Why is my cat licking his hips and tail so much? Is he in pain?

Excessive grooming of the rear may indicate fleas or worms. The area she's paying attention to is classic for flea allergy. The most common worms are tapeworms, which your pet gets by grooming and ingesting a flea carrying the tapeworm eggs. A broad spectrum dewormer can be gotten from your vet as well as a topical or oral flea control such as Cheristin or Comfortis. You might also consider asking your vet for a dose of Capstar. It helps get the problem under control by killing the fleas on the cat starting in five minutes but only lasts for 24 hours. You also need to treat your home environment. If you use a pest control service, tell them you are having a flea problem and they can adjust their treatment. Use a premise spray that also contains an IGR, insect growth regulator. This will keep eggs and larvae from maturing into adults and helps break the life cycle. Also, vacuum EVERY DAY, throwing out the bag or emptying the canister every time into an outside receptacle and spraying the contents with insecticide to kill the fleas you’ve vacuumed up. Treat your yard as well, since fleas are opportunistic and will hop a ride into your home on your pant leg without you knowing it. Concentrate on areas under bushes, in the shade. Fleas are less likely to be located in open sunny areas where it gets hot. You might want to consider boarding your cat for the day at your vet, to give you the opportunity to flea bomb your house without having to worry about your cat. They can bathe your cat and give a dose of Capstar while you take care of the problem at home. Be patient, you may have to repeat these steps multiple times 10-14 days apart to help break the flea life cycle.

This is commonly due either to akin problem or to ostheoarthritis (OA) affecting the hips and back legs joints. A clinical examination at your local veterinarian is essential to confirm these clinical suspicions and treat appropriately. Antiinflammatory medications may be needed for OA. Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

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.

Overgrooming can be a sign of stress / behavioral change. It can also be a sign that the cat is painful or uncomfortable in a particular area. Many times I see this with arthritis. I would recommend having a veterinarian take a look at him for further recommendations in case this is something that can be solved with a physical exam so that the most appropriate treatment recommendations can be made. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any further questions or concerns.

Hello, Sorry to hear this about Vallorlin. Obsessive licking can be caused by pain (such as arthritis), skin disease (such as a skin infection or allergy flares), or be psychological/behaviorally motivated. I recommend taking Vallorlin for a physical exam with his veterinarian. They will be able to guide you best on diagnostics or treatment after seeing him. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Chester. I recommend that he sees his veterinarian. He should be checked for a traumatic wound to the tail or even a small mass that it is irritating him. If this is not the case, he could have a neurologic condition that makes the tail tingle or painful. His veterinarian will likely prescribe treatment based on his exam findings. I hope this information helps!

Hi there and thanks for posting! Licking near the tail base region can be a sign of a flea allergy, especially if Lucas is not on any flea preventative. It only takes one flea to induce a flea allergy! Another possibility may be pain near the lumbar area of the back (lower back), perhaps from arthritis of the spine or hips or another condition of the spine. I would recommend Lucas have an exam done by a veterinarian soon and perhaps an x-ray done to differentiate a possible flea allergy from spinal or hip pain. I hope this helps and best wishes to you and Lucas!