OCD, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

[LionHart]

OCD, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

How many here have delt with this?

We have a 2 yr old by the name of Junior P Tuna who gets wild at times. He bites and scratches himself frantically. The sides of his neck are raw; he has scabs on his back. He’s managed to lick/bite fur off the base of his tail. It’s not fleas, we do the Revolution and I’ve checked. Not only the biting and scratching, but when we’re sitting down he will go from me to my room mate back and forth. Some times he acts like something’s after him, running back and forth, twitching as though something’s crawling on him. He will do the same thing the same way over and over in a pattern until he tires himself out, then he sleeps like a little angel.

[LionHart]

I wanted to add a pic of Jr, but messed it up. Sorry

[Catlady711]

You didn't mess anything up, I can see the pix fine and he's a cutie!

As for his problem, has the vet seen him for it?

My uncle had a cat that did a similar thing, covered in scabs all over the poor thing. Turns out his cat had a food allergy causing the horrendous itching. A restricted diet with a new food and some medication to calm the itching down did the trick.

[LionHart]

No, no vet yet, but that's coming, but don't tell JR.

I never thought of it being a food allergy. Interesting. I'll check into that.

Thank you for the suggestion.

[jazzcat]

My 16 year old Maine Coon mix, Ripley, is OCD. He was diagnosed in the past couple of years but he's suffered all his life. He used to do what Jr does, twitching and running but he doesn't do that as much now. We always called it Licky-Itch. Now his major OCD things are pulling out his hair down his sides and trying to eat it and having to smear his paw five times before he can start drinking water. If you interrupt him he has to start the count over.

The vet diagnosed him. We never discussed medication so I don't know what is available if any. Ripley is in kidney failure so he probably isn't a good candidate for medication.

[Medusa]

You didn't mess anything up, I can see the pix fine and he's a cutie!

As for his problem, has the vet seen him for it?

My uncle had a cat that did a similar thing, covered in scabs all over the poor thing. Turns out his cat had a food allergy causing the horrendous itching. A restricted diet with a new food and some medication to calm the itching down did the trick.

Yes, that sounds just like what my Creamsicle did and it was an allergy. Poor girl had scabs and lost so much hair. The itching is awful and my vet said that it's like having a bad case of poison ivy. When you pet him, does the fur fly? Can you lightly tug on his fur and it comes out in clumps like a paint brush? Cgirl is on Prednisolone and it helps her tremendously. Keep us posted.

[CouturePup]

My mom's cat, Meowser does that and the vet diagnosed her with seperation anxiety. My mom now puts some sort of calming insence right above her bed, and Meowser's condition has greatly improved!

[Emeraldgreen]

It does sound like a food allergy as others have also posted. It can make them so itchy. There are some diets out there for cats that have allergy problems like Hills Z/D that you can get at the vet clinic and Medi-Cal Hypo-Gastro. You could try him on it for a few weeks and see if it helps. They say that a true test is to feed it for at least 6 weeks and no other food or treats in between but you might be able to see some relief sooner. If you do switch him over, you might want to mix a bit of the new food in with his regular food and slowly weed out the old food so he's only eating the new stuff. That way he won't end up with an upset stomach from the diet change.

Not only the biting and scratching, but when we’re sitting down he will go from me to my room mate back and forth. Some times he acts like something’s after him, running back and forth, twitching as though something’s crawling on him. He will do the same thing the same way over and over in a pattern until he tires himself out, then he sleeps like a little angel.

This part kind of made me think of blocked anal glands. My cat Stinky has been blocked once before and she was running around like she had ants in her pants. She was very irritated and when I tried to pick her up she was angry which is not normally the case. She also scooted on the ground trying to get some relief. We had to take her to the vet to get them unblocked. It only took a few minutes for the vet and tech to unblock them.

But Junior P Tuna's scratching at the neck area makes it seem like it could be more of a food allergy.

[columbine]

Smudge still scratches himself to excess sometimes, especially when the weather changes in the spring and fall. It used to be much worse, big bloody lesions on his neck and face! The vet suggested an antihistamine, which I put in his food twice a day; and I experimented with kicking out various foods (I now know not to give him anything with Aspergillus niger in it - it's often found in dental supplements and treats). He still has rough weeks, but he's much more comfortable. Definitely ask the vet.

Love, Columbine

[catmandu]

BODACIOUS BO BO STILL SCTACHES AT HER EARS EVEN AFTER THE VET THOROUGHLY CLEANED HER EARS OUT, IT MUST BE SOMETHING LIKE A COMPULSION AS HER EARS ARE SPOTLESS.
I HAD HER BACK CLAWS TRIMMED SO THERES NOT AS MUCH DAMAGE DONE.
BUT SHE WONT GIBVE UP, IT MUST BE THE THOUGHT IN HER MIND THAT HER EARS ITCH!!!