My 3 yr old neutered male cat, Onca, has always been a fastidious little thing but in the last year his overgrooming has become a real problem. He actually rips his hair out at the roots and even grooms the bald skin until it breaks. His target areas are his genitals, backside/tail base, legpits and forelegs but he has caused bald patches pretty much everywhere he can reach. In addition, his mouth and chin are going bald purely because he grooms so much. He's quite a highly strung cat by nature. He dislikes going outside except for about 15mins on a fine day. We've tried shutting him out to give him something to do besides sit around mutilating himself but he just sits by the door looking pitiful.

He has a 2 yr old playmate, Tango, who we introduced about 18months ago. He's a neutered red tabby with a very laid back temperament but none of this has rubbed off on our Onca. We were told to transfer scent and feed them together so they'd accept one another and they are friendly most of the time but they won't sit together, groom one another or play together much. Tango has tried being friendly and playful but Onca won't have any of it. Onca is very much the alpha, despite being half Tango's size. Tango won't challenge Onca over food or territory around the house. Tango likes the outdoors though so he's not under our feet so much.

Onca is regularly treated for worms/fleas so we know it's not that. He has also had periods without these treatments to rule out an allergy to them.

We have tried cool and soothe veterinary cream with aloe vera, tea tree and other soothing stuff. We have also tried an anti-chew spray suitable for direct application to cats (obviously, not to broken skin) but it hasn't deterred him in the slightest. If anything it makes him more stressed and determined to groom. Because he rips the hair out at the roots and attacks the skin till it breaks, he's spent much of the last few months in an Elizabethan collar, which also stresses him. We tried a soft, fabric collar because he wears it so much but he learned very quickly how to flip it back and get to himself.

A few months ago the vet suggested a week's treatment on valium. He said that if the grooming was purely habit or behavioural a week of valium would chill Onca out until he forgot why he was stressed and overgrooming, breaking the cycle. He had a very drowsy week and then went straight back to attacking himself.

So now we're in a total catch 22 with everything. He has to wear the plastic collar, which makes him pissed off about not being able to groom and determined to flay himself whenever he does get the chance. We also have to keep him indoors while he's wearing the collar. While he's a borderline agoraphobic cat and happy to stay in, this leaves him very bored, with little to do but groom. He will sit and compulsively lick the inside of the collar, for about the amount of time he would prefer to spend grooming himself. Telling him 'no' or even smacking him when an area is beginning to look bald has no effect, neither does making a fuss of him and playing with him as a distraction. As soon as play stops, he's trying to wash. Also, when he doesn't have the collar on he manages to cause bald patches so quickly that we can't always intervene. It's very frustrating and God alone knows what effect all this is having on his compulsive behaviour.

Also, while I'd love to be able to move heaven and earth to resolve this for him, I'm on minimum wage and money's very tight right now. I just can't afford hypo-allergenic foods or Zylkene. Just last week we had to pay towards Tango having an anaesthetic and antibiotics because he got a grass stalk stuck in his throat. I've got some basic pet insurance but it won't stretch to what seems to be a behavioural rather than medical issue.

So if anyone has insight to offer or something else we can try that doesn't cost the Earth, we'd be so grateful.

Thanks.

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aww sounds like a very stressed little cat, i hope you can resolve this soon before he goes totally bold, im sorry im no help but sending you loads of love n hugs xxx

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Thanks

We really are beginning to feel that all our attempts to intervene are exacerbating his issues. It's tough feeling like part of the problem. Would that he could open his mouth and tell me what was going on in his fuzzy little head.

Hopefully we won't have to resort to a tongue-ectomy.

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Would be great if they could invent something to help us communicate more to our extended family members

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Cats can drive you crazy sometimes, eh?

Couple shots-in-the-dark to try...

Can you grow some 'catgrass' inside for him? (oat, barley, flax, etc. shoots - see the 'catgrass' thread in this forum: Cat Grass) Might give him something other than himself to sink his teeth into, lick, etc. I can understand your reluctance because of Tango's recent incident, but fresh shoots grown indoors are likely to be more malleable than the tough stuff you can find outside.

How does he respond to catnip? Maybe try giving him some... separate from your other cat, in case one or the other has a 'bad trip' The active component in catnip is also a major ingredient in Feliway, so you never know Also, whole fresh catnip leaves can be harvested for chewing on and rolling in, if you're willing to plant him a little pan of the stuff (just keep it somewhere out of kitty reach while it's growing, they will destroy it if they can get to it!). A healthy percentage of cats don't respond to catnip, though, so don't panic if he doesn't care for it.

Finally, there are collars that are more of an inflatable doughnut (if that makes any sense... lol google 'doughnut collar' and you'll see what I mean). I *think* they make some in cat-appropriate sizes. Might not be worth stressing him out by collaring him, but it might be an option while you're trying to address the underlying issue.

I've had a similar sounding problem with my indoor cat, last week we had an unexpected relapse, and I am convinced it is the cat litter which I've been using on and off. I did a thread about it ...

Cat allergic to cat litter?

Just to update, since changing the litter back on Monday, her skin has cleared up and where she had been attacking herself there is new unbroken skin, and the bald patch on her knee is no bigger so she must be leaving it alone.

I usually use (well known supermarket brand) absorbent odour control hygeine cat litter, but the problem one was the same brand low dust lightweight, which is orange and VERY dusty.

Not saying that this is the problem, but it might be worth looking into

And I sympathise with having a tatty bald looking cat - Sally looked chocolate box perfect from the front, but a mangy street moggy from behind bless her!

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Stella, Louis and Asha

Have you tried a Feliway diffuser or spray?

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All my children have paws!

I really do feel for you, it's so distressing to see. My cat over grooms when stressed. He started after I had to have my other cat pts and it took 6 months for him to stop. He'll still do it now and again after a trip to the vet or if a new cat comes into the garden.

What worked for me was using a Feliway plug in constantly, using the feliway spray on his bed and favourite chair and giving him zyklene. He was only on zyklene for about a month and it seemed to help. I know you have mentioned the expense, but have you checked your pet policy? Pet plan will pay for behavioural treatment if a vet refers you to a behaviour specialist and that includes the cost of feliway for a short time. May be worth you checking with you insurance and speaking to your vet. I also played with my cat whenever I could and tried not to get annoyed when hewas doing it. I think it was the combination of treatments and time that did it in the end. I always have a feliway plugged in now as he does tend to get stressed and have zyklene in the cupboard just in case.

Good luck!

I would reccommend Zyklene too I claim mine on (or at least I have been but have now gone into a new policy year) insurance for my stressy girl, you can buy it cheaper from places like vet uk here.

Here is a very good article on Stress in cats from FabCats which is an excellent site.

Hi, I'd also really recommend giving Zylkene a go as I have used it on my cat for over grooming and other stressful situations like trips to the vets & fireworks.
There is also something called Homeopet 'Anxiety' drops which are a homeopathic remedy and when I used it in conjunction with the Zylkene I have seen AMAZING results.

A bit of a money saving tip if you do decide to give Zylkene a go - buy the higher dose capsules and just use a very small portion at a time. I get the 225mg and one capsule will last for about 2 days at 3 doses a day. It's really inexpensive when you consider that a pack of 10 will last about 3 weeks and the Homeopet drops last about 4. Both are completely non-toxic and harmless so you cannot overdose your cat on it.

You can buy both items from the VioVet website which is much cheaper than eBay. I think it works out at about £15 every 3-4 weeks but as it should only take a month or two to get him to break the cycle it's much cheaper than vet consultations/prescriptions!

I think that making him wear the collar and shutting him outside would only make the problem worse and as long as the condition isn't life threatening then let him over groom as this is his way of calming/soothing himself.

If you really can't afford to buy some then I could send you a couple capsules that I have got left over as mine are not in need of it any more