Self Destructive Kitty :(

My cat had the sam issue and my vet told me I had "nervous" kitty who was easily stressed and was showing some symptoms of OCD and actually had me put her on a low dose of antidepressants and it did work.She is 17 now and not taking them anymore.She went on them at about 3 then after a coiuple years I took her off and she was really fine until we had kids then the licking and scratchihing started
again and we put her back on.Hope this helped.

Our cat did this too. For years the vet said it was stress--turned out she had a thyroid problem and required medication. Demand that the vet do a blood test to check for thyroid issues. Good luck!

Did the vet suggest you change her food ? Food allergies make kitties itch on the inside, and our cat actually clawed herself until we changed her food. That might explain her licking herself, and the other cat may have gone after her in a dominance thing.

Hi J.

My sister in law had a cat that did that too. The vet prescribed a medication for anxiety. A pill she got everyday. Maybe you could ask your vet about something like that, I can't remember what the name of the medication was.

Hello,

I have an older cat as well, 11 yrs old, that in the past 2 years or so started to do the same thing. When I spoke to my vet about it they said that it could be nerves, or loneliness...plus a few other things. I have lived with a few roomates that had cats but then bought a house of my own so my cat was king of the castle. There was a shot that they gave him that lasted a few months they said that would hopefully stop the licking...and it did. I dont remembetr what it was called but maybe if you ask your vet they will know. Then we ended up getting another cat so he wouldnt be so lonely (if he was at all). Since then we havent needed to give the shot and he doesnt lick himself raw anymore. Also since getting the new kitty it is like he is a new cat...one that is 3 yrs old again. They cahse one another around the house and play all the time. I think it has made a world of difference for him.
Good luck. And if i go to the vet anytime soon I will ask what the shot was called and write you again.

We have been going through the same thing with our oldest cat since Christmas. They are called "hot spots" and I have yet to find the answer yet myself. We have him in an E-Collar, which we take off daily while we supervise and he's bathed with baby soap every 3 days. He just started it one night for no reason at all. But unlike yours...he won't stop himself and allow it to heal...must have the e-collar on. I'm curious to see what the responses are...my lil man is 16 yro by the way.

Sounds like anxiety. I've heard lavender oil on the paws clams dogs--maybe it works for cats, too?

Hi J.,

Unfortunately, we too had a kitty that did this. She was an older cat and this was the first sign we had that something was wrong with her. Though, this may not be true of your cat. When we saw her start to lick herself, we'd give her something else to lick, like our finger or another one of our cats. That worked for a little bit, but you have to REALLY be attentive. Another thing we did was to wrap her in towels and snuggle with her when we noticed her licking herself.

It was a lot of work, but eventually she stopped (though I don't recall how long she behaved in such a manner). Hope this helps!

Hi J., Have you tried a "shaker can" yet? Put some pennies or beans in a clean empty pop can and everytime you see her obsessivly grooming one place shake the can. It will startle her..and hopefully after a while it may end the behavior. This is training method for other animals, and I know my parents have used it with our cats to keep them from scratching funiture, drapes etc. and it worked. You could also try bitter apple, it is a non-toxic, "bad tasting" training tool to keep animals from chewing just about anything...maybe if you could spray it on the affected area it would stop her? Good luck...cats are so independant and stubborn you may never get her over this OCD behavior.

Hi, I have 9 cats and have seen this before. First you want to take kitty to the vet to rule out any underlying cause. Before you make an appointment, make notes about her behavior: is she eating and using the litterbox ok, note specific times when she actually licks and did anything happen beforehand to cause it, also is she doing it when your home, not at home, when you leave the house, when people come over. If there is no medical reason behind it, then it's a behavior thing, but it's best to see if there is anything that triggers it. Sometimes there isn't and it's an anxiety thing (sorta like when someone bites their nails). You can ask the vet for anti-anxiety medications which are: Amitriptylne (sp?), Diazapam & Buspar. The first one is the mildest out of the 3. If one doesn't work then you can try another. And you may find you don't like the way kitty acts on it and will want to discontinue altogether. When my cats were on them, they only stayed on them for a short time and some longer than others. What you really want in the long run is to control the anxiety without meds. But, with anything, ALWAYS go to the vet first. Do some research on the web so this way you have an idea of what might be causing it and you can address these with your vet. Good luck.

My mom had the same kind of situation, your cat actually sounds like her cat as well. My mom started to let her outside (I don't know if you're able to) in her back yard since it was fenced in. After she started letting her outside she stopped licking herself raw. Good luck!

I have read where cats can be depressed, same as humans. The articles I've read indicate that cats may be given antidepressants for depression. Try www.google.com and search for cat depression; there seems to be a good amount of information from reliable sources there. I know I looked previously when I've had cats who became "bald" in an attempt to discover what the causes could be. I hope you are able to gain information that will help your cat and that your vet will be willing to listen to what you learn through the internet.

Have you thought about trying to give your cat pet vitamins there is this great line called Pet Health. It's suppose to help them with pretty much everything. Just like the vitamins you and I would take. If you would like more info I can get it for you.

I have never had a cat do this. But, my dog has been doing this same thing for over 9 years. I was told that it is a nervous condition and that there wasn't really anything that can be done about it. This condition with my dog has gotten so bad that there are now areas on her front paws that will no longer heal. She has permanent scars on her front paws. All I do is stop her from licking when I see or hear her doing it. I know it isn't that easy with cats. But, maybe you could tap her mouth whenever you see her doing it. This might help it from getting to the bleeding point.

Sorry I couldn't help you with a solution. But, at least you know that this happens with other animals too.

Hi J.,
A cat I had in college did this. At the time I had two roommates, and lived in a busy apartment. She found this stressful and started the licking. The vet prescribed some steroid cream, which helped a little, but she didn't get better until I graduated and moved and she had her own space and some peace & quiet. She never did it again though and went on to live a nice long life.

My point is it I think it's stress. I'm sorry I don't have a solution for you. Good luck!