callie is pulling her hair out!!!

Hi all Please help! My kitty is pulling her hair out around her tail. A few weeks ago we switched from Iams kitten food to Iams cat food. It was right around the time she started doing this. She is acting fine otherwise. I suspected a food allergy so I switched her back to kitten food and now she is eating it fine. Lately I have noticed she dosen't like to be touched around her tail. It may be because her hair is itchy so I am not sure. She is eating and playing and using her potty box just fine. I don't see any fleas either. I was told she may be allergic to her plastic food bowl but she has always used it even before this started. Also, her bottom lip swells up from time to time and gets a blister looking thing on it. Then a few days later it is gone again. What could be wrong? I checked around the top of her tail this morning and there are little scabs at the base of her tail on top. Is this mites or from her itching? I have had some people I know tell me she is neurotic.(sp) I don't believe this though because she is such a loving little girl. Please help!!!!!!!!

Lip swelling and itchy skin are sure signs of an allergy. It may not be the food...it may be something else in the environment causing this problem. Please take your cat to the vet!

Have you switched any cleaning products lately? Different laundry soap, floor cleaner, etc? Any other changes to her world besides the food, like a new type of litter, new bed? If her reaction is new, figure out what has changed in her environment. If the only thing that changed was the food, it could be some ingredient in the Iams Cat that wasn't in the Iams Kitten.

A trip to the vet is in order, as Lotsocats suggested. If nothing else, s/he can give you other suggestions, and can also rule out any parasite that could be causing the problems.