Expert: Jessica - 10/5/2010

Question
My cat for the past several days has had real  strange behavior she has been licking and biting herself and running around like it something wrong with her.  Well day before yesterday I kept combing her determined that she did not have fleas I turned her over on her back and seen one one her stomach well I got the frontline out and gave it to her and it has been three days now and she is still biting her self near her paws and her inside of her legs alot it is like she does not want to walk on the carpet too.  I am debating whether or not to take her to the vet or not.  Please help me with this!! It is driving her crazy!!!

Answer
Hi Terry,

Many cats are allergic to fleas, and one single flea bite can result in an allergic reaction that causes them intense itching all over their body for up to 6 weeks.  This might be what's happened with your kitty.  It's also important to remember that because of how meticulously cats groom, for every flea that you see, the cat has probably pulled dozens off of herself before you had the chance to see it.

The Frontline will help get rid of her fleas, but she will continue to suffer from the allergic reaction, if this is indeed what's causing her trouble.  If you don't notice an immediate resolution, I would get her to the vet.  They can give her an injection of cortisone, which will relieve all the itchiness she's suffering for 4-6 weeks.  This should give her body enough time to get rid of the allergens.

There are other possibilities, including environmental allergies or auto-immune disease (which would require the same treatment as a flea allergy), or a mite infection, or even a behavioral disorder (cats can overgroom due to anxiety).  Your vet would be the best one to discuss those things with once they examine the condition of her skin and coat.

Best of luck!

Jessica