Why is my cat licking, chewing, and pulling out her fur so much?

That could be due to an allergic disorder (usually flea allergy dermatitis), presence of parasites, or psychogenic type of overgrooming (usually related to stress). The different causes must be ruled out treating for parasites, giving meds for allergies and eventually trying to remove stress causes. A check is then required. Please do not hesitate to contact us agli if you want to discuss it any further. We are available for one to one chat (consultation).

If she isn't on a flea preventative, that is one thing she should get on right away. Some cats have an allergy to flea bites, and all it takes is one flea to cause the itch to start. You may not find a couple fleas with a flea comb. Since she has trauma to her skin, I would recommend that you have Meow Meow examined by the vet. She may need an antibiotic or anti-inflammatory while we work on why she is pulling out her hair. In addition to fleas, there are other causes, such as pain, anxiety, mites, food allergies, etc. Here is a good article explaining what might be going on: https://www.petcoach.co/article/excessive-grooming-in-cats-what-it-means-and-how-to-help/

It sounds as if your cat has a skin infection, most commonly caused by an allergy or fleas. The allergy could be a due to a protein in Muffin's food or an environmental allergy like to dust, pollens, grasses, etc. The allergy causes your cat to itch and chew at the skin which breaks down the skin barrier. This then leads to infection. Muffin will need antibiotics to help clear up the infection and possibly an anti-itch medication like steroids to give some relief while the infection clears up. A medicated shampoo may be beneficial as well. I would also recommend she be on a good flea control too. I can totally understand it may be hard to catch Myffin. But hopefully you can get her into the vet one time and everything will be able to be given injectably and she will be able to get cleared up. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck!

The cat pulling out fur could have fleas, allergies, skin infection, mites, etc. He should be examined by a vet to determine the cause and best treatment. He may need an antibiotic, anti-histamine, corticosteroid, or other medications. Your other cat may have an upper respiratory infection and/or eye infection. She should also be seen by a vet for treatment as she may need an antibiotic and eye drops. Please have your vet take a look at both of them so treatment can be started.

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 his allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. A secondary infection is likely and also needs to be addressed. 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!

Overgrooming can be caused by a few medical problems, such as fleas, food allergies, mites, or internal medical disease. I would take Milly to a vet to rule out these issues. If the vet can't find anything physically wrong, then it could be behavioral. You can try supplements for stress like Zylkene or Comfort Zone/Feliway. Here is some more information on overgrooming in cats that includes things to discuss with your vet: http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=2565

If the flea treatment route isn't helping another avenue you could look to is a behavioral issue such as extreme stress leading to hyperstimulation or overgrooming, which can lead to a cat grooming to the point they tear their fur out/go bald/cause bleeding hot spots. Often, treating the underlying stressor can help to reduce the incidence, but in some cases additional help such as an Elizabethan (cone) collar to stop the habit while treating the stress is also needed. You can try out something such as Feli-way plugins or collars to help reduce stress, and if that still doesn't help speak with a trainer or behaviorist in your area that can help figure out a plan. Other medical causes of stress can include food allergies, injuries from other cats, environmental allergies, and other parasites beside fleas that could be aggravating the skin. Infections from yeast or bacteria can also cause hot spots to form and can be irritating to the skin. If you haven't yet, ruling out some of these other causes may be another avenue to explore.