Cat licking her hair off - allergies or stress?

[Samson_Delilah]

My female cat has started licking off her hair on her paws and legs and possibly is starting on her belly - they are long hair and it's kinda hard to tell until a definite bald patch appears.  This has been happening since before Christmas.  At first I thought it was due to the loss of her beloved "Cat tree" but I got her a replacement - although I'm not sure she likes it near as much.  The Vet thinks it's an allergy - probably to food - but I can't get her to eat the $35 per 8lb bag of Green Pea and Duck food I bought for her.  She went days without eating and I finally gave in - as I didnt want to deal with those complications too.  So, I have just ordered another type of food - Venison and Green Pea - hopefully she'll like that a little better.....and I've ordered the stop itch wipes and lotion from Dr. Fosters and Smith.  I am hoping one of those will help.  The other issue is that I travel A LOT for my job - often gone at least 3 or 4 days.  I started travelling this heavy in September and her hair loss started after Thanksgiving.

Any ideas or things I can try.  I was thinking of trying the Feliway diffuser - but after just ordering over $50 of food and itch relief - I am going to hold off before spending $30 on an air diffuser.

Any comments are appreciated.

[Tortiebear]

Thank you Susan for your observations. I believe my cat Halli also has OCD and her licking is purely psychological. I have tried everything to make her environment better, food, litter ect. She is a very agitated cat by nature and I believe the obsessive licking has been manifested from this psychological conflict. She has a very happy home, a lot of love, and another female companion, Beauty. Halli has this sort of baldness develop from licking on her inner back legs, stomach, and arm pits from stressful events like moving or taking car rides. If you find out anything, please let me know.-Christine  

[LogHouseDallas]

Since your post was one week after switching to the duck and pea food I'd like to know if this was the source of a permanent improvement. What updates can you share?

[sarahfrogspawn]

hi there, I am having a similar problem with my cat, she had a car accident a couple of months ago, hurt her leg and broke her front tooth,  but will still run and jump around and play normally, but she does lick her leg every 5 mins or so and is now loosing hair where she is pulling it out, i dont have the money to take her to the vet, we adopted her as a stray but i just dont know what to do? any ideas?

[chaicork]

My female tabby Dezzy started overgrooming when her beloved sister/mamma companion passed. I've tried everything to stop the licking of her belly and legs, which becomes more active at meal time - she prefers to eat early rather than right on time! I'm giving her lots of emotional support, but have also changed her litter. I'm now using a very inexpensive solution - equine bedding, which is nothing more than cedar chips. You can get it at your local feed store. It's the stuff horses like to stand on. It's cheap at about $4.00 a bail, which lasts 1 month for 2 cats. It isn't harmful to the environment, either in the creation or disposal of it. It's compostable. And smells natural and lovely, like a lumber yard. My cats LOVE it! There was zero acceptance time - they loved it the first time they used it. And the larger shavings are much friendlier to my home (doesn't dissolve into carpet) and vacuum. Good luck.

[margypops]

Last few days I have been thinking my cat Tweety has Fleas but I havent seen any on her , she got frontline yesterday . but .now after reading this long and very interesting thread I am wondering if she has an allergy and possibly to the litter box .stuff I have been using 'Tidy cat ..at one time Tweety always went to the bathroom outside , last few weeks using the litter tray always down in case of emergencies.I see one post here the cat was allergic to the scented ..and I have had that for her .Any ideas of anything else it maybe ..I feed her the Friskies dry indoor food and also wet friskies in the morn and Evening ?

[ami_p]

My cat REALLY likes Fussie Cat (make sure get white fish variety) and Salmon and Sweet Potato Formula (California Natural).  You really should try these two.  The Fussie Cat is hard to find and they sell out REALLY fast at our local pet store.  I have not found a cat yet that doesn't like.  If you need me to send you a can, just let me know and you can try.