In Need Of Advice On What To Do With My Cat

[Oklahoma92]

My cat(the one in my profile pic) is a short-haired calico(not sure if that's the right spelling) and she has had fleas in the past so I gave her a bath every couple of weeks til the fleas were gone and now she licks herself a lot and has lost a lot of her hair because she won't stop licking herself(i'll attach some pics of how bad it is). I am wondering if shaving her hair will stimulate her hair to grow back...any suggestions or advice?

 

[Furballsmom]

Is she throwing up/eliminating all that hair she's ingesting? I would be careful to watch for that and if there's nothing coming out either way, be sure and watch for any other tummy problems.
The shaving isn't a bad idea simply from the perspective that it would help to keep her from ingesting all that hair but it doesn't address the problem of why she's licking that much in the first place.
Oh, and that's the exact right spelling of calico . Have you had her in to the vet lately? I'd try that and see what they say, or call them and talk with a vet if you can't take her in. Then I would see if a change of food helps her to stop licking - I'm not a vet but it could be an allergic reaction to something. Hang in there!

 

[Kieka]

A cat who is sensitive to fleas will often lick off the fur around the base of their tail. I would personally start with a vet recommended topical flea treatment for three months to ensure she is completely flea free. I have a cat who is allergic to fleas, the first time he licked the fur off his tail my vet confidently told me it was likely fleas and brushed him with a flea comb to prove her point. She couldn't find a single one or piece of flea dust. She still had me apply the treatment and sure enough he stopped licking and his fur started to grow back. When a cat is sensitive it can take just one or two fleas to cause a disport reaction.

I would very firmly *not* use a grocery store or OTC flea treatment as they can be dangerous. Only use the brand your vet recommends.

I know the baths we're probably trying to avoid the medication, chemicals or cost but doing a three month course of treatment should help eliminate whatever remains. Then just do additional treatments as needed when she starts grooming.

If it isn't flea related, it would be stress related. It could be the frequent baths caused dry skin or just stress in general. It could be unrelated to the baths or fleas. Either way it would require a thorough evaluation of the home and adjustment to reduce stressors. If you rule out environmental stressors then follow up with your vet to verify there isn't medical driver.

Either way you look at it, I wouldn't shave her. Fix the underlaying problem and her fur will eventually grow back.

 

[Yanaka]

The fact that she licks her hair so much is not normal. Over-grooming is usually a sign of anxiety or physical discomfort. I think you should go to the vet before asking us for further help. That is a LOT of fur missing, poor baby. Very extensive...

Baths are really bad for cats, they can have a skin reaction to the products or even burns. Did it start right after her baths? Every two weeks is a lot... she could have a skin condition from that aggression.

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

How many months were you bathing your kitty "every couple of weeks"? Unfortunately, over-bathing a cat can really strip the natural oils from their skin and cause a lot of dryness and discomfort. I'd address the flea situation with flea meds your vet recommends, and also, test for parasites in stool samples, etc., just to make sure she doesn't have that going on as well. A well-check with the vet, including a blood panel, urinalysis, things like that, could help rule out if the hair loss has a health-based source, too.

 

[Yanaka]

But before adding any more chemicals by treating her for fleas or worms, please have her see a doctor so they can assess the state of her skin.

 

[Furballsmom]

Yanaka I absolutely agree with this. Hang in there!

 

[Yanaka]

So what's up with this kitty?

 

[Oklahoma92]

I have since shaved her and her hair is coming back slowly and she doesn't lick herself as much anymore i think shaving her helped but im still thinking about saving up some $ to take her to our vet

 

[duckpond]

I really hope you can take her to the vet, soon. I think she really needs to go and figure out what is going on. Best of luck.

 

[kissthisangel]

Are there any programs you can register for in your area that offer discounted vet treatment? She may well have an allergy to the fleas themselves, any soaps you have used, or have difficulty replacing natural oils.

Also Fleas are 95% in the environment and 5% on the cat. You can't kill eggs in their "egg" state. You need to warm them up and encourage them to hatch. We had an awful flea problem. I posted on here about how concerned I was because I am allergic to the majority of flea killing chemicals. What we did in the end was:

* Vacuum 2X a day (especially under furniture and in corners) with a flea collar cut up in the hoover.
* Give the cats a dose of flea treatment once a month, for 6months, regardless of flea problems ( prevention is the best cure) I don't recommend flea collars for the cat, they often don't come with a safety release and the cat might develop issues to chemicals over time.
* use a spray containing IGR ( insect growth regulator) it should stop the larvae growing so quickly so you can hoover them up.
*once a week blast all of the pet bedding in a hot wash, more frequently, if you can.
* Changed our own bedding every other day, since the cats sleep with us, eggs were dropping onto the bedding. Also it was a pain but not leaving any clothes around. The eggs drop on them, you wear them and the eggs hatch and you are suddenly overwhelmed with a new batch.

We did this in the summer, but if it's the winter I recommend putting the heating on high as well. It may seem counter-intuitive, but fleas do better in the heat, by upping the temperature and keeping on top of the live ones with the hoover it reduces the breeding cycle eggs are the main issue, they won't all get taken up by the hoover being so tiny. Making sure you are dealing with adults and larvae means you can somewhat break the life cycle.

Once you have fleas, it's very difficult and time consuming to stop the cycle, and it's not always easy to spot that you have them.

 

[Furballsmom]

Vacuum 2X a day (especially under furniture and in corners) with a flea collar cut up in the hoover.

wow, I'd never have thought of that!!

 

[kissthisangel]

wow, I'd never have thought of that!!

It ensures that if any of the eggs hatch in the hoover they are killed. It's a fairly cheap (I think we paid £1.99 or around $2.50 ) for the collar. It's so cheap that even if you use a bag hoover, you can cut it up and hoover it into the bag. It stops fleas escaping and going back into the environment. If only it was my original idea I'd be on the apprentice or dragon's den next week lol

 

[Furballsmom]

If only it was my original idea I'd be on the apprentice or dragon's den next week lol

lol, ain't it the truth

 

[basscat]

I prefer the mean approach. I use Precor and/or PT Ultracide (a spray that I buy on-line). And vacuum a-lot.
Once the fleas are gone, I still spray once very six months.
Enough of that spray gets sucked up into the vacuum, there's no need to add anything to the vac bag.
If you don't like chemicals, get some food grade DE powder and sprinkle it EVERYWHERE.
Leave it as long as you can stand it. Then vacuum routinely.
The good part is this is one of the safest methods and as long as it's there, it'll kill fleas. And you'll probably NEVER be able to vacuum every bit of it up if you have carpet.
The bad part is...you'll probably never be able to vacuum every bit of it up. And, this is powder. It makes ONE HECK OF A MESS!
Your cat "may" have had a reaction to the bath soap. May have not rinsed every bit of it off? May have dried out her skin and made it itchy? Or she's still getting fleas from the environment?
I bathe my cat in O+ which doesn't seem to have an adverse effects for the cat.