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cat licking hair off

i have a male cat who is about to turn 1. about 3 months ago he started licking all the fur off his back legs. he has now  licked ALL the hair off his back legs and has started on the base of his tail. other than licking his hair off the only other problem was he had a whole bunch of scabs around his neck but our friend gave us some lotion to but on him and they have cleared up. he eats fine, plays all the time, he is a normal rambunctious kitten, has no other problems other than licking his hair off. i really don't think it is stress, he causes way more stress than he could ever have!! we have 2 other cats who do not have any problems like this. and even though he is licking all this hair off himself he literally NEVER has any hairballs! if anyone could help me out to understand why he is doing this and what i can do to make him stop i would really appreciate it!!
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Avatar universal
I have a cat and he recently just started doing the same dang thing! It came out of nowhere I havent changed his food or litter or anything in the house recently and I'm at a loss. If you find something that helps your kitty let me know! Thanks.
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874521 tn?1424116797
here is a link to the ARCHIVES on dermatology....just click on it and do tons of reading good luck♥

http://www.medhelp.org/topics/show/56
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874521 tn?1424116797
hi scasper and welcome. this condition is very common, if you click on a blue tag just above 'post a question' where it says 'about this forum' you will see a sub title ARCHIVES where you can do alot of reading from previous posts..

this is 99% of the time due to ALLERGIES..allergies in cats affect their skin, I will send you a link for reading..the only thing I do not agree with on the article is the use of cyclosporine or steroids...these imo should not be used for standard treatment like many Vets like to tell you, they can cause many health problems and should only be used as a last resort..
I also don't recommend shampooing as that can just dry the skin out even more.

allergies are due to 3 things. FOOD, INHALANTS or ENVIRONMENTAL.
common food allergens are GRAINS in the food or preservatives if you are feeding dry food.
household allergens are commonly cleaners or other scented products....and litter is among that list, if you are using scented litter change to something non scented and preferably more natural....esp. when the itching is around the feet and back legs, litter is often the culprit.
environmental can be carpets or the cleaning products used on carpets, or swifters used on floors or other cleaners....
Flea bite allergy is also VERY common, the cat doesn't necessarily have to have fleas...just one bite can cause an allergic reaction.

its a huge process of trying to reduce what you use in the home.

but start with changing the diet...eliminate grains, chicken based foods and dry foods..
and change the litter. good luck, post anytime if we can answer more questions or be of more help♥

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/pic/article.cfm?aid=2134



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