Beta the cat needs help (non-financial)

[sbre]

A dear friend of mine has recently adopted a cat, Beta, who has taken on the troublesome trait of constantly licking herself, to the point of loosing fur in some spots. My friend asked if I would put this on the blog with hopes of someone having a suggestion or two that might help, so she sent me an e-mail outlining the scenario (see below).

I need to add, that since the writing of her e-mail, it has also been discussed that laundry detergent and dryer-sheets could be an issue so she will cut down on the amounts used in each load, we also learned that this licking was a problem with the foster-family Beta lived with for about 18 months however her current condition seems worse than it was.

We thank you in advance for taking the time to share any thoughts you may have with the hopes of making Beta’s life less problematic!!

sbre

*******

For a month and a half I have provided a home for Beta, a 9 o 10 year old female cat from Seattle’s Animal Shelter. She is called a tortoise shell cat or tortie for short because of her distinctive dark rust to brown markings. I have no other pet … Beta has the exclusive run of the house with the agreement that this is her permanent home.

In many respects, she’s settling in nicely … has learned the house rules that apply to her and when meal time comes around.

One thing has me puzzled; She does a over-extended amount of licking … way past grooming. This has been going on for most of the time she has lived with me. Some of the “licked” areas are resulting in semi bald spots. The constant licking seems to make her unhappy,

Previously she had a responsible foster owner who worked out the dietary problems and a few others that she had when he took over. He has passed all this wisdom to me. His routine and cat products are working well.

One suggestion that surfaced was this … my house is heated by an oil furnace (which is being used now that it’s cooler). With a large majority of homes heated with gas, it’s been suggested that the oil heat creates a much dryer environment …consequently, dryer skin … scratch …scratch.

Any comments or suggestions would really be welcome. Let’s get this poor cat back on track!

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[JanS]

here’s a link…scroll down half way for a list of what might be causing. And…has she seen a vet?

http://pets.webmd.com/cats/guide/cats-and-compulsive

scratching-licking-and-chewing

and this :

http://www.vet.cornell.edu/fhc/health_resources/CW_lick.cfm

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[KatherineL]

I adopted a cat who had the same problem. She was all bald underneath and constantly licked herself. The vet said it might be allergies. He gave her a steroid injection. It seemed to help. She started growing her hair back. She’s since had another one. The baldness has receded to a couple of spots.

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[squareeyes]

If fleas have been ruled out, then it could be stress grooming. I don’t know if it’s current protocol – I had a male cat that was put on a tablet hormone treatment that worked great, but that was many years ago. Only your vet can tell you if that is still a valid and viable treatment and, if so, suggested duration. Extended treatment can lead to tumors.

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[BearsChick]

Sounds like a food allergy. Had the same thing happen with my cat, so our vet recommended cutting out anything with beef or poultry (chicken/duck/turkey). She is on Natural Balance LID (limited ingredient diet) for dry food. (found at Petco and Mudd Bay) It’s a challenge finding food without beef and poultry, but if Beta is not a picky eater, it should be a smooth transition. Mudd Bay has several wet food options that do not have beef or poultry. So far, the only only treats I’ve found are also from Natural Balance. Just remember….read ALL labels. Good luck! Let us know how it goes.

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[JoB]

have you had her thyroid checked?

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[sbre]

A follow-up: I should have included that we have taken Beta to the vet twice and medication (I’m forgetting what at the moment) in shot and pill form has been perscribed, and flea’s have been checked for and ruled out.

Thanks to all who have offered their thoughts so far, we’ll be in touch…

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[hammerhead]

First it is NOT the oil heat as for the laundry detergents, not likely. I see this often in my rescue.

This is either food allergy issue, and it seems you are working on that.

It also could be a compulsive issue which is brought on by stress. Just like humans, cats and dogs can have compulsive disorders, so now it is figuring either using medications OR going the homeopathic route, which is the way I highly recommend before pumping her full steroids ect.

I would highly recommend contacting Lena at Kingdom of Basil for a consultation she is homeopathic vet. Maybe some acupuncture and herbs might help.

Welcome to Kingdom of Basil!

FCAT/HH

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[anonyme]

A second vote for Lena McCullough. Sounds like a different approach is in order, and she is amazing.

If it were me, I would also stop feeding dry food and switch to Darwin’s. For a cat, it’s really not expensive – and makes a world of difference in the animal’s health.

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