Why is my indoor cat biting his tail and acting crazy afterward?

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Tiggy! He is adorable and looks to be a tabby domestic shorthair. I think the easiest thing to do is check for fleas. Fleas love the tail area and are very itchy. I would also treat for fleas. Over the counter options are Frontline or the Seresto collar. I wish you the best!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Ketkat! The most common reason for chewing the back or the tail is fleas. Use a fine tooth comb and brush above her hips and down the tail. If you catch an adult flea in the comb you have an answer. If you don't, use a wet white tissue or paper towel to remove the fur and debris from the comb. If you see black squiggly flecks that when wet look like blood streaks that indicates flea poop. I would recommend a good flea preventative like the Serest collar, Bravecto for Comfortis. be sure that ALL animals in the house are treated. Other possibilities are skin allergies from the environment or food and cats can over groom from anxiety or behavioral reasons. If you do not find fleas I would take her to the Vet for a diagnosis so you can get her feeling better. I wish you all the best!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is possibly due to allergies as opposed to being behavioral. This is possibly more specifically due to flea allergies. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing his allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. There are many things that can cause allergies though in most cases they can be broken down into 3 big categories: flea, food and environmental allergies. Allergies are usually worked up in a stepwise fashion starting with flea allergies as this is the easiest and cheapest to take care of. If not on a flea preventative, then it would be a good idea to get started on one. If already on one then it would be a good idea to change to something else (there are many new products out in the market). If not improved in 1-3 months then it is time to move on and check for food allergies by switching to a novel diet (new protein and new carbohydrate). If that does not seem to be the issue then you are left out having to check for environmental allergies which require blood and/or skin tests. Allergies can be very frustrating to deal with at first but so rewarding at the end when we are able to treat them effectively!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Stormy! Stormy is extremely itchy if he is biting himself until he bleeds. Possible causes are fleas or allergies to his food or the environment. I recommend having Stormy seen by your Vet today. He is likely very miserable and would benefit from having medications started to relief his scratching. The Vet can check for fleas and provide a good flea preventative. The Vet may prescribe antibiotics for the excoriations and likely a steroid to help with the biting. Sadly cats can not be given human medications. They do not metabolize human drugs like we do and can become extremely sick. I hope this helps and I wish Stormy a speedy recovery. Happy Thanksgiving!

Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. He may have full anal glands that need to be expressed or be dealing with an allergy. This could also be stress related. I would recommend having a veterinarian examine him so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. I would have the vet check his anal glands to make sure that is not the cause. You can also try the Feliway products, which can be found online or at you local PetCo. Feliway is a pheromone product that might help relax him if this is due to anxiety.I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Hi, thanks for using PetCoach! Can you talk him out of attacking his tail or is he "out of it"? If he is out of it I would worry he is having a seizure and I would recommend video taping it and showing your Vet. If you yelling or trying to play with him makes him stop then it may not be a seizure, it might be boredom. I would start playing with him more and providing environmental enrichment to his life. If he is older then I would get some blood work done and have his blood pressure checked. I am assuming your Vet checked him for pain and fleas. I wish you the best! https://indoorpet.osu.edu/sites/indoorpet/files/assets/documents/Herron10_EE_for_Indoor_Cats.pdf

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is possibly due to allergies. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing him allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. A secondary infection is likely and also needs to be addressed. Even if you have not being able to see fleas, this could still be flea dirt but I agree that it is less likely. There are many things that can cause allergies though in most cases they can be broken down into 3 big categories: flea, food and environmental allergies. Allergies are usually worked up in a stepwise fashion starting with flea allergies as this is the easiest and cheapest to take care of. If not on a flea preventative, then it would be a good idea to get started on one. If already on one then it would be a good idea to change to something else (there are many new products out in the market). If not improved in 1-3 months then it is time to move on and check for food allergies by switching to a novel diet (new protein and new carbohydrate). If that does not seem to be the issue then you are left out having to check for environmental allergies which require blood and/or skin tests. Allergies can be very frustrating to deal with at first but so rewarding at the end when we are able to treat them effectively!