My cat is excessively scratching/licking

[iiokyu6]

My adult male cat has been licking his butt/private area and scratching behind his ears till he bleeds, but it isn't due to stress. How can I help him stop this?

 

[catsknowme]

A trip to the vet is the most obvious answer but applying a thin layer of raw coconut oil might help sooth the irritated skin tissue. Be sure to use a fragrance free/unscented litter and keep his bedding clean from perfumes or scents. Environmental scents from candles and cleaning products can also elevate his sensitivity. Your vet might recommend trying an antihistamine but be very aware of using Benadryl (dihenhydramine) because, unlike with dogs and kids, it causes intense frothing at the mouth in cats which usually causes panic terror. My main vet has me use either Zyrtek (cetirizne) or Chlor-trimetron (chlorpheniramine) instead and sometimes other vets prescribe hydroxyzine; your vet will know the best dosage to recommend. If you feed any seafood flavors, I would discontinue those immediately. Once the itching is better, you can try adding things back.
If you enjoy learning, here is a good professional article;

Feline Dermatology: Cats Are Not Small Dogs

 

[FeebysOwner]

Aside from the good advice you received from catsknowme , if you have made any recent changes to his food or litter, they could be the culprit as he may be allergic to something in them. That being the case, go back to whatever you were using before and see if that helps.

That is not to say that your cat hasn't developed an allergy to something that they have been around/eating for a long time - it does happen occasionally.

Get him treated to help provide him some relief and then work on trying to determine what in his environment could be the source.