Cat pulling own hair out???

[JGuitaristR]

My 8 year old cat's skin is very sensitive and itchy. She pulls her own hair out... she now has like a "mohawk" going down her back. Hannah only pulls it out on the sides of her back. She's on some sort of antibiotic and 5mgs of Prednazone. It seems to be working, but I don't know what it is!!! Has anyone experienced this before with their cat? Thanks.

[Tubby & Peanut's Mom]

Peanut does the same thing, but it doesn't sound like it's quite to the extreme that Hannah is doing it. Sometimes when Peanut does it, it's because of stress, but the most recent and worse episode was brought on by allergies. She is now on the same 5mg of Prednazone that Hannah is on, except Peanut only takes one pill every other day now, and the vet is trying to get her down to 1/2 a pill every other day. Her hair has started to grow back, but it takes time, so slow but sure. When Peanut does this, she normally goes for the backs of her legs, front legs first, then if it's bad, the back legs get it too. The reason she went to the vet this time though was because she even started on her tummy this time, and had a whole patch of her tummy bare.

The vet also said that when they have allergies, their skin tends to produce more oils, and the kitties have a hard time keeping themselves clean with all that extra oil, so maybe that is why Hannah is so itchy. Sounds like your vet knows what he's talking about because it sound so similar to Peanut, so I would keep up with her meds and she'll be better in not time.

Oh, and has been reported in the news and such, this year is particularly bad for allergies in people, so my vet says they are seeing a dramatic increase in allergies in pets too. I guess hay fever is not only a human distress. Poor kitties.

[MaxsMommy]

I have heard that cats will do this sometimes if they are allergic to fleas. Is this possible?
Good luck.



Danielle
Kitty Max (Orange tabby born April 27/02)
Kitty Mickey(Black born April April 20/02)

[AmberLee]

Yes, sometimes due to fleas. It often is a result of stress, though, too.