My cat is overgrooming and pulling out fur. Is it behavioral?

If there is no medical reason such as fleas or food allergy and it is behavioral there is medication to help. She may notice another animal or cat outside that is new that is stressing her out and causing her to do this more, There may be a new neighbor with a dog that she smells passing by the door increasing her anxiety. You can start with feliway diffusers and sprays to help in side the apartment. You can also talk to your vet about anxiety medication to start her on to decrease this behavior.

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).

Poor Boda! Overgrooming is usually a symptom of allergic skin disease or emotional stress. He may respond quite well to a veterinary prescription allergy diet like Hills z/d and stop overgrooming completely. Some cats need to be on allergy medication like steroids to help with the symptoms. If stress or emotional issues are the culprit, then Boda might need to be on antidepressants or anti anxiety medication designed for cats like Zylkene or Feliway spray. If you want to try something before taking him to the vet, buy some Feliway cat pheromone spray and allergy diet like z/d and try that for 8-10 weeks, as both may work and save you a trip to the vet! Good luck!

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/

Excessive grooming can sometimes be linked to a behavioral issues (IE stress, or even becoming a habit after a stressful event) rather than a health one. If all tests have ruled out issues (including samples of the affected area sent to a lab), looking to behavioral ones may be beneficial. Trying to reduce any stressors in Belle's life such as making sure she has access to her own food, water, litter, places to sleep and hide, etc may help. Using a soft brush if she is regularly groomed may help as well. Pheromone diffusers such as comfort zone can also help with stress related issues. An Elizabethan (cone) collar or a T-shirt covering the area that is excessively groomed can also help break the habit. Here are some articles that may be useful for you as well on the topic: https://www.petcoach.co/article/psychogenic-alopecia-in-cats/ https://www.petcoach.co/article/excessive-grooming-in-cats-what-it-means-and-how-to-help/

If you’ve ruled or fleas, it could be some other allergy, though over grooming is not uncommon as a behavioral issue. Here is an article I think you may find very helpful. https://www.mspca.org/angell_services/overgrooming-cats/ Thanks for asking PetCoach!

Two things you didn't mention: Was Mikimoto-san tested at all for thyroid issues or other metabolic issues? Sometimes thyroid and other issues can present with changes in weight, eating habits, hair loss and more. A full blood panel if you haven't had one done already can help. The other thing to look for is stress over-grooming. Cats can start obsessively licking as a result of stress, and the behavior can become a habit that continues even after the stressor is removed. Making sure Miki-san has his own place to relax, eat, drink, use litter and more can help reduce stress as well as using pheromone diffusing plug-ins or collars. If the stress has been removed but the licking continues, you may need to break the habit by placing an Elizabethan (cone) collar or T-shirt on him to prevent licking until he doesn't feel the urge to continue.