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Posted by Topic subject:   cat ripping out fur
fleafly
Member

Posts: 123
From:sheridan, wy
Registered: Aug 2003

posted 08-15-2003 12:35 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for fleafly     Edit/Delete Message
One of my cats has been ripping her fur out along her sides just below her spine. She used to do this when we lived in TX and I attributed it to flea allergies. We now live in an area with out fleas, and she started doing it again. Usually with allergies they lick their fur a lot, but she actually grabs it with her teeth and rips it out in chunks. Has anyone had a cat do this?

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bugaboo
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Posts: 30
From:oregon
Registered: Aug 2003

posted 08-15-2003 01:35 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for bugaboo     Edit/Delete Message
No area dosent have flee's,.. if you find one leme know.....i had a cat that had a skin rash that i always thought it was kitty ezema...but that dosent sound like your case...is there rashes or irritation around where she is pulling out the furr? what kind of cat is it? It could also be the humidity (tx would be a thought...) also what kind of weather did you move to it could be a reaction to the change....let me know how things go.

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nern
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Posts: 473
From:NY, USA
Registered: Oct 2002

posted 08-15-2003 08:07 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for nern   Click Here to Email nern     Edit/Delete Message
When my cat ripped his fur out that way the vet thought he had food allergies...later it was discovered that he did in fact have fleas. It does'nt neccessarily have to be an allergy to fleas...other allergies can cause this behavior and so can stress.

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fleafly
Member

Posts: 123
From:sheridan, wy
Registered: Aug 2003

posted 08-16-2003 01:50 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for fleafly     Edit/Delete Message
We moved from Texas which is very humid to Wyoming which is very dry. She did this behavior in both climates though. She is a 2 year old gray tabby with short hair. I have had her since she was 6 weeks old. She doesn't have sores and her skin doesn't look itchy or scabby. She looks totally normal except that she has bald patches.

Fleas don't survive in certain climates. When I lived in Utah I was told by my Vet that there were no fleas there. Wyoming is higher and colder than Utah, so I assume they wouldn't have fleas as well. I haven't treated any of the animals for fleas since we moved here (including two dogs that go outside) and no one has had any fleas.

I realize that other allergies can cause this which is why I was wondering if someone else's cat had similar behavior and what it was allergic to.

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digitalredx
New Member

Posts: 6
From:Salt Lake City, UT, USA
Registered: Aug 2003

posted 08-21-2003 09:41 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for digitalredx     Edit/Delete Message
My mom's cat also rips out her fur, especially on her tail and back. We think it is largely anxiety b/c she does it mostly when she's upset. The vet thought she might have dry or irritated skin and gave her a steroid injection, which did seem to help for a little while, but she went back to pulling her fur out. When things are calm she doesn't do it as much! Of note, I once knew a bird that pulled its feathers out until it was nearly bald, and the vet gave it a form of Prozac for animals and it stopped doing it!

Btw, this cat is in Utah as well and it doesn't have fleas.

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fleafly
Member

Posts: 123
From:sheridan, wy
Registered: Aug 2003

posted 08-22-2003 12:23 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for fleafly     Edit/Delete Message
There is nothing that I can see in her life that would be making her anxious. There are no changes between when she does and doesn't rip out her fur. The prozac thing is interesting, I think I will talk about that with my vet. She is a more skittish kitty, so maybe she does have some anxiety issues. Thanks for the suggestions.

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clayfulanimals
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Posts: 3
From:
Registered: Aug 2003

posted 08-31-2003 05:39 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for clayfulanimals   Click Here to Email clayfulanimals     Edit/Delete Message
My 5 yr old Tabby was eating her hair off and I went to our vet just to be given drugs that never did help. I then took her to a cat vet who told me she had allergies and then gave her another shot of cortisone. Nothing helped, as a matter of fact it got worse. She had no hair on her legs, her belly, her sides and was working on her back. Both vets were right about her having allergies and you can tell if your cat has allergies by looking at the base of her ears where they meet the top of her head.There will be little bad spots there, one at each ear. She has had this problem for 1 yr. Last month I bought 2 HEPA filters to run in my house and today I have a HAIRY cat.She doesn't eat her hair off anymore and the spots at her ears are gone.My vets never even mentioned HEPA filters,just shots that never worked. I paid less for the two big HEPA filters then my vet visits. Not to mention my air is better for my family as well. Try one and see if it helps, can't hurt.

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fleafly
Member

Posts: 123
From:sheridan, wy
Registered: Aug 2003

posted 08-31-2003 08:48 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for fleafly     Edit/Delete Message
Good idea I have been thinking about trying one anyway.

I gave my cat a dose of advantage even though we don't have fleas here and it helped. She stopped ripping her fur out and it is growing back. It's really weird, but hey whatever works.

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