Half Naked Cat

[DebD]

Hi
My Cat Oprah is driving us nuts with her constant over washing. We have had her to the vet who did a biopsy to see if it was a skin disease. She has had allergy tests (no allergies) and her anal glands cleared. She has no flees, plus she has been on a special duck and pea diet now for at least six months. She began giving herself a Brazilian when she was just a tiny baby.She licked clear from her naval down. Two years ago she start on her front legs. Last summer she began clearing her back legs. Then in the fall she started on her left side. So now her entire left half from front to back all four legs and her belly are totally naked. We have had her on something to calm her down, plus this stuff you plug into a socket that is supposed to keep them from doing unwanted behaviour. If you do not let her wash herself she will wash you until you bleed, or a blanket until all the fuzz is gone. Our vet is out of answers and the cost is getting out of hand. (2500 in the last 5 months) just trying anything. Nothing in our home has changed in the last few months let alone her 8 years and the new cats we have are over 2 now. I am desperate. She seems so unhappy and she looks terrible. Does anyone have any suggestions

[Catty1]

All I can think of is Clomicalm, or a similar tranquilizer. Clomicalm is given to dogs, but is very well tolerated in cats. What was she on before?

Perhaps a second opinion from another vet would help.

And maybe another diet change.

I know you will get a lot of suggestions here!

Check Google on this too. I read one story where it turned out the kitty was allergic to a perfumed kitty litter!

[Freedom]

Oh my, I've never heard of such a thing. Poor kitty, poor you (not to mention the wallet)

I have not ideas other than what Candace suggested: change the litter, try a different diet. Have you marked down how long she has been on this food? My cats are on a grain free kibble.

My sympathies, I can't even guess!

[lvpets2002]

Poor Baby Kitty.. Just FYI I have heard that Duck & Pea Diets can cause allergies in cats & dogs.. So maybe try her on diff blend of dry food.. Its for sure this baby has got some issues wheather it be food or stress problems..

[DebD]

Thank you all for the suggestions. Actually the kitty litter is the first thing I thought of, so I have tried every brand out there including just plain dirt from the garden. She actually has a bad habit of running down to the litter box, pooping on the floor and digging the litter out to cover it. (drives me nutz).

She is on a medication called Clomipramine. It makes her sleep, but as soon as she wakes up she starts to wash again.

I think I will try a new vet. He has been looking after my animals for 10 years, but at this stage I will try anything. At the moment I have resorted to putting her into a light cotton baby sleeper just to stop her from licking. So far she has licked two holes in it.
Keep the suggestions coming. I am desperate.

[krazyaboutkatz]

Welcome to PT. I'm so sorry to hear this. Maybe your current vet could refer you to a feline dermatologist if they even exist or maybe you could try a holistic vet or a vet that specializes in cats.

I've heard that allergy tests aren't always very accurate and usually food trials are done to see if there's any improvement. If you haven't tried a grain free diet yet then I'd try one. There are many available now. I used to feed my cats Innova Evo dry and canned but now I feed them Wellness Core dry and Wellness grain free canned which are both grain free. You can buy these at Petco,Petsmart, and some other pet stores too. Good luck.

[DebD]

Thank you
I have tried enova and they love it. They actually lived on it for about a year, but the vet made me take her off it and put her on the duck diet saying cats are allergic to fish, and chicken and beef and turkey and that leaves duck. My other cats thrived on Enova but they are all stuck with duck even the dog to make sure she gets nothing else. they have all been on duck for over 6 months now and it has made absolutely no difference. I am going to look for a Holistic vet because I don't know what else to do.
Thanks again

[karlyb]

My Janie is also an over-groomer; she has licked all the fur off her tummy and parts of her legs.

There is an article in the March Cat Fancy magazine about using flower essences on cats. They recommend crab apple to treat obsessive cleanliness and compulsive behaviors such as excessive grooming. However, I found the directions on how to administer the flower essences to be vague. "To apply, drop the essence on your cat's tongue." Then "..it's important to dilute the essences in spring water." So, if you dilute the flower essence, the cat would have to take a greater quantity to get the full dose? If I put it in the water dish there is no guarantee that Janie would drink it.

I hope you get treatment that works for your kitty. Let us know what happens.

[Joni S.]

My Layla is also an overgroomer. I tried everything; Feliway, lotions, creams, etc. even a kitty hydrocortisone!! Finally after the vet did loads of painful testing, to Layla and to my wallet, let me know that she wanted to put Layla on clomicalm. I see a different cat in Layla. The hair grew back out on her belly and all was well ~ until I got sick! ~ and I went 2 days and didn't give Layla her pill and she began to lick again! I'm back on a daily basis with her and all will change within the next week. She *will* stop licking and I know it. Just like she stopped before, she will stop now.

Layla would also pee pee just over the edge of her potty box. She would begin to pee and would just raise her back end up all the way. I went to Walmart and got like an "under the bed" container that is quite a bit larger. The vet said to change her litter. I didn't totally change, I added it to my current Tidy Cat she's used for years. I wanted her to still recognize the smell of her litter but I did mix some new litter. My vet said in litter /kitty testing that "cats prefer Tidy Cat with odor carbons"!! I now supplement the less expensive Tidy Cat with Tidy Cat.....and it has ALL worked out!! Of course I let her know, in great excitement, that she's a good girl!!

Layla is an "only indoor" cat because the girl that was going to get rid of her (so I took her about 8-10 years ago) had her declawed so with the clomicam I have *no* problem getting it right in her mouth!! lol! I make SURE that my right pointer fingernail is *always short* so, they're all short, just one is always shorter. I do NOT want to hurt her, as I thought I did the first time. I thought that my fingernail had hurt the inside of her mouth so off they came!! Another obligation to her, of course, is that since she is declawed, she cannot be let outside. I take her out on the porch and sit in the sun while she's there.....or....put something covering the top of the steps! She loves that! I'm an older woman (54) and I laugh about me being "the crazy cat lady"!

I do hope this info has helped any at all....

Joni

[mrspunkysmom]

Thank you
I have tried enova and they love it. They actually lived on it for about a year, but the vet made me take her off it and put her on the duck diet saying cats are allergic to fish, and chicken and beef and turkey and that leaves duck. My other cats thrived on Enova but they are all stuck with duck even the dog to make sure she gets nothing else. they have all been on duck for over 6 months now and it has made absolutely no difference. I am going to look for a Holistic vet because I don't know what else to do.
Thanks again

Allergic to fish and chicken? hmmmm. i feed mine fresh fish and chicken and cook it myself.

Innova sold out to a major manufacturer in the last few years so the formula have changed. Read the ingredients on the duck bag. Mine won't eat Duck. They will eat chickena and Salmon.

Mine eat Eagle hHlsitic canned and Natural Balance Dry.

check any canned foods for glutens. If Spunky eats any gluten he has loose stools. (How odd the Spunky and I are both intolerant of gluten.)

Note the changes.