Cat licking her hair off - allergies or stress?

[Samson_Delilah]

My female cat has started licking off her hair on her paws and legs and possibly is starting on her belly - they are long hair and it's kinda hard to tell until a definite bald patch appears.  This has been happening since before Christmas.  At first I thought it was due to the loss of her beloved "Cat tree" but I got her a replacement - although I'm not sure she likes it near as much.  The Vet thinks it's an allergy - probably to food - but I can't get her to eat the $35 per 8lb bag of Green Pea and Duck food I bought for her.  She went days without eating and I finally gave in - as I didnt want to deal with those complications too.  So, I have just ordered another type of food - Venison and Green Pea - hopefully she'll like that a little better.....and I've ordered the stop itch wipes and lotion from Dr. Fosters and Smith.  I am hoping one of those will help.  The other issue is that I travel A LOT for my job - often gone at least 3 or 4 days.  I started travelling this heavy in September and her hair loss started after Thanksgiving.

Any ideas or things I can try.  I was thinking of trying the Feliway diffuser - but after just ordering over $50 of food and itch relief - I am going to hold off before spending $30 on an air diffuser.

Any comments are appreciated.

[Aruba417]

Ha! I had a feeling she was at least part Siamese! LOL. Yeah, I bet you it's stress. Sias are VERY emotional cats. Wow...Maine Coon and Siamese. They must be gorgeous! Good luck and let us know how she's doing on the meds!

[Samson_Delilah]

Thanks.  She can be pretty prissy and has always been very high strung and jittery and nervous.  

They are really pretty.  Too bad I can't post a picture.  They have Siamese markings and Maine Coon coat of hair.  I'm not really trying meds per-se - but these hydrocortisone wipes and a lotion to put on the areas that she has licked the hair off.  I am hoping that she likes the new food too, as I am running out of options! :)

[jgish]

I dealt with this very problem for about six years with our cat.  The vet gave her steroid injections, which only helped temporarily.  We tried highly regulated diets - nothing worked.

One day I was down staring at the litter box - wondering why my son hadn't changed it lately - that it occurred to me that the perfume (Tidy Cat) was rather strong.  Being highly sensitive to fragrances myself, I began wondering whether the cat could also be sensitive to something in the litter.  After all, it was her lower abdomen and back legs that were affected - the parts most likely to come in contact with the litter.  

I immediately dumped the litter and went looking for an unscented alternative and switched to Cedarific (although there are other alternatives).

Her hair began growing back almost immediately.  She still has a few sore spots that had gotten particularly bad, but they are healing.  She now has hair on her belly and legs for the first time since we owned her.

So, try changing the litter.

(And by the way - I'd dump the Natural Balance Venison & Pea - it was just recalled for by the FDA for containing the melamine - the same substance that poisoned many cats a couple of months ago.  We used it for awhile and the last time ended up with both cats at the vet with unexplained vomiting - and a $1400 vet bill).

Good Luck!

[Rica55]

Hello-

My kitty was licking his fur off for months and the vet finally told me to try a few different things...one was to get him a kitty friend, but since yours already has one, that might not be the issue (although this did help he is obsessed with his little sister).  The other thing that helped was leaving the tv or radio on all day.  I did this first and it did help a little bit, but then I was set on getting another kitty.

Hope that helps!

[Mandy19]

Hi,
My cat (dilute tortuous) is doing the same thing. She is a extremely passive cat who is picked on by my larger, mean, male cat. Over the summer she starting becoming very nervous (even more than usual) She would stay in the same place outside all day and wouldn't come inside, not even to eat. She was a fat cat and wasted away to almost nothing. She also was constantly licking herself. I brought her to a vet and he diagnosed her with depression, OCD, and paranoia (made the diagnosis from lack of fur on her belly). His listed symptoms fit her perfectly. He gave her a shot (human birth control) and it helped with everything but the licking...it has become worse. I'm almost sure it is due to stress because I went on vacation for a week and when I returned she had a huge bald area on her lower back.

Any help with this would be greatly appreciated!!

[Savas]

My first thought is a humidifier might help if it's caused by dry skin (has the weather been very dry?). My second thought is a genetic disorder or two I've read about. But....I'd need more information;

What's the quality of the skin both under the remaining fur, on the border where the fur ends, and where the fur is gone?
Is it scaley? Scabby? Speckly? Pealing? Discolored in any way (keep in mind cat skin coloration matches fur coloration.)
Is it itchy? Are you sure she's licking it up? Is she coughing up furballs?

What's the texture of the fur like in those areas? Getting brittle or stiff? breaking? Is it thining out?

Also, what do her claws/NAILS look like? Are they crubly/pitted/split etc...

(One thing I'd do is dump the new cat tree. It's possible the reaction could be related.)