Hi, I'm new and this is my first post and unfortunately I need some advice.

We have two female moggies (siblings). One is a typical bossy lump, and the other bless her was the runt of the litter. They are nearly 4 now and up till recently we have never had any problems.

One of them is now biting and chewing her tail till it bleeds near the base. It happened a few months ago, and I thought it possibly FAD, so we changed to frontline and took a trip to the vets. The vet cleared her bum glands and suggested this more likely the cause of the biting.

Things seemed fairly clear, until this morning when she turned up covered in blood. On a closer look, she has made a real mess of her tail around the same place again. It was a shock to see her come back like that. She also appears to be sitting uncomfortably and even prefering to drop to her side rather than sit straight down.

It looks like another trip to the vet for her, but I was just wondering if anyone could offer any general advice. We were wondering about altering her diet, but they already eat dried food so would have hoped they're getting plenty of fibre..

Any advice greatly appreciated.

Firstly, welcome to you It's not something i've come across before, but have heard of it. I found this info for you....don't know how helpful it will be for you

Sometimes, cats will obsessively begin biting their own tails. This is rather strange behavior for an owner to encounter - it's not that common, but it does happen. In extreme cases, cats will actually mutilate themselves - repeatedly chewing at part of their tail and injuring it to the point that it becomes infected. Many cats have had to have portions or the entirety of their tail amputated at this point. Amputation is extreme, but some vets recommend it as a way to end the behavior that is causing the infections.

Why is the cat doing it? The first thing to check for is parasites. This will be the most common reason. If a cat is showing this behavior, it usually either has fleas, ticks, or some sort of irritation there. You should also examine the tail thoroughly to see if there are any visible injuries. Try to part the fur in various places, especially where the cat seems to be biting.

If none of those things exists, it may be a mental disorder such as feline OCD (cats exhibit obsessive behavior similar to OCD, obsessive compulsive disorder, at times). Sometimes medication for this works on cats as well, but that is a call your vet has to make.

Another potential reason is a disease called Feline Hyperesthesia Syndrome. This is basically a syndrome that leads to extreme twitching, vocalizing, grooming, and sudden jerking. One of the other symptoms is repeated chewing, often to the point of mutilation. FHS is sort of a catch-all for similar symptoms that seem to happen near each other, but it's not that well understood. It may be related to seizures, as there is often a "rolling skin" effect noticed by owners.

Keep in mind that if you don't find an obvious reason your cat is acting this way, it needs to go to the vet. It may anyway - but this can really get serious because of the risk of infection.

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SELKCAH NORWEGIAN FOREST CATS
www.selkcahcats.co.uk

Hi, thanks for the reply. She did have a few fleas before we switched to frontline but they have definitely gone. I'm really not sure now what to think.. She has made a fair old mess of it this time so I think the vet is inevitable.

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SELKCAH NORWEGIAN FOREST CATS
www.selkcahcats.co.uk

Hmmm I remember a cat whos base of tail and bottom of back was really raw and bloody because of fleas but you say thats sorted now.

i think it sounds like what vet said, bum glands. And if she has had irritation on the skin too cos of the fleas in the past, her skin and underneath is probably very sensitive now.

Trip to vet definitely and maybe start introducing some wet food, as dry food has fibre but it also dehydrates and she may be consipated if she doesn't drink enough water to make up for all the dry food. I give mine wet and dry.

keep us updated.

We give her wet food (Felix) every other day on an evening and dry the rest of the time. I'm going to order some organic wet and dry food to see if that helps. I picked up a couple of websites from another thread about what to feed. Thanks for the suggestions all, I will update when I know more.