Expert: Jessica - 1/13/2010

Question
I have a 3 yr old fuzzy female cat. For the past 3 months or so she has been picking her fur out in areas she can reach such as back by tail, butt, leg and tummy areas and her tail has no fur lol!. She has 3 kittens apx. 4 weeks old w/ very long fur, and I noticed today she has been picking the fur out of them too!!! They do not have fleas or mites of any kind. Also, there are no sores or irritations on the skin in these areas. I have a house full of cats//kittens right now, but she knows each and is used to them all so I do not believe it is a stress thing from other cats.Any ideas why she is doing this and possible remedies???
TYVM!


Answer
Hi Cindi.  This sounds very much like psychogenic alopecia - hair loss due to obsessive grooming.  Some cats lick the fur away, breaking it off with their raspy tongues.  Others will actually pull it out in clumps with their teeth.  The root cause of psychogenic alopecia is usually stress.  Although your kitty is used to all the cats in the home, cats living in households with more than 5 cats are more likely to suffer from behavioral problems like this.  Additionally, having a litter of kittens can be stressful to some cats.  It's very possible that hormones associated with nursing, etc., are playing a role.

There is a possibility that this could be related to an allergy of some sort, but I'm very doubtful about this, since she is also overgrooming her kittens.  If it were an allergy or inflammatory condition, she would be reacting to itching and would not be likely to project her behavior on to the kittens.  The other possibility, if you have not actually witnessed her pulling fur off the kittens, could be that they all have a fungal infection which is causing the fur to fall out in patches on its own.  These infections tend to be more common in long-haired cats.

The only way to be sure this is psychogenic alopecia and not a physical problem is to have her examined by a vet.  An examination of the skin, and potentially a skin scraping and fur and skin culture, can tell you which direction you need to go in.

To help manage stress, I recommend a product called Feliway.  Because I have a house full of foster cats at any given time, which can cause all the cats anxiety, I use the plug-in diffusers at all times.  This helps prevent behavioral problems.  You can learn more about how it works at www.feliway.com.  The products are available at pet stores and many websites (amazon.com is the least expensive that I have found).

You also might try a flower essence.  I like a line called Spirit Essences because they were formulated by a holistic vet along with an animal behaviorist.  See www.spiritessences.com.  The Obsession Remedy may help address psychogenic alopecia, and the Stress Stopper would also probably be beneficial.  You can also try the Skin Soother in case she IS experiencing some skin inflammation.  Most cats who engage in obsessive grooming snowball the behavior because they cause themselves irritation, resulting in a need to pick at their skin.

Best of luck!

Jessica