My 9-month old female Aby, Sammie, is licking off her fur all over her body. She has attacked her right front leg, her left rear leg and most of her belly, and other spots. I noticed the problem a few weeks after I had her spayed. She is a really nervous cat and seems distressed by outside noises. the vacuum, etc. My vet seems to think that she is suffering from psychogenic alopecia, which is caused by stress, among other things. He didn't have too much to say about treatment, other than keeping her busy while I'm at work, with toys, white noise, etc.
I really don't want to take her back to this vet because she is afraid of him now. When I had her there to check out this hair thing, she tried to bite him. I spoke with another vet, and they told me to change her food to Innova dry and to spray her with Bitter Apple. What a joke! She thinks this bitter apple stuff is a new spice for her diet!!! I need some real advice here as to what I might try. Anti-depressants maybe?
My Aby kitten is licking off her fur
Re: My Aby kitten is licking off her fur
suspect it is probably dietary but i think you should get the skin checked for mites...may be a challange but with out scraping yo can't tell...i used to wrap up cats in a fishin net to work with the fractious ones,,ie take a fishing net then kind used for trout place it over the cat and then roll it over a couple times and you have a nice bundled cat with all the body available but it can't bite....
Re: My Aby kitten is licking off her fur
Susan, I agree with Davet...most causes of alopecia in cats are caused by mites, flea allergy dermatitis, other insect bites, or a skin condition of some form or another, and allergies (to diet or environmental). There is also a condition known as hyperesthesia, although most cases do not involve self-mutilation, as you describe (hyperesthesia is generally idiopathic, a condition with signs of nervousness, extreme sensitivities, particularly to external stimuli, noise, extreme stress).
A skin scrape and/or culture would be ideal if mites and other obvious causes are ruled out. This generally only takes a few moments of you and kitty's time, is a painless procedure, but culture results won't be achieved for at least 7 days or more. Your vet could keep you updated on the culture progression.
As for the bitter apple, it was more designed for dogs and chewing behavior, I wouldn't recommend it, and I am surprised your kitten likes it.
I also do not recommend anti-depressant drugs unless in last-resort situations, as in the pet causing injury to herself, or if other methods tried do not produce results. Give the Innova a try and see if she improves, you may be faced with yet another dietary trial if you or your vet suspect food allergies in the least. A skin scrape/culture can rule out several differentials. Lastly, do as your vet advises and try to minimize stress factors in the environment best you can, and see if you can divert her attention to other things while you get to the bottom of this.
Of course, if you or your vet are ever in doubt, you always have the option of getting a second opinion.
A skin scrape and/or culture would be ideal if mites and other obvious causes are ruled out. This generally only takes a few moments of you and kitty's time, is a painless procedure, but culture results won't be achieved for at least 7 days or more. Your vet could keep you updated on the culture progression.
As for the bitter apple, it was more designed for dogs and chewing behavior, I wouldn't recommend it, and I am surprised your kitten likes it.
I also do not recommend anti-depressant drugs unless in last-resort situations, as in the pet causing injury to herself, or if other methods tried do not produce results. Give the Innova a try and see if she improves, you may be faced with yet another dietary trial if you or your vet suspect food allergies in the least. A skin scrape/culture can rule out several differentials. Lastly, do as your vet advises and try to minimize stress factors in the environment best you can, and see if you can divert her attention to other things while you get to the bottom of this.
Of course, if you or your vet are ever in doubt, you always have the option of getting a second opinion.
..........Traci
Re: My Aby kitten is licking off her fur
Thanks for the info. I did some reading about hyperesthesia on the web, and the clinical signs just aren't there in Sammie. When I stroke her fur, she seems to enjoy it, and she loves to be brushed. I just had two friends visiting for 4 days and Sammie was just a mess. She hissed and growled whenever my friends tried to pet her, but she enjoyed playing with her toys with them. She even got nasty a few times with me. I'll see how she does when her routine gets back to normal.
I haven't used the bitter apple, seeing how stressed she was this week-end. On my original trip to the vet, he used some sort of blue/black light on her skin and said she didn't show signs of fungus, but he didn't take any skin scrapings. I guess that's the next step.
I haven't used the bitter apple, seeing how stressed she was this week-end. On my original trip to the vet, he used some sort of blue/black light on her skin and said she didn't show signs of fungus, but he didn't take any skin scrapings. I guess that's the next step.