Spike's pulling fur out!

[pamela]

He has done this on and off for the last few years (started when another cat bit him on the tail and it got infected before I got it treated at the vet). Ever since, once in a while, the tail would swell up a bit where he was bitten and he'd start pulling fur out then it'd go away and he'd stop.

About a week ago, this started again so I took him to the vet for a checkover and they said he has no fever, he has no wounds, etc. His tail was a bit swollen so they gave him a shot of antibiotics and gave me some pain medience to give for a couple days. The vet noticed he had pulled a bit of fur off his hindlegs but not much.

Another possible factor for his pulling fur out is another cat- Tango who likes to annoy him.

The tail swelling has gone down and he has seemed to leave his tail alone.

This morning, I looked and to my shock his hindlegs are almost bald! I am starting to wonder if it's due to stress??

I have feliways plugged in every room now. ...
Any advice is greatly appreciated!!

 

[otto]

Aww...poor boy. Yes it does sound like stress. You can try giving him some rescue remedy to help with the stress. If it continues he may need medication to help break the habit.

Amitriptyline and clomicalm are two meds used for these issues in cats, talk to your vet about them.

Let us know how Spike gets on.

 

[crazy4cats28]

It does sound like stress to me. The only other thing I can think of is an allergy. My cat Princess has a severe flea allergy. If she gets bit by one flea she loses tons of hair and it happens VERY QUICKLY. Have there been any recent changes in your home? Even something so simple as moving furniture can really stress out some cats. Have you used any new cleaning products?

 

[mommysugar]

That happened to my lil poppy seed too! He was supposedly bit by another cat from the shelter he was at before I rescued him. The bite resulted in a bald spot the size of a dime on his neck which he furiously scratched at until his neck became furless and it seemed to spread to his ears too.

The vet gave me a bottle of gentaspray topical spray by butler. The spray worked and his hair grew back thankfully. Although, the bottle says for dogs so I am unsure why the vet gave it to me, but whatever it worked so maybe you could get yourself a bottle because it's not a prescription.

Hope that helps keep the thread updated as to what you find works, good luck. I know how stressful it can be when you aren't quite sure what's wrong with your baby!

 

[esrandall2000]

Lots of vibes for your baby::vibe s:

 

[katkisses]

It could be stress or allergey, like others have said. Has it been over a month since his last flea med? Have you changed foods?

I hope it goes away, and doesn't come back.