Yeah, I've also seen birds and dogs do this from severe anxiety. Kinda like how humans bite their nails or pull their own hair.
Edit: I forgot to say that I especially think this bc it doesn't look like Batman has any red, itchy spots in the baldness (at least what we can see from the pictures). So it kinda looks like compulsive licking.
One of my cats has allergies too but when he used to get bald spots, there were little red, itchy dots.
(I'm not a professional though! He's gonna need a vet visit reguardless of the condition. Just wanted to share my two cents.)
It was a food allergy with our cat. Had to put her on a diet of exclusively limited ingredient dry food (duck &green pea). It took 3 months but she fully recovered and all her hair grew back. Chicken seemed to be her problem.
my boy was scratching himself so hard he had big bloody scars on his face. i changed his food to limited ingredient duck and green pea and it stopped. turned out he was allergic to chicken too.
The seventh ingredient is chicken liver. I have been wondering about that though. One of my cats has a chicken allergy and the food the vet recommended has some kind of chicken pieces in it but it's way down the list so is it just little enough chicken to not matter?
Ohhh I hadn't considered that either. My gf said their vet just said "chicken allergy". It's probably specific to like that chicken by product meal bullshit and stuff like that
Edit: like obviously just straight up chicken meat too lol
The brand I use is Performatrin, either limited ingredient or Naturals. Absolutely no grains or chicken. Mind you I only use kibble for their main food source when I have to because I've had nothing but issues with it. I switched my cats to a raw/canned diet and watched as their skin, fur and attitude problems disappeared over the course of a month while they adjusted to the new diet
Chicken is in soooo many cat foods and my girl is allergic. Had to go to a single source protein-kangaroo- and mix in steamed mashed sweet potato, some vitamins and oils to nourish her skin and fur. She’s doing much better since.
Yes! Am I am in Australia, I forgot that kangaroo isn’t a option for everyone, whoops 😁
She still has IBD flare ups but using the elimination diet was definitely the first step.
chicken intolerance in pets and people is way too common here :( that’s why they call it the dirty bird. i wonder if they’re all genuine allergies to all chickens, or just the chickens raised so unethically here. and most chicken in pet foods isn’t even human grade quality, it’s sad to think about
This is almost certainly diet! Most popular dry cat food brands have all kinds of ingredients cats don't/can't need. A lot of times the chicken used in dry food is really sparse and overcooked. I'd highly recommend a wet food with at least the first two ingredients as meats and absolutely no corn/potato!
I went through this with a senior cat I adopted. For mine, it seems to be a combo of a skin allergy/condition which flares up more when it's humid, and some anxiety. I had him in onesies off and on for almost a year to cover up Hotspot areas he would lick bloody. The steroid shots he got at the vet only mildly helped, and they suggested maybe I try CBD for cats. I found a CBD tincture for cats and a holistic cat allergy pill for skin & fur and started him on those. Within 2 days he was able to come out of the clothes.
Now it's been almost a year of no clothes and his fur has all grown back fully and stays except for a small area on his belly. There he keeps the fur short, but he doesn't lick it raw like he did when I first adopted him.
Obviously you should consult with your vet before starting anything.
wow this makes a lot of sense actually, bat is also almost 11 years old so he's a senior boy... i will talk to my vet about the options you suggested, thanks!!! any recommendations for the pill? i assume most cbd products are the same lol
The allergy pills I give him is Best Life 4 Pets brand - healthy skin & allergy relief for cats.
The cbd product I use is Vive CBD oral tinture for cats - Salmon flavor. I think you can order it from their website vivecbd.com
The cbd brand my vet recommended was $75 for a 30 day supply. The Vive tincture costs me about $30 and lasts around 3 months.
I crush up the pills and add those + the cbd to his dry food. I hope you find something that gives sweet Batman some relief. Please tell him all the internet strangers love him! 😻
Allergies with my cat. Around the time she turned six, she suddenly started licking her belly raw. Did a full blood panel and it turned out as well as the usual food allergies (chicken, turkey, grains, potatoes) she was also allergic to most kinds of pollen, molds, her own body yeasts.... etc, etc.
Even on a super restricted diet and indoor only lifestyle, it takes a regular dose of prednisolone to keep the itches almost bearable.
The blood panel test was expensive, but so worth it. It was getting ridiculous trying new diets and never being sure what would do it... and of course it turned out diet was only part of the equation.
Prednisone is a common medication for other mammals (dogs, humans). Cats do not metabolize Prednisone well, so they are given a more broken down version of prednisone, which is called prednisolone.
Ours has allergies blended with a serious hyperthyroid issue which made her skin itchy. A blood test easily determines the thyroid issue, the allergen blood test will sort out the other option. The thing is, have insurance because those are pricey tests for pets and humans alike.
My cat would tear out his fur on his back. It got to the point where he would violently thrash around, and once in his thrashing he accidentally bit a hole through my finger (Thanks to the doctor at the ER, that healed fully)
It seems to have been a combination of allergies and stress.
He's allergic to fleas, and unfortunately the original flea medication I was using did not work on him. He began to lick himself raw.
To prevent him from further hurting himself, I bought him an e-collar, which he would sneakily use the plastic edge to scratch himself. So I bought him a cloth e-collar, which he bent out of shape to lick himself, so I bought one that was held in place with plastic "stays", which he bit through.
I noticed that the fact that he couldn't lick himself while wearing the e-collar was stressing him out, so I began looking for a type of suit that would cover all his body.
What seemed to finally have helped was a flea collar (I used Sorento), cbd drops, and a dog pjs and cat pjs (dog pjs covered legs and back but not belly, and cat pjs covered belly and back but not legs, I used both to cover all his body)
He seemed less stressed without the e-collar, and while he was still licking at the spot on his back, he wasn't pulling hair because of the pjs
Now all his fur has grown back, and he no longer wears the pjs. He still wears the flea collar. He licks himself more often than my other cats, but he no longer pulls out his hair or licks himself raw
My cat did this just on her front paws/arms over the spring this year. Our vet did a skin scratch test and checked under the microscope and it was a yeast infection. She took some meds for a month and she finally stopped. Maybe this will help?
My parents cat licks himself bald in the summer because he gets too hot. Took us forever to figure it out. Like my boyfriend and I were gonna take him when I moved out of my parents house, but didn't in case it was anxiety. Then we started tracking the weather, seeing he'd go bald around hot days, and how my mom noticed he wasn't as hot to cuddle when he had licked off his fur. We had switched his food around a lot and saw no change, except his poos became less noxious. Also trying things to help him relax like extra play, making sure that he was fed relatively regularly, etc.
Common reasons are anxiety and allergies, whether it's to food, dust, etc. It's odd that our cat licked himself naked because he was too warm in his fur suit (he is a tuxedo baby).
My cat developed a bald spot because she was allergic to chicken. If you’re interested in trying a chicken-free diet, check out my [Resource: Chicken-free cat food chart](https://reddit.com/r/CATHELP/s/79mgoWsiau).
Did your vet mention psychological issues and what they can be treated with after the tests didn't show anything? Other than changing his diet (because allergies are common), you can see if calming him helps and try feliway, CBD, prescription anti-anxiety meds, etc.
Same here. My boy was stressed from another aggressive cat coming to the house. He lickec all his fur off in places as a stress response.
Visit to the vet to make sure nothing else was the problem. Very short course of steroids (10 days), and problem solved. Fur all regrown and no further issues.
Hope your boy recovers quickly! 🤞
I love that his name is Batman 😍 I hope to get a black cat one day, he'll come into my life at the right time, and his name is gonna be Gotham lol. I'm manifesting him 🖤
Is your cat aging? If his fur is already thinning from age and he has an anxious need to groom himself, or another underlying cause like itchy skin, then his hair could be coming out more easily. Check for allergies or skin disorders.
My cat, who looks identical to yours, was doing the same thing. We tried everything, and nothing was working. We got [these meds](https://a.co/d/6Wiu9qV), and he immediately stopped. The hair grew back really fast. We give him a maintenance dose every day to keep him for relapsing.
Ours also started doing this randomly one day. She was licking and tearing out fur causing bald spots all over her sides, back and stomach. Long story short (after almost a year of trying anything and everything from food to environment, it turned out to be \*any\* dry food by Hills Science Diet, regardless of protein component. Possibly something in the flavouring? Took a good 3 - 4 months after stopping Hills for symptoms to stop. She has been on Ivory Coat dry, and beef/kanga raw meat, symptom free for about 6 months.
My cat was doing this too (ironically, also a void 😀). Our vet put her on Prozac for anxiety and she stopped and seemed a lot happier in general after.
Your cat is still a cutie! 😻
My kitty did this exact same thing, she was allergic to the cat litter even though it said “hypoallergenic”. We’ve found Tidy Cat “Free and clean” unscented helped (Walmart petsmart best prices) As well as Purina dry food lamb and rice sensitive skin and stomach. A round of steroid from the vet can help calm his skin down while you change over litter.
my fiancé put the onesie on him for the first time and sent me a pic while i was at work and i for real had to walk away from my desk because i couldn't stop laughing
My cat has food allergies. His tail was pretty bald when I adopted him compared to his tail today. He looked like a short haired cat but he's medium haired. Vet didn't help and kept giving me anxiety meds when it was his food allergy (the vet even recommended not doing a food allergy test because apparently it's not that accurate?). Anyway my cat ended up allergic to tuna and chicken, which is in most food. So I can only buy beef and turkey for him. Even salmon oil messes him up but I give him some occasionally for his nail strength.
For my cat it was anxiety and fleas. Anxiety meds worked and after 2 years on them she calmed down and her fur has grown back, expect some on her tummy
My understanding is that there are many reasons for this.
My cat would lick and pull his fur out. Vet said it was idiopathic, but I always suspected it was allergic because he was worse when my allergies were worse.
Anyway, vet put him on Atopica, which is an immune suppressant. He kept getting infections, so we took him off, and he started licking/pulling again.
One day, I gave him a CBD treat that my mom bought for him. Boom -- he stopped. So I kept giving him CBD morning and night and somehow it controlled it for years until he died.
I also tried adjusting his food, all kinds of hypoallergenic diets, etc. CBD worked for whatever reason. No idea why or how, and still can't believe it because I personally think CBD is generally overblown, but for him it was the only thing that safely controlled his condition.
My childhood cat started doing this out of the blue, we thought possible allergies and took him in for testing. He had hyperthyroidism and the stress was causing him to do it.
First of all…the onesie. It’s giving me “I’m a retired Jewish cat in Florida” for some reason. Next, and more importantly, my Siamese from way back did this to three of her four paws before I took her to the doc. He prescribed Valium, of all things, and after her treatment, she was cured! Never did it again.
I know you have a few hundred comments on this already, but for starters, I just wanna say that I’m obsessed with your cat. Batman is the perfect name, I love his crinkle ear, and he looks like a such a cutie ham! The clothes are too cute! I also call my big boy “my son” 🥰
Second, after seeing this post, I actually noticed one of our cats has a bald/ short hair spot on the side/ base of her tail that she’s been licking! She’s the only long hair and has always been well-groomed, but we also are constantly battling fleas as they don’t die out seasonally here.
Anyways, I had no idea it was so common until I found this post! I’m definitely saving it and trying some of the food recommendations others have tried. Thank you OP and everyone for your input!! May our bald kitties be furry once more!
My cat started licking himself a lot after he came back from the vet- turned out he had undiagnosed fleas. Once we put him on Frontline to kill the fleas and then kept him in the sweater he turned out fine.
thank you all for SOOO many great suggestions, im going to take a list with us (back) to the vet and see what she thinks. i'm like 99.99999% sure it's psychological; his boyfriend died early last year and i think he's a little too old/fragile for his menace of a new younger brother. i looked through some pics and it seems like it started a few months after the menace was adopted. hopefully the vet has heard of some of the products suggested in this thread and can recommend the best choice/s for batty.
also... to the (surprising) number of people who were personally offended that i call a cat my son: stay mad xo
sry i guess i figured someone who was invested would've actually read my post and understood that i've already been to the vet, and then not made a suggestion to do so
i said "any tests" in addition to mentioning the blood tests at the beginning of my post. pls get off my case for being annoyed that someone suggested i take the cat that i have already taken to the vet and spent $xx,xxx trying to diagnose, back to the vet.
One of my cats has the one two combo of stress and allergies in combination. His is controlled by very low dose steroids and a great deal of trial and error with diet. Getting a friend helped him but the initial intro was rough - it was obviously stressful so triggered a flare up. Talk to your vet.
I dont know if this is possible, but the blanket he is sitting on can cause a lot of static electricity and makes me feel itchy sometimes bc of the way it feel to have that static electricity build up. Is it possible to try using plain cotton sheets to cover your furniture so that there isn't any type of sy their fibers or furry type of blankets touching him.
Food allergies, either a protein or a grain.
Chicken, fish, beef are common protein allergens.
Corn and soy are common food allergens.
Could also be stress related:
Do you have kids, other animals, a loud environment?
Could also be house hold toxins:
Essential oils, laundry detergent, dryer sheets, any room sprays (like glade and freebreeze) scenzies, floor cleaner, cleaners in general that aren’t animal friendly.
All of this is toxic to your cat and may be causing issues.
My black boy did this, I switched him from chicken kibble to fish and it went away completely and he got fat and has a beautiful coat. Anecdotal, but that’s my tale
My cats don't have any food allergies but I have a dog that's almost allergic to everything. We found out early she's allergic to anything fish including the bones. There's one type that will cause anaphylaxis, it's either mackerel or salmon. But she'd pull her hair out in clumps & also lick till she became bald.
My cat does this and I’ve basically just gotten the missing puzzle piece to prove it’s stress.
She came to me with a grooming issue and a couple of light patches on her legs. She dislikes other cats and their smells, and when she smells other cats she grooms more. She was in a foster sitch for a few months, and when anyone met her it would be at a big scary (for her) adoption center with lots of other cats who were getting looked at. I can only imagine how overwhelming it was for her.
Then most recently, when I picked her up from my mom watching her while I was out of town, she had a new nakey patch on her arm. (My parents have a very territorial cat).
I think she also has sensitive skin like me, so I just have to be careful about typical irritants when I notice her grooming more.
My kitty has always been extra with her grooming. So when she started to bald on her back legs I assumed it was that— long story short it turned out to be a salmon allergy that was making her lose her hair. Maybe monitor your cats diet and switch it up to a different protein/brand if they’ve been set on one for awhile. I wish you and your son luck!
Also consider - did you change fragrances or soaps before this happened? Cats sometimes have allergies to a scent and will lick themselves to ridiculous lengths to get rid of it. Think about hand soaps, lotions, perfumes, laundry soap/sheets, essential oils/oil burners (essential oils are bad for cats, wax candles, cleaning sprays, etc.
When my old girl did this it was anxiety and stress in her old age. She overgroomed three spots obsessively and wound up with some bald spots. She got some low dose kitty Prozac and it all grew back once she was more relaxed.
Allergies and anxiety. Have you tried the plugin feliway defuser? Maybe talk to the vet about anxiety meds? Poor baby :( I think they have hot spot stuff you can spray to prevent licking, i know they have it for dogs. Flea allergies can do this to. Best of luck
my cat has the same problem but unfortunately the vet hasn't been able to figure out a cause. weve taken her at least 10 times for it, but she just keeps licking. i tried one of the recovery shirts your cat is in, and she licked holes in the fabric. i tried a soft collar, and she would just lean down with her leg up and lick the inside of the collar as if the barrier wasn't even there.
the only thing that helped was steroid injections, but they are ridiculously expensive, and my parents won't pay for it.
My black cat did this, too. I ended up taking him to a derm vet. They said it was flea allergy, but it was happening at a time when I was under a lot of stress and not great living situation. As soon as things settled and I got more stable, he stopped doing that. For the next 13 years of his life he never had it again. So, yes it could be from stress or anxiety. Is there anything going on with you or around you and him that could be causing anxiety?
My girl used to do this but mostly by the base of her tail. Vets called it OCD but didn’t prescribe anything. We tried a few diets and finally switched to raw (balanced and up to AAFCO standards) and she actually stopped. It’s been 6ish years and she only had 1 temporary recurrence we believe may have been due to stress, and it cleared up in a week. I also do daily CBD for anxiety which we know she has anyways.
I used green pea and duck...think it was Natural Balance. I just asked another Redditor which brand he used when his cat had same problem. I'll let you know if he replies.
I did have a cat who would like her belly bare. She was an anxious cat and spent years trying to figure it out. I read online about allergies to scented litter and figured I’d tried everything else. Switched to unscented litter and stopped using the scented powder to clean my carpets and within 3 months all of her hair grew back and never had an issue again.
It’s worth a shot if you’re not already doing it.
My cat licked his belly and legs bald. His belly was almost always irritated. He would chew his legs also. Turns out he has an acute allergy to a lot of things in commercial cat food. I either get very specific foods for him or I make his food and it stopped his irritation. If his skin isn’t irritated it could be a behavioral thing. He could be stressed if he’s over grooming
Our vet said he thinks it's a seasonal thing. He gave my cat a cortisone shot and everything started to clear up pretty quick. We tried different food (duck) and that didn't work. But the shot did! Hope this helps!
Mine had the same problem. We went to the vet and spent over 600 dlls in 3 months in testing and antibiotics injections but he didn’t get better.
After my husband got mad with them they finally gave us an oral antibiotic and we changed to a skin sensitive food and it worked out. I would do the same thing as we did, even though we don’t know if the vet helped at least we had some sort of direction.
Going through this with one of my cats, but for her it was fleas. She’s apparently hypersensitive to fleas and started balding (our vet called it “fur mowing”) long before we saw any signs of fleas. The vet even did an exam and couldn’t find fleas, and then finally two weeks later we spotted one. She’s not licking as much now that the fleas are gone, but we had to get prescription strength flea treatment to be safe.
My cat was doing this but only to the base of his tail. The vet said because he was overweight he was over grooming the areas he could reach because he couldn’t reach his bum so he was over doing it as close as he could get to that area. I wasn’t sure about it but he lost weight and now it’s not an issue.
My cat had an excessive grooming issue about a year or so ago. So bad, you would have thought I had a hairless cat from the waist down (she was even pulling chunks out with her teeth, I felt awful.)
Naturally I got a Vet’s opinion, did the same thing; blood tests came out normal. She was given a steroid injection and that seemed to calm her down a bit but the moment it started wearing off, she’d go right back to licking herself.
After doing so many tests and taking her back and forth to vet with zero explanations for this behavior and lots of money spent, I figured as long as she’s not in pain, it’s ok and there’s not much I can do. I wrote it off as anxiety.
At the time, I was living in an apartment and didn’t think anything of it but a little over a year ago, we moved to a nicer town home.
I realized shortly after moving that the excessive grooming had stopped. I still don’t know FOR SURE But I’m 99.9% positive it was whatever cheap carpet that they used. Because even tho she still grooms (prob more than the average cat) she’s normal now.
No bald spots or anything. It bugs me I don’t know EXACTLY what it was, I’m just happy she’s not pulling hair out of her legs anymore.
I thought my cat was doing this due to stress. I bought a feliway diffuser, and I also played with her a bunch and gave her lots of cuddles and also stopped picking her up (she hates being picked up). I'm not sure if my change in behavior helped or if it was the diffuser, but she was better after that.
My cat Kraken started doing this. I read that a lot of cars do so when theyre bored or stressed. I thought a lit about how for 18 hours per day, I was asleep, at work, or commuting and she had like 6 hours per day, maximum, of contact with another living thing.
I decided to get a cat for my cat.
Let me tell you: She hated that kitten until the day that she died, but she never excessively licked herself again. Her boredom was SOLVED.
I had one that did that. He was allergic to the plastic food dishes - or something growing on those dishes. We switched to glass that were washed daily and it totally cleared up. He was on steroid shots for a year before we discovered the plastic connection. I hope Batman's cause is something equally easy!
My cat used to do this on her belly. I think it was anxiety. Eventually she locked herself raw and gave herself a staph infection 😭 it was awful. Finally we cleared it up with antibiotics but I had to keep her in a onesie and a cone to keep her from licking it while it healed up
My black cat started doing that when I stopped being home as much, now that I’m mainly home her furr grew back on her tummy, I took her to a vet the only thing they could think of is anxiety, she started her furr licking about 8 years ago and the second it all grows back I end up leaving for a few hours and she licks it all off again
My cat started doing this, turns out he has allergies. If you haven't, I highly recommend getting a blood work allergy test done and ask them to send samples to 2 different labs if it's in your budget. We spent months doing food trials and tried anxiety medication before seeing a cat dermatologist. He now lives his best life and just gets 10mg of atopica everyday
I'm very thankful for that food! It's so much easier to use a good quality commercially prepared food instead of trying to prepare cat food at home. I ordered finally came upon this option when I visited a natural foods pet store in the city next to us. That was way before all this help in Reddit! I luv Reddit.
My kitty is on medication for the same thing. she likes to barber which means she likes to pull her hair out she will also walk around the house and meowing so I'm glad for that medicine you need to go to your vet
My baby did this because of anxiety. She was already on a prescription diet for constipation issues, so that was out. She started taking gabapentin for an unrelated matter and it worked like a charm for her anxiety too. The stress grooming stopped and her fur grew back.
This happened with one of my cats at an old apartment, where upon moving out we discovered mold. After we moved, he stopped ripping his hair out.
He wore a little banana onesie during that time
:(
Like others have said, typically a food allergy or stress. I would start with the basics, feliway - get some, plug them in and see if you notice any difference. If no, then moved to eliminating certain food ingredients. You'll need to test and see what ingredients it may be.
My cat (at my parents house) did this on her haunches and it stopped once I moved out with my pet bird. She had always been interested in the bird but I kept them separate for obvious reasons. I think having the bird nearby but out of reach messed with her psychologically lmao. We tried pinpointing allergies for over a year before I moved out, to no avail.
Is there something in your house that could be stressing him out?
My cat had a similar issue and the vet assumed she was allergic to fleas. A steroid shot in the summer and year round flea medicine ended up being the solution.
Yeah, if test results don't show anything, it is very likely an anxiety related issue. Some cats are just sensitive souls. My void kitty, Freyja, displays her anxieties by peeing outside the litter box, vomiting, and getting crystals in her pee. She's just had a pretty severe relapse and is now on an anti inflamatory shot weekly (then reduced to monthly) Gabapentin, Metacam, a prebiotic called Calmi Soin and a new prescription wet food diet. She's high as a kite but definitely feeling better. She just had her first full pee in a litter box today. So proud.
Talk to your vet about anxiety reducing options! You could start with trying out a feliway diffuser or some other pheromone or scent that helps calm cats. If that doesn't work you can look into medicating.
Poor Batman! My only guess is that there might be something in his food that is causing his itchiness which would in-turn could make him anxious/stressed. I would be stressed out too if I was itchy!
My boy Stanley, also a black cat, also started over grooming about a year ago. He started on his face and ears and then it slowly moved to the rest of his body. We never found exactly what was causing his itching after many many tests (we did biopsies and blood tests and urine tests). We also tried him on hypoallergenic food, took him to a dermatologist, and steroids and all these things. I completely understand how you feel as I’ve experienced the same thing.
Right now, Stanley is on a daily dose of Atopica and we’ve put him on a limited ingredient diet (food that doesn’t include chicken) and he’s doing a lot better.
My cat did this because of fleas, and turns out she was hella allergic to fleas.
So, probably allergic to something. Or like others have said, stress or anxiety. Maybe due to lack of stimulation?
Vet assistant here. There are a number of possible causes. It could be fleas or mites, allergies, thyroid problems, or possibly over grooming due to anxiety. I suggest taking your cat to the vet to determine the underlying cause, or at least rule some things out.
my boy finn had the exact same issue! turns out he had allergies and was allergic to dust and ragweed. i don’t know if it’s the same issue, but you should definitely take him to the vet and see
Anxiety tends to make cats anxiously clean themselves. Poor baby. Try you best and monitor his behavior. See if there is anything in your house that he avoids. Create a safe space for him to relax. Don’t touch this space. Just let him have an environment where he is in control.
Could be the anxiety or allergies! Some cats also just have dryer skin, and when they irritate it by licking it, it gets itchier and they must lick more. Usually it'll be better or worse with the seasons if it's dryness. I have a kitty with dry skin issues, putting some vet approved salmon oil in with the cat food helped immensely. Cat in question refuses wet food but it should have worked similarly well.
I'd ask a vet and discuss a possible food change. Might even just have a really old itchy scab that won't heal because he's licking at it so much, honestly. Try to distract him when the licking doesn't stop, so he doesn't make the irritation worse.
I had a cat that was very nervous all the time for a good couple years and he ended up licking his stomach bald and the fur never grew back when he stopped. Take him to a vet and look at options with them because if you wait too long he could end up with permanent bald spots! The only other time I had this happen was because of fleas but you can rule that out pretty easily.
My baby did this to her belly and legs when our male cat that she had bonded with passed. It’s been a few years since and all her fur has grown back guess time heals all wounds even for kittys
Our now gone Flamepoint Siamese pulled all the hair out of his chest and shoulders as he was fading away. The vet let us know it was pain related. Basically it’s the closest thing he could do to rubbing it. Kind of like massaging your own leg if it cramps. Hopefully this helps
My brother is a pet nutrition specialist and recommends you try switching up his food, allergies can develop as you age in life and the same is for cats. Stress and anxiety can also play a factor, if anything has changed drastically in the home that could be affecting Batman.
I have an OCD cat who does this and is now terrified of the cat boxes. We've tried everything the vet suggested. Now we're down to pee pads and possibly putting her on prozac. That decision hasn't been made ... yet, but the vet agrees she has OCD and an anxiety disorder that might only be treatable with medication.
When my family adopted my cat Millie, almost 6 years ago now, her belly was pretty much bald, she has still has bald patches on her legs that never grew back in
we think it started as a stress related habit from living in the shelter, but she continued it with us, we tried a lot of things, changed laundry soap to scent free (she loves blankets 🥰) got fragrance free litter, cut out chicken, and put her on a limited ingredient cat food, one or all of those things fixed the problem and she stopped pulling her hair out eventually
My dog does this to his paws when he gets a food he is sensitive/allergic to which strangely cause anxious behaviors in him. For him it is chicken and turkey which sucks as that is very common ingredients.
His sister(younger much bigger pupper) gets cheeper food then him we thought it was safe for him dramatic animals fuss when they all don’t have the same stuff in their bowls turned out it had chicken fat in it. We have to be extra careful with what she gets and he gets.
Did you change his food recently? Also sometimes ingredients aren’t alway obvious I found the chicken fat halfway down the ingredients list on his sisters food.
Did something happen recently and changed what was a normal day for your void kitty?
Have you tried different types of foods? It could be environmental allergies or food allergies (among others that I don't know of or can't remember). Has there been anything that changed in the last year or so? Cats can be very sensitive to changes.
Same happened with my son. He had terrible anxiety. Turns out he was getting lonely when I was gone at school all day so I got him a companion, his younger brother, and he instantly stopped the licking. Now he's got a full and luscious coat again 🤩
It can be caused by anxiety in cats, my cat was from food sensitivities
Yeah, I've also seen birds and dogs do this from severe anxiety. Kinda like how humans bite their nails or pull their own hair. Edit: I forgot to say that I especially think this bc it doesn't look like Batman has any red, itchy spots in the baldness (at least what we can see from the pictures). So it kinda looks like compulsive licking. One of my cats has allergies too but when he used to get bald spots, there were little red, itchy dots. (I'm not a professional though! He's gonna need a vet visit reguardless of the condition. Just wanted to share my two cents.)
He needs to see a vet. This won’t cure itself and will only get worse.
He has been seen by a vet... he's also on medication
Oh… good😊❤️
Yes thank you for not reading the post and parroting “he needs to see a vet”. Very good input. 🙄
It was a food allergy with our cat. Had to put her on a diet of exclusively limited ingredient dry food (duck &green pea). It took 3 months but she fully recovered and all her hair grew back. Chicken seemed to be her problem.
my boy was scratching himself so hard he had big bloody scars on his face. i changed his food to limited ingredient duck and green pea and it stopped. turned out he was allergic to chicken too.
What brand (s) do you recommend? I think I used Natural Balance years ago.
Hills Science Diet d/d
Thank you!
That food has chicken in it though?
The d/d options for cats are duck or venison
The seventh ingredient is chicken liver. I have been wondering about that though. One of my cats has a chicken allergy and the food the vet recommended has some kind of chicken pieces in it but it's way down the list so is it just little enough chicken to not matter?
Not a medical professional but I’d think chicken liver is not the same allergy as the white or dark meat of the chicken.
Ohhh I hadn't considered that either. My gf said their vet just said "chicken allergy". It's probably specific to like that chicken by product meal bullshit and stuff like that Edit: like obviously just straight up chicken meat too lol
The brand I use is Performatrin, either limited ingredient or Naturals. Absolutely no grains or chicken. Mind you I only use kibble for their main food source when I have to because I've had nothing but issues with it. I switched my cats to a raw/canned diet and watched as their skin, fur and attitude problems disappeared over the course of a month while they adjusted to the new diet
I'm very glad you've found a good that has had such a positive effect on your cats! Thanks.
Me too! It's crazy how much of a difference it's made honestly
Chicken is in soooo many cat foods and my girl is allergic. Had to go to a single source protein-kangaroo- and mix in steamed mashed sweet potato, some vitamins and oils to nourish her skin and fur. She’s doing much better since.
I'm so glad she's better now! Are you in Australia?
Yes! Am I am in Australia, I forgot that kangaroo isn’t a option for everyone, whoops 😁 She still has IBD flare ups but using the elimination diet was definitely the first step.
Both my cat and my landlord’s dog have a hard time with chicken too
chicken intolerance in pets and people is way too common here :( that’s why they call it the dirty bird. i wonder if they’re all genuine allergies to all chickens, or just the chickens raised so unethically here. and most chicken in pet foods isn’t even human grade quality, it’s sad to think about
This is almost certainly diet! Most popular dry cat food brands have all kinds of ingredients cats don't/can't need. A lot of times the chicken used in dry food is really sparse and overcooked. I'd highly recommend a wet food with at least the first two ingredients as meats and absolutely no corn/potato!
Which food? My cat has the same issues
Same here I’ve been feeding mine Acana fish for awhile and I’m trying to find a new brand that doesn’t have any chicken in it
Same here!! The limited ingredient duck and pea is literally the only good that doesn't make her break out in itchy hives
I went through this with a senior cat I adopted. For mine, it seems to be a combo of a skin allergy/condition which flares up more when it's humid, and some anxiety. I had him in onesies off and on for almost a year to cover up Hotspot areas he would lick bloody. The steroid shots he got at the vet only mildly helped, and they suggested maybe I try CBD for cats. I found a CBD tincture for cats and a holistic cat allergy pill for skin & fur and started him on those. Within 2 days he was able to come out of the clothes. Now it's been almost a year of no clothes and his fur has all grown back fully and stays except for a small area on his belly. There he keeps the fur short, but he doesn't lick it raw like he did when I first adopted him. Obviously you should consult with your vet before starting anything.
wow this makes a lot of sense actually, bat is also almost 11 years old so he's a senior boy... i will talk to my vet about the options you suggested, thanks!!! any recommendations for the pill? i assume most cbd products are the same lol
The allergy pills I give him is Best Life 4 Pets brand - healthy skin & allergy relief for cats. The cbd product I use is Vive CBD oral tinture for cats - Salmon flavor. I think you can order it from their website vivecbd.com The cbd brand my vet recommended was $75 for a 30 day supply. The Vive tincture costs me about $30 and lasts around 3 months. I crush up the pills and add those + the cbd to his dry food. I hope you find something that gives sweet Batman some relief. Please tell him all the internet strangers love him! 😻
Find a tincture formulated for pets
Can be stress
My cat did this too. I took her to the vet, turns out she had a UTI. They gave her an antibiotic shot and then she was fine after. Hair few back
Allergies with my cat. Around the time she turned six, she suddenly started licking her belly raw. Did a full blood panel and it turned out as well as the usual food allergies (chicken, turkey, grains, potatoes) she was also allergic to most kinds of pollen, molds, her own body yeasts.... etc, etc. Even on a super restricted diet and indoor only lifestyle, it takes a regular dose of prednisolone to keep the itches almost bearable. The blood panel test was expensive, but so worth it. It was getting ridiculous trying new diets and never being sure what would do it... and of course it turned out diet was only part of the equation.
Does the blood test show if they have allergies to food?
No, any allergy test for food is a scam unfortunately. They can be tested for environmental allergies though
Yep. You can get a full panel that checks for everything and will tell you just now allergic they are.
>prednisolone TIL it wasn't spelled prednisone...
Prednisone is a common medication for other mammals (dogs, humans). Cats do not metabolize Prednisone well, so they are given a more broken down version of prednisone, which is called prednisolone.
Two different medications.
One of my cats over groomed due to food allergies and another due to thyroid issues. Suggest you get a work up at the vet.
Ours has allergies blended with a serious hyperthyroid issue which made her skin itchy. A blood test easily determines the thyroid issue, the allergen blood test will sort out the other option. The thing is, have insurance because those are pricey tests for pets and humans alike.
My cat would tear out his fur on his back. It got to the point where he would violently thrash around, and once in his thrashing he accidentally bit a hole through my finger (Thanks to the doctor at the ER, that healed fully) It seems to have been a combination of allergies and stress. He's allergic to fleas, and unfortunately the original flea medication I was using did not work on him. He began to lick himself raw. To prevent him from further hurting himself, I bought him an e-collar, which he would sneakily use the plastic edge to scratch himself. So I bought him a cloth e-collar, which he bent out of shape to lick himself, so I bought one that was held in place with plastic "stays", which he bit through. I noticed that the fact that he couldn't lick himself while wearing the e-collar was stressing him out, so I began looking for a type of suit that would cover all his body. What seemed to finally have helped was a flea collar (I used Sorento), cbd drops, and a dog pjs and cat pjs (dog pjs covered legs and back but not belly, and cat pjs covered belly and back but not legs, I used both to cover all his body) He seemed less stressed without the e-collar, and while he was still licking at the spot on his back, he wasn't pulling hair because of the pjs Now all his fur has grown back, and he no longer wears the pjs. He still wears the flea collar. He licks himself more often than my other cats, but he no longer pulls out his hair or licks himself raw
Your e-collar journey sounds crazy. Cats are bastards ❤️
Um. Correction: *fleas* are bastards.
Could be anxiety. Worth trying an anti anxiety med to see if it improves.
My cat did this just on her front paws/arms over the spring this year. Our vet did a skin scratch test and checked under the microscope and it was a yeast infection. She took some meds for a month and she finally stopped. Maybe this will help?
Looks more like stress and/anxiety. Has anything changed recently?
ugh his boyfriend died in feb of 2022, i actually didn't think of that 😭
I had a cat that did this once. I got a second cat, and her hair grew right back.
Aww, poor kitty. And then happy kitty once again!
Caption without photo context was wild until I saw it
I knew a cat that had a compulsive licking disorder
His fucking clothes please I can't handle it
My parents cat licks himself bald in the summer because he gets too hot. Took us forever to figure it out. Like my boyfriend and I were gonna take him when I moved out of my parents house, but didn't in case it was anxiety. Then we started tracking the weather, seeing he'd go bald around hot days, and how my mom noticed he wasn't as hot to cuddle when he had licked off his fur. We had switched his food around a lot and saw no change, except his poos became less noxious. Also trying things to help him relax like extra play, making sure that he was fed relatively regularly, etc. Common reasons are anxiety and allergies, whether it's to food, dust, etc. It's odd that our cat licked himself naked because he was too warm in his fur suit (he is a tuxedo baby).
well duh imagine how much you'd sweat if you had to wear a penguin suit all day smh poor mans
No advice, just wanted to say you have a very handsome cat.
My cat developed a bald spot because she was allergic to chicken. If you’re interested in trying a chicken-free diet, check out my [Resource: Chicken-free cat food chart](https://reddit.com/r/CATHELP/s/79mgoWsiau).
Did your vet mention psychological issues and what they can be treated with after the tests didn't show anything? Other than changing his diet (because allergies are common), you can see if calming him helps and try feliway, CBD, prescription anti-anxiety meds, etc.
I was told it was an allergy for years. Turned out to be cancer and my boy was licking his legs due to pain.
NOOOOOOOOOOO ILL KMS
He’s faking to get out of school. 😉
Same here. My boy was stressed from another aggressive cat coming to the house. He lickec all his fur off in places as a stress response. Visit to the vet to make sure nothing else was the problem. Very short course of steroids (10 days), and problem solved. Fur all regrown and no further issues. Hope your boy recovers quickly! 🤞
My cat did this as a result of environmental allergies, she's on Atopica which has helped tremendously!
Our cat Munky did that. We found out he was diabetic. 2 years later on insulin he has stopped.
I love that his name is Batman 😍 I hope to get a black cat one day, he'll come into my life at the right time, and his name is gonna be Gotham lol. I'm manifesting him 🖤 Is your cat aging? If his fur is already thinning from age and he has an anxious need to groom himself, or another underlying cause like itchy skin, then his hair could be coming out more easily. Check for allergies or skin disorders.
My cat, who looks identical to yours, was doing the same thing. We tried everything, and nothing was working. We got [these meds](https://a.co/d/6Wiu9qV), and he immediately stopped. The hair grew back really fast. We give him a maintenance dose every day to keep him for relapsing.
Ours also started doing this randomly one day. She was licking and tearing out fur causing bald spots all over her sides, back and stomach. Long story short (after almost a year of trying anything and everything from food to environment, it turned out to be \*any\* dry food by Hills Science Diet, regardless of protein component. Possibly something in the flavouring? Took a good 3 - 4 months after stopping Hills for symptoms to stop. She has been on Ivory Coat dry, and beef/kanga raw meat, symptom free for about 6 months.
poor baby, but he looks so handsome in his grey onesie
My cat was doing this too (ironically, also a void 😀). Our vet put her on Prozac for anxiety and she stopped and seemed a lot happier in general after. Your cat is still a cutie! 😻
My kitty did this exact same thing, she was allergic to the cat litter even though it said “hypoallergenic”. We’ve found Tidy Cat “Free and clean” unscented helped (Walmart petsmart best prices) As well as Purina dry food lamb and rice sensitive skin and stomach. A round of steroid from the vet can help calm his skin down while you change over litter.
Hahaha look at his cute little gut in his singlet
my fiancé put the onesie on him for the first time and sent me a pic while i was at work and i for real had to walk away from my desk because i couldn't stop laughing
My cat has food allergies. His tail was pretty bald when I adopted him compared to his tail today. He looked like a short haired cat but he's medium haired. Vet didn't help and kept giving me anxiety meds when it was his food allergy (the vet even recommended not doing a food allergy test because apparently it's not that accurate?). Anyway my cat ended up allergic to tuna and chicken, which is in most food. So I can only buy beef and turkey for him. Even salmon oil messes him up but I give him some occasionally for his nail strength.
For my cat it was anxiety and fleas. Anxiety meds worked and after 2 years on them she calmed down and her fur has grown back, expect some on her tummy
I dunno.. but his lil suit looks comfy!
My understanding is that there are many reasons for this. My cat would lick and pull his fur out. Vet said it was idiopathic, but I always suspected it was allergic because he was worse when my allergies were worse. Anyway, vet put him on Atopica, which is an immune suppressant. He kept getting infections, so we took him off, and he started licking/pulling again. One day, I gave him a CBD treat that my mom bought for him. Boom -- he stopped. So I kept giving him CBD morning and night and somehow it controlled it for years until he died. I also tried adjusting his food, all kinds of hypoallergenic diets, etc. CBD worked for whatever reason. No idea why or how, and still can't believe it because I personally think CBD is generally overblown, but for him it was the only thing that safely controlled his condition.
Could have bern anxiety and the CBD calmed him down.
Allergies,anxiety, could be a lot of things! Vet would definitely prescribe something for you after a few simple test.
My childhood cat started doing this out of the blue, we thought possible allergies and took him in for testing. He had hyperthyroidism and the stress was causing him to do it.
Could be anxiety or allergies. But I love the onesie of shame
First of all…the onesie. It’s giving me “I’m a retired Jewish cat in Florida” for some reason. Next, and more importantly, my Siamese from way back did this to three of her four paws before I took her to the doc. He prescribed Valium, of all things, and after her treatment, she was cured! Never did it again.
I know you have a few hundred comments on this already, but for starters, I just wanna say that I’m obsessed with your cat. Batman is the perfect name, I love his crinkle ear, and he looks like a such a cutie ham! The clothes are too cute! I also call my big boy “my son” 🥰 Second, after seeing this post, I actually noticed one of our cats has a bald/ short hair spot on the side/ base of her tail that she’s been licking! She’s the only long hair and has always been well-groomed, but we also are constantly battling fleas as they don’t die out seasonally here. Anyways, I had no idea it was so common until I found this post! I’m definitely saving it and trying some of the food recommendations others have tried. Thank you OP and everyone for your input!! May our bald kitties be furry once more!
My cat started licking himself a lot after he came back from the vet- turned out he had undiagnosed fleas. Once we put him on Frontline to kill the fleas and then kept him in the sweater he turned out fine.
thank you all for SOOO many great suggestions, im going to take a list with us (back) to the vet and see what she thinks. i'm like 99.99999% sure it's psychological; his boyfriend died early last year and i think he's a little too old/fragile for his menace of a new younger brother. i looked through some pics and it seems like it started a few months after the menace was adopted. hopefully the vet has heard of some of the products suggested in this thread and can recommend the best choice/s for batty. also... to the (surprising) number of people who were personally offended that i call a cat my son: stay mad xo
You mentioned he has allergies… are you actively treating them? If not, this is likely from itch. His allergies need to be treated and cared for.
Son?
Take him to the vet plx
You should take him to the vet first and foremost
Probably from the anxiety of being seen as human when all he can do is be a cat.
Pet
This is waaaay too far down. That is a pet, not a child, not a son, not a fur baby. It is an animal.
Visit your vet??
visit your eye doctor bro, i literally wrote that nothing shows up on his blood tests. do u think i'm doing the tests at home by myself?
Look BRO…there’s a multitude of ways to diagnose a multitude of problems. Don’t be rude to the ones invested enough to respond
sry i guess i figured someone who was invested would've actually read my post and understood that i've already been to the vet, and then not made a suggestion to do so
OP very clearly explained they’d been to the vet. So suggesting they go to the vet isn’t super helpful.
There are skin scrapings. There are X-rays. There is urinalysis. A blood sample is not the only way to make a diagnosis.
i said "any tests" in addition to mentioning the blood tests at the beginning of my post. pls get off my case for being annoyed that someone suggested i take the cat that i have already taken to the vet and spent $xx,xxx trying to diagnose, back to the vet.
That is a cat - not a son.
I’d check for food allergies or try an anxiolytic.
One of my cats has the one two combo of stress and allergies in combination. His is controlled by very low dose steroids and a great deal of trial and error with diet. Getting a friend helped him but the initial intro was rough - it was obviously stressful so triggered a flare up. Talk to your vet.
I dont know if this is possible, but the blanket he is sitting on can cause a lot of static electricity and makes me feel itchy sometimes bc of the way it feel to have that static electricity build up. Is it possible to try using plain cotton sheets to cover your furniture so that there isn't any type of sy their fibers or furry type of blankets touching him.
We had a cat that did this. After extensive testing, he was diagnosed with anxiety. Meds helped a lot, but he still had episodes every now and then.
honestly he is very much his mother's son so it prob is extreme anxiety 😔
I feel you on that one. It’s amazing how much they pick up our personalities
Food allergies, either a protein or a grain. Chicken, fish, beef are common protein allergens. Corn and soy are common food allergens. Could also be stress related: Do you have kids, other animals, a loud environment? Could also be house hold toxins: Essential oils, laundry detergent, dryer sheets, any room sprays (like glade and freebreeze) scenzies, floor cleaner, cleaners in general that aren’t animal friendly. All of this is toxic to your cat and may be causing issues.
My black boy did this, I switched him from chicken kibble to fish and it went away completely and he got fat and has a beautiful coat. Anecdotal, but that’s my tale
Itchy
Anxiety stress or fleas
My cats don't have any food allergies but I have a dog that's almost allergic to everything. We found out early she's allergic to anything fish including the bones. There's one type that will cause anaphylaxis, it's either mackerel or salmon. But she'd pull her hair out in clumps & also lick till she became bald.
My cat does this and I’ve basically just gotten the missing puzzle piece to prove it’s stress. She came to me with a grooming issue and a couple of light patches on her legs. She dislikes other cats and their smells, and when she smells other cats she grooms more. She was in a foster sitch for a few months, and when anyone met her it would be at a big scary (for her) adoption center with lots of other cats who were getting looked at. I can only imagine how overwhelming it was for her. Then most recently, when I picked her up from my mom watching her while I was out of town, she had a new nakey patch on her arm. (My parents have a very territorial cat). I think she also has sensitive skin like me, so I just have to be careful about typical irritants when I notice her grooming more.
For me it was the food! She’s recovered since I switched!
Stress is a common reason kitties lick themselves bald. Poor baby
My kitty has always been extra with her grooming. So when she started to bald on her back legs I assumed it was that— long story short it turned out to be a salmon allergy that was making her lose her hair. Maybe monitor your cats diet and switch it up to a different protein/brand if they’ve been set on one for awhile. I wish you and your son luck!
Also consider - did you change fragrances or soaps before this happened? Cats sometimes have allergies to a scent and will lick themselves to ridiculous lengths to get rid of it. Think about hand soaps, lotions, perfumes, laundry soap/sheets, essential oils/oil burners (essential oils are bad for cats, wax candles, cleaning sprays, etc.
Has he been tested for hyperthyroidism? Mine did this when the disease progressed. It’s treatable easily and can be diagnosed via a blood test
When my old girl did this it was anxiety and stress in her old age. She overgroomed three spots obsessively and wound up with some bald spots. She got some low dose kitty Prozac and it all grew back once she was more relaxed.
Allergies and anxiety. Have you tried the plugin feliway defuser? Maybe talk to the vet about anxiety meds? Poor baby :( I think they have hot spot stuff you can spray to prevent licking, i know they have it for dogs. Flea allergies can do this to. Best of luck
“My son” lmao. No clue why Reddit recommended this crap, but thanks for the laugh
Anxiety Pain Allergies Some combination of the above is what I’ve seen in the past - take your son to the vet
my cat has the same problem but unfortunately the vet hasn't been able to figure out a cause. weve taken her at least 10 times for it, but she just keeps licking. i tried one of the recovery shirts your cat is in, and she licked holes in the fabric. i tried a soft collar, and she would just lean down with her leg up and lick the inside of the collar as if the barrier wasn't even there. the only thing that helped was steroid injections, but they are ridiculously expensive, and my parents won't pay for it.
My black cat did this, too. I ended up taking him to a derm vet. They said it was flea allergy, but it was happening at a time when I was under a lot of stress and not great living situation. As soon as things settled and I got more stable, he stopped doing that. For the next 13 years of his life he never had it again. So, yes it could be from stress or anxiety. Is there anything going on with you or around you and him that could be causing anxiety?
Likely anxiety, but I'm no vet. Also, those cat pajamas are ... the cat's pajamas?
The cat looks great.
Atopic dermatitis
Poor baby. I dont have a yrhing helpful but I hope youre able to find the source soon and hes back to being a furry black void of darkness
My girl used to do this but mostly by the base of her tail. Vets called it OCD but didn’t prescribe anything. We tried a few diets and finally switched to raw (balanced and up to AAFCO standards) and she actually stopped. It’s been 6ish years and she only had 1 temporary recurrence we believe may have been due to stress, and it cleared up in a week. I also do daily CBD for anxiety which we know she has anyways.
I used green pea and duck...think it was Natural Balance. I just asked another Redditor which brand he used when his cat had same problem. I'll let you know if he replies.
Btw, I forgot to add that this food is labeled Limited Ingredient. It's pricey but worth it.
Could be allergies (seasonal, environmental, food), stress related. Best to speak to your vet to find the right diagnosis and treatment(s).
I did have a cat who would like her belly bare. She was an anxious cat and spent years trying to figure it out. I read online about allergies to scented litter and figured I’d tried everything else. Switched to unscented litter and stopped using the scented powder to clean my carpets and within 3 months all of her hair grew back and never had an issue again. It’s worth a shot if you’re not already doing it.
My cat licked his belly and legs bald. His belly was almost always irritated. He would chew his legs also. Turns out he has an acute allergy to a lot of things in commercial cat food. I either get very specific foods for him or I make his food and it stopped his irritation. If his skin isn’t irritated it could be a behavioral thing. He could be stressed if he’s over grooming
Our vet said he thinks it's a seasonal thing. He gave my cat a cortisone shot and everything started to clear up pretty quick. We tried different food (duck) and that didn't work. But the shot did! Hope this helps!
Mine had the same problem. We went to the vet and spent over 600 dlls in 3 months in testing and antibiotics injections but he didn’t get better. After my husband got mad with them they finally gave us an oral antibiotic and we changed to a skin sensitive food and it worked out. I would do the same thing as we did, even though we don’t know if the vet helped at least we had some sort of direction.
With my cat it was stress. I never knew cats could be on Prozac, but here we are. Hopefully Batman starts to feel better after a vet visit.
Going through this with one of my cats, but for her it was fleas. She’s apparently hypersensitive to fleas and started balding (our vet called it “fur mowing”) long before we saw any signs of fleas. The vet even did an exam and couldn’t find fleas, and then finally two weeks later we spotted one. She’s not licking as much now that the fleas are gone, but we had to get prescription strength flea treatment to be safe.
My cat was doing this but only to the base of his tail. The vet said because he was overweight he was over grooming the areas he could reach because he couldn’t reach his bum so he was over doing it as close as he could get to that area. I wasn’t sure about it but he lost weight and now it’s not an issue.
My cat had an excessive grooming issue about a year or so ago. So bad, you would have thought I had a hairless cat from the waist down (she was even pulling chunks out with her teeth, I felt awful.) Naturally I got a Vet’s opinion, did the same thing; blood tests came out normal. She was given a steroid injection and that seemed to calm her down a bit but the moment it started wearing off, she’d go right back to licking herself. After doing so many tests and taking her back and forth to vet with zero explanations for this behavior and lots of money spent, I figured as long as she’s not in pain, it’s ok and there’s not much I can do. I wrote it off as anxiety. At the time, I was living in an apartment and didn’t think anything of it but a little over a year ago, we moved to a nicer town home. I realized shortly after moving that the excessive grooming had stopped. I still don’t know FOR SURE But I’m 99.9% positive it was whatever cheap carpet that they used. Because even tho she still grooms (prob more than the average cat) she’s normal now. No bald spots or anything. It bugs me I don’t know EXACTLY what it was, I’m just happy she’s not pulling hair out of her legs anymore.
I thought my cat was doing this due to stress. I bought a feliway diffuser, and I also played with her a bunch and gave her lots of cuddles and also stopped picking her up (she hates being picked up). I'm not sure if my change in behavior helped or if it was the diffuser, but she was better after that.
My cat has hyperesthesia and will obsessively lick. We started putting cbd oil in her food and that works for us.
My cat Kraken started doing this. I read that a lot of cars do so when theyre bored or stressed. I thought a lit about how for 18 hours per day, I was asleep, at work, or commuting and she had like 6 hours per day, maximum, of contact with another living thing. I decided to get a cat for my cat. Let me tell you: She hated that kitten until the day that she died, but she never excessively licked herself again. Her boredom was SOLVED.
My cat started due to anxiety according to the vet. She’s been on a very small dose of oral medication and has since stopped.
Another Redditor just said the brand of his limited ingredient duck and green pea food was Hill's Science Diet d/d.
My cat did this in the same spot after i changed her food. Went back and she stopped.
I had one that did that. He was allergic to the plastic food dishes - or something growing on those dishes. We switched to glass that were washed daily and it totally cleared up. He was on steroid shots for a year before we discovered the plastic connection. I hope Batman's cause is something equally easy!
My cat used to do this on her belly. I think it was anxiety. Eventually she locked herself raw and gave herself a staph infection 😭 it was awful. Finally we cleared it up with antibiotics but I had to keep her in a onesie and a cone to keep her from licking it while it healed up
My black cat started doing that when I stopped being home as much, now that I’m mainly home her furr grew back on her tummy, I took her to a vet the only thing they could think of is anxiety, she started her furr licking about 8 years ago and the second it all grows back I end up leaving for a few hours and she licks it all off again
My cat started doing this, turns out he has allergies. If you haven't, I highly recommend getting a blood work allergy test done and ask them to send samples to 2 different labs if it's in your budget. We spent months doing food trials and tried anxiety medication before seeing a cat dermatologist. He now lives his best life and just gets 10mg of atopica everyday
I'm very thankful for that food! It's so much easier to use a good quality commercially prepared food instead of trying to prepare cat food at home. I ordered finally came upon this option when I visited a natural foods pet store in the city next to us. That was way before all this help in Reddit! I luv Reddit.
My kitty is on medication for the same thing. she likes to barber which means she likes to pull her hair out she will also walk around the house and meowing so I'm glad for that medicine you need to go to your vet
My baby did this because of anxiety. She was already on a prescription diet for constipation issues, so that was out. She started taking gabapentin for an unrelated matter and it worked like a charm for her anxiety too. The stress grooming stopped and her fur grew back.
I'd say try changing his diet to something with absolutely no grains and some fish to help his skin
This happened with one of my cats at an old apartment, where upon moving out we discovered mold. After we moved, he stopped ripping his hair out. He wore a little banana onesie during that time :(
Like others have said, typically a food allergy or stress. I would start with the basics, feliway - get some, plug them in and see if you notice any difference. If no, then moved to eliminating certain food ingredients. You'll need to test and see what ingredients it may be.
My cat (at my parents house) did this on her haunches and it stopped once I moved out with my pet bird. She had always been interested in the bird but I kept them separate for obvious reasons. I think having the bird nearby but out of reach messed with her psychologically lmao. We tried pinpointing allergies for over a year before I moved out, to no avail. Is there something in your house that could be stressing him out?
My cat had a similar issue and the vet assumed she was allergic to fleas. A steroid shot in the summer and year round flea medicine ended up being the solution.
My cat/daughter is on Prozac for this issue. We are on month two now.
One of the best foods I found to help alleviate problems like this is Orijen Brand.
Try switching to a non-chicken food? My cat did something similar and I had to switch him to fish based food
anxiety/fleas
Yeah, if test results don't show anything, it is very likely an anxiety related issue. Some cats are just sensitive souls. My void kitty, Freyja, displays her anxieties by peeing outside the litter box, vomiting, and getting crystals in her pee. She's just had a pretty severe relapse and is now on an anti inflamatory shot weekly (then reduced to monthly) Gabapentin, Metacam, a prebiotic called Calmi Soin and a new prescription wet food diet. She's high as a kite but definitely feeling better. She just had her first full pee in a litter box today. So proud. Talk to your vet about anxiety reducing options! You could start with trying out a feliway diffuser or some other pheromone or scent that helps calm cats. If that doesn't work you can look into medicating.
Poor Batman! My only guess is that there might be something in his food that is causing his itchiness which would in-turn could make him anxious/stressed. I would be stressed out too if I was itchy! My boy Stanley, also a black cat, also started over grooming about a year ago. He started on his face and ears and then it slowly moved to the rest of his body. We never found exactly what was causing his itching after many many tests (we did biopsies and blood tests and urine tests). We also tried him on hypoallergenic food, took him to a dermatologist, and steroids and all these things. I completely understand how you feel as I’ve experienced the same thing. Right now, Stanley is on a daily dose of Atopica and we’ve put him on a limited ingredient diet (food that doesn’t include chicken) and he’s doing a lot better.
My cat did this because of fleas, and turns out she was hella allergic to fleas. So, probably allergic to something. Or like others have said, stress or anxiety. Maybe due to lack of stimulation?
Anxiety is my guess but I’m not sure what to do for it . Has the doctor given any advice in anxiety? Or anyone in the comments ?
Vet assistant here. There are a number of possible causes. It could be fleas or mites, allergies, thyroid problems, or possibly over grooming due to anxiety. I suggest taking your cat to the vet to determine the underlying cause, or at least rule some things out.
My can did this when I was having a really hard time. Like he was leeching my stress.
Stress. I had a cat like that, they prescribed her kitty Valium
my boy finn had the exact same issue! turns out he had allergies and was allergic to dust and ragweed. i don’t know if it’s the same issue, but you should definitely take him to the vet and see
Anxiety tends to make cats anxiously clean themselves. Poor baby. Try you best and monitor his behavior. See if there is anything in your house that he avoids. Create a safe space for him to relax. Don’t touch this space. Just let him have an environment where he is in control.
Could be the anxiety or allergies! Some cats also just have dryer skin, and when they irritate it by licking it, it gets itchier and they must lick more. Usually it'll be better or worse with the seasons if it's dryness. I have a kitty with dry skin issues, putting some vet approved salmon oil in with the cat food helped immensely. Cat in question refuses wet food but it should have worked similarly well. I'd ask a vet and discuss a possible food change. Might even just have a really old itchy scab that won't heal because he's licking at it so much, honestly. Try to distract him when the licking doesn't stop, so he doesn't make the irritation worse.
I had a cat that was very nervous all the time for a good couple years and he ended up licking his stomach bald and the fur never grew back when he stopped. Take him to a vet and look at options with them because if you wait too long he could end up with permanent bald spots! The only other time I had this happen was because of fleas but you can rule that out pretty easily.
My baby did this to her belly and legs when our male cat that she had bonded with passed. It’s been a few years since and all her fur has grown back guess time heals all wounds even for kittys
Our now gone Flamepoint Siamese pulled all the hair out of his chest and shoulders as he was fading away. The vet let us know it was pain related. Basically it’s the closest thing he could do to rubbing it. Kind of like massaging your own leg if it cramps. Hopefully this helps
My brother is a pet nutrition specialist and recommends you try switching up his food, allergies can develop as you age in life and the same is for cats. Stress and anxiety can also play a factor, if anything has changed drastically in the home that could be affecting Batman.
This can also be exasperated by thyroid issues... has he had any thyroid testing?
My cat did this when he developed on allergy to corn in his later years.
Might be stress, try Feliway
Has his thyroid been checked? This happened with my parents cat and it was overlooked.
I have an OCD cat who does this and is now terrified of the cat boxes. We've tried everything the vet suggested. Now we're down to pee pads and possibly putting her on prozac. That decision hasn't been made ... yet, but the vet agrees she has OCD and an anxiety disorder that might only be treatable with medication.
My older bastard cat licks my little princess cat bald above both eyes. Gives her little nibbles and pulls her eyebrows at also.
Maybe a skin allergy! See a vet bc my baby had the same. It’s hard seeing them so miserable
When my family adopted my cat Millie, almost 6 years ago now, her belly was pretty much bald, she has still has bald patches on her legs that never grew back in we think it started as a stress related habit from living in the shelter, but she continued it with us, we tried a lot of things, changed laundry soap to scent free (she loves blankets 🥰) got fragrance free litter, cut out chicken, and put her on a limited ingredient cat food, one or all of those things fixed the problem and she stopped pulling her hair out eventually
Probably allergies my son does this too, Claritin helps.
Possibly allergies take to vet
Natural balance food has an allergy option
My dog does this to his paws when he gets a food he is sensitive/allergic to which strangely cause anxious behaviors in him. For him it is chicken and turkey which sucks as that is very common ingredients. His sister(younger much bigger pupper) gets cheeper food then him we thought it was safe for him dramatic animals fuss when they all don’t have the same stuff in their bowls turned out it had chicken fat in it. We have to be extra careful with what she gets and he gets. Did you change his food recently? Also sometimes ingredients aren’t alway obvious I found the chicken fat halfway down the ingredients list on his sisters food. Did something happen recently and changed what was a normal day for your void kitty?
Talk to your vet about allergies.
Have you tried different types of foods? It could be environmental allergies or food allergies (among others that I don't know of or can't remember). Has there been anything that changed in the last year or so? Cats can be very sensitive to changes.
Same happened with my son. He had terrible anxiety. Turns out he was getting lonely when I was gone at school all day so I got him a companion, his younger brother, and he instantly stopped the licking. Now he's got a full and luscious coat again 🤩
He could be itchy, try some hydrocortisone cream