LICKING FUR OFF

[megsRN]

I have a female tiger kitty that licks herself all the time and because of this she has become  litterally bald on her both hind legs, belly, all paws, and butt. I tokk her to the Vet's and they ruled out any parasites or related issues. They gave her an anti-inflammatory shot to see if that would stop her from licking. They thought if she stopped and hair started growing back that it could be from food allergies; however, it has become worse, especially after introducing 2 new kittens into the environment. Could this be stress?

[opus88]

welcome Ann and Sascha...love Rag Dolls, if you look at my profile photos you wiil see a photo of Tia, a beautiful Rag Doll of mine who has now passed away...
I think what you may have going on is an issue with fleas still in your home, particularly if Shasha is continually getting RE-infected? is he an indoor/outdoor kitty? if he is strictly indoors he shouldn't need flea treatment every month...I think you need to rid the environment of flea larvae to stop this from re occuring. an allergy to fleas can cause the hair loss you are describing...
as far as the litter, is it scented? if so change to non scented. are you using any chemicals to clean your floors or carpets...allergies in pets or people can develop at any time..not necessarily due to using something NEW.
remember these chemicals like frontline(or any of them) are strong pesticides...over use can also cause reactions...

http://www.simplesteps.org/greenpaws-products#/h/+/+/+

I will send you a site to do more reading abt flea control in the home. I must add thought that I DO NOT agree that any of the herbal or so called natural products mentioned are safe for use around pets!!!

please keep us updated, we will work together to get this condition under control...♥

http://www.nrdc.org/living/pets/control-fleas-without-chemicals.asp

[Sascha7]

Hello, my name is Ann and I have a 7 year old Rag Doll called Sascha (male).  About 3 months ago he started frantically licking the fur off his 2 front legs.  They now look like they have been shaved!  I noticed he had some flea dirt and saw a flea or two about 6 weeks ago even though I use Frontline every month on both my cats (I have a 16 year old tabby too).  I've been reading some of the comments and I wonder if it could be due to a flea bite or litter although I've not introduced anything new in his food or litter?  Hope its not stress.  Thank you.

[opus88]

I did mean to mention before, that inflammatorys should never be used on a cat, they can cause alot of harm,..I don't know why Vets insist on using for allergies when its been proven to not be effective anyway....so YES kitty can still have allergies when the medication didn't work.
Start with changing the litter, if nothing else be sure its non-scented. paper pellets or wood chips would be good for a trial.
Stop using chemicals in your home, airsprays, cleaners, candles, anything with a scent.
And trial a different food, if kitty normally eats chicken based diet change to something else, I had to feed can fish for awhile, but fish isn't good long term so now my allergic kitty is getting beef.
and as Nancy suggested an Omega3 and 6 fatty acid is very beneficial to the skin....dry skin will itch.

[megsRN]

Thanks for the helpful information! I never thought about it being a litter allergy; however, a few months ago when I introduced a new cat into the environment the cat wouldnt use her litterbox and when i called the vet she suggested i change the litter, so i did just that which worked. I dont know if that had anything to do with it but I do know Twinkie was missing fur prior but just mildly, nothing like the way it is now. If the shot which was an anti-inflamatory was suppose to help her (if allergies) and it didnt help her stop licking or grow fur back, then can it still be some sort of allergy? As far as her fur and skin, they are normal. No redness or rash, fur is shinny and soft.As far as pain, she just had a check-up and the vet did a regular exam, which included looking at her bottom. I do know that Twinkie doesnt actually ever lick or scratch her anal region any more then the others. She mainly licks and bites at her belly and hind legs.

[nancyjac]

Adding that it could also be a skin/coat problem.  How does her skin and coat look?   look?  Is it dry, scaley, or red?  What do you feed her?  She may not be getting enough fat in her diet which can lead to dry skin which leads to itching and licking.

[opus88]

hi Meg, licking off fur is usually  due to allergies, this can be a) environmental b)airborne c) food
I've found when it involves the back end legs/butt its usually a litter allergy. for trial get some paper pellet or wood shavings for litter and see if that helps.

It could also be pain related, did the Vet check out to see if her anal glands were impacted, does she have a UTI or bowel problems.....kittys will lick the area that they associate with pain.

could also well be food allergies. I will send you a website to learn more of this. food allergies usually do also involve a breakout on the skin but not always.

and yes it could be stress related.

http://www.medhelp.org/health_pages/Pets/CAUSES-OF-HAIR-LOSS-IN-CAT-and-PHOTOS/show/1201?cid=2

♥Opus