My cat keeps pulling out her fur and biting. Why is she doing this?

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 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/

Midnight could have allergies, fleas, or a bacterial skin infection. Inspect her for any fleas and then treat with a medication, like Revolution, Bravecto, or Frontline. If she has allergies or a skin infection then she would need to be treated by a vet with an antihistamine, corticosteroid, and/or an antibiotic. Some cats also pull out hair from stress so you could also try a Feliway diffuser/spray and talk to your vet about an anti-anxiety medication to help.

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!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Lilly! I would have Lilly rechecked. At a bare minimum she needs medications (prednisolone taper) to relieve the itching. I would request that a skin scrape be performed to rule out skin mites. They are microscopic and need to be looked at under a microscope. I would also culture the area for ringworm. She may have allergies and I would suggest trying to change her diet first. Chicken is the number one allergic protein so try to change her to all venison or salmon diet. You will need to give the diet 2-3 months to see if it works. If mites, ringworm and food allergies have been rule out then I would consider it behavioral and start her on prozac. I hope this helps and I wish you and Lilly the very best! Happy New Year!

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.

The treatment needed would depend on what is causing the problem. It may be [allergies](https://www.petcoach.co/cat/condition/feline-allergies/), or an infection. A visit to your veterinarian would help identify the most likely cause and point you in the direction of the best treatment. It sounds like her issue is quite severe if she's making herself bleed, so I would get her in to see your veterinarian as soon as you can. If her issue was quite mild, a soothing spray, such as [Zymox](https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/zymox-spray-with-5-hydrocortisone), may be helpful but I'm afraid Phaedra's problem may be beyond conservative home care. Get her in to the veterinarian or a [veterinary dermatologist](https://www.acvd.org/tools/locator/locator.asp?ids=16_Find_Dermatologist) when you can! Thanks for asking PetCoach!