Friend needs some help

13 year old, male, neutered.

Her cat began to pull out his own hair in clumps last summer, and they treated for fleas and other parasites. He stopped on his own, when the weather cooled down. He's been checked by a vet, and has gotten the all clear. There is no apparent reason (no move, no new cat...nothing along those lines) for this stress behavior, so I told her to try some Feliway room diffuser.

But is there anything else I can tell her? She's so worried. He's a very nice, mellow cat, and it seems to only happen in the summer. Just now started doing it again, when it got hot. I was thinking about Tea Tree Oil, but am not sure about it. Any suggestions?

Thanks!

Best-
Michele

Originally Posted by noni

13 year old, male, neutered.

Her cat began to pull out his own hair in clumps last summer, and they treated for fleas and other parasites. He stopped on his own, when the weather cooled down. He's been checked by a vet, and has gotten the all clear. There is no apparent reason (no move, no new cat...nothing along those lines) for this stress behavior, so I told her to try some Feliway room diffuser.

But is there anything else I can tell her? She's so worried. He's a very nice, mellow cat, and it seems to only happen in the summer. Just now started doing it again, when it got hot. I was thinking about Tea Tree Oil, but am not sure about it. Any suggestions?

Thanks!

Best-
Michele

Click to expand...

Ahhhhhhh! Not sure I can help with the hair pulling, but tea tree oil is toxic to cats. Like chocolate. If it only happens in the summer, has he been checked for dermatalogical problems? I know I have a, so far undiagnosed, dermatitis of some sort that is usually not a problem until summer when I get hot and sweaty. Then my skin (only in one isolated area, thankfully) can get red and irritated/itchy.

Start making a list of environmental or other conditions that exist in summer but not in winter, and then investigate each one. I'm betting it is an allergy of some sort, which manifests as a dermatitis.

Originally Posted by noni

13 year old, male, neutered.

Her cat began to pull out his own hair in clumps last summer, and they treated for fleas and other parasites. He stopped on his own, when the weather cooled down. He's been checked by a vet, and has gotten the all clear. There is no apparent reason (no move, no new cat...nothing along those lines) for this stress behavior, so I told her to try some Feliway room diffuser.

But is there anything else I can tell her? She's so worried. He's a very nice, mellow cat, and it seems to only happen in the summer. Just now started doing it again, when it got hot. I was thinking about Tea Tree Oil, but am not sure about it. Any suggestions?

Thanks!

Best-
Michele

Click to expand...

Using tea tree oil on the cat is definetly not a good idea.
"Three Angora cats treated with undiluted tea tree oil dermal route. O. got it from a pet catalog sold as flea treatment. Within 5 hours, the first cat was hypothermic and uncoordinated, alert but unable to stand. Later that day, cat 2 was admitted comatose with severe hypothermia and dehydration. Cat 3 was conscious, nervous, trembling, and ataxic. All the cats smelled of tea tree oil. Cat 3 spent one day being treated and cat 1 spent two days being treated in the hospital but then both went home. Cat 2 died on the third day.

The article states: Tea tree oil contains 50-60% terpenes, toxicity is "similar to other essential oils such as eucalyptus oil." Toxicosis in humans has resulted from ingestion of 0.5 to 1 cc tea tree oil per kg of body weight. The 3 cats had about 20 ccs applied to them (each). Says cats may be more sensitive to this toxicosis than dogs, but that the tea tree oil toxicosis has been reported in humans, rats, dogs, and cats. Most patients have clinical signs of central nervous system depression. Dogs and cats with tea tree oil toxicosis will appear weak, obtunded, uncoordinated, ataxic, and usually have muscular tremors. Cats may exhibit signs of liver damage. Toxic components are fat soluble and rapidly absorbed via skin and GI tract. There is no antidote. Treatment involves general detoxification, supportive care, bathing with mild detergents, using activated charcoal if ingested.
http://www.vet-task-force.com/Abstract-tea-tree-oil.htm"

Noni please don't let her use tea tree oil- her cat could die from it. It sounds like it might be something like seasonal allergies, has the vet done a scraping and a hysto test?

I don't know if they can afford the testing at the moment.

But I will make sure that she doesn't use Tea Tree Oil. I didn't know it was dangerous for kitties, although I've never used it. So that's something to be really aware of. Thanks, everyone.

Maybe it is just seasonal...does anyone think maybe shaving him, or giving him a solidly short haircut, would work? Or any other ideas?

Thanks, all. Great to learn about TTO...

Best-
Michele

I had a cat who had summer allergies -- he was allergic to grass, three types of mold, and dog dander! In the summer, his hair would fall out and he would get horrible sores on his skin from chewing on himself. Once we diagnosed the problem, the vet put him on allergy medication (which was very inexpensive) and he had no more problems.

Do make sure that he is checked for mites. My Chester lost his fur due to having Demodex mites (which is rare in cats). Once he was treated for the Demodex, the hair loss and itchy skin went away.