside or back of the thighs is a flea allergy. If a cat has a flea allergy, it only takes 1 flea bite a week to keep them itchy and cats are such good groomers that you will often never see fleas. So, it is always recommended to have all animals in the house on a monthly flea preventative if any animal in the house has allergies or skin problems. I have attached a handout below on allergies and itching in cats. https://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=2607 If Voltaire is already on a regular flea preventative, the next step would be to have your veterinarian examine him and determine if he has any evidence of secondary bacterial, fungal or parasitic infections. If not, then you can discuss using anti-itching medications such as anti-histamines or steroids short term to resolve the itching and licking. And if those techniques are unsuccessful, then the final step might be a diet change. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using PetCoach.

It sounds like she either has fleas or she has something on her coat (like a foreign substance) that she is licking off. Cats often foam/drool when they taste something they don't like. I suggest you bathe her (if she will let you) and start her on a good flea prevention to cover all the bases.

Older kitties definitely have a harder time cleaning their back end usually from arthritis. Because she is leaking urine, I would be worried about a urinary tract infection or a possible stone causing issues with normal urination. I recommend a vet exam to rule out the above concerns. They may need to check her urine or take a radiograph. If all checks out, they can discuss medications to help with arthritis pain. Good luck and kisses to Kitty!