About Dear Tabbi Expertise My expertise is in helping people understand their cat (or cats) and their behavior. Questions are welcome even if you don't have a cat....just a question about them. Hopefully my experience, suggestions, and comments will be of help to you...and your cat (or cats). Looking through my past responses to questions will give you additional information and/or answers too.
Domestic Cats = cats (no matter what breed) who are tame or not wild, or abandoned cats who were pets that became wild, but can be tamed again.
Ferals = cats who are born with one or more parents who were wild stray cats. They usually have had no interactions with people. They have an inbred distrust of humans and are difficult to socialize. They are skittish, hide, and are afraid of people. They take a lot of time and patience to work with them. A lot of kittens from shelters had a feral parent.
Experience Since I was a child, over 45 years, I have been owned by a LOT of cats and kittens of almost every temperament, behavior, and personality. I have had experience with neurotic, disabled (including blind), stray, and 'problem child' cats and kittens. (A few normal cats too!) Plus all the things a lifetime of owning cats and research has taught me. I also have experience in feral cat behavior (which is different from domestic cats), and some experience with feral colonies that includes colony feeding and feral cat TNR (trap/neuter/release).
Education/Credentials ***********
Awards and Honors * One of the top 50 Experts Of 2008 *
Question ok... my cat has an over grooming problem. She has no new
enviornment changes.. One day my husband started to scratch her right
behind the tail, and she loved it... (a little too much) so now she swill
prop a hand on a wall to try to lick to specific spot and now her back has
some bald spots... I dont know how to stop her from licking that spot. If
the hair were to grow back would she still be obsessed with grooming
that spot.. what can I do. I don't want to put her on meds to treat
somthing that she does because it feels good
Answer Dianna,
That is a common place for fleas to go. I would check for fleas and/or flea evidence (which is little black flakes). When your husband scratched her there it may have gotten the fleas moving around plus she may have Flea Dermitis. That is a condition where the cat is alergic to the saliva of a flea and will get bald spots licking the area because of the itching from it. A cat can have just one flea on it that just bit one time to get a reaction.
I would check her for fleas first before dealing with her actions as a behavioral problem. If you find a flea or flea evidence I would get Advantage (or similar flea medication) and put that on her back and see if her behavior stops after a few days.
