Chewing

Hi, I'm new on here but I did have a look round and couldn't find anything relevant to my particular concern. My new cat is chewing on her tail. I bought her from a reputable pound, very clean and well looked after, she's 5 and has been vaccinated, de-wormed, de-flead and de-sexed, I got her 3 days ago, she seems to have already settled in. She's very calm, loves cuddles and doesn't meow very much, and appears happy, except every so often she'll hold her tail down with her paws (while she extends and retracts her claws) and she'll chew on her tail. She doesn't appear to have done any damage (no bleeding or anything) Just her fur is quite stiff and matted where she was chewing. I was just wondering if this is ok behaviour or if I should be worried.
I'd appreciate any advice.

She may had a food allergy. But I would stop her from chewing on her tail by putting some Bitter Apple spray on the end.

And if that doesn't work, look for some "hot spot" spray. "Pet Relief Anti-Itch Spray" is the brand name of one of these products that I happen to have in my bathroom cabinet. You might have to look in the dog section to find it.

Hi! Cheers to you for adopting a shelter kitty .
I appreciate your worries, the way I look at it is it is not a normal behavior if you are overly concerned. I would avoid a topical deterrent spray simply because you need to find the source. Did you notice this develop over past few days? Or has it been steady? There are lots of things you can do to test and find the source. My first suggestion would be to change her food, then litter, and watch closely for changes in this behavior.