Conference misery::feline_v1

>                    <<< Note 4851.0 by DPDMAI::HUDDLESTON >>>
>                         -< Kitty pulls her hair out! >-

fleas and/or food allergies can be the cause...probably, at this time of
year, you are dealing with flea dermititis...even one flea will do it to
a sensitive cat.    

    I had a similar problem recently, and it was a phsycological rather
    than a medical problem. In my case it was brought on by having a cat
    sitter look after them for a week while I was on holiday, my vet gave
    him some hormone pills which have a side effect of making him more
    layed back, and he stopped after a couple of weeks. However now he has
    started doing it again, I will be taking him to the vets but dont want
    him to be permanently 'drugged up' so if anyone has any ideas for
    dealing with this problem please let me know. Apparently this
    phsycological problem is particularly common in orientals, mine is half
    siamese. You could think if there is anything which may be causing
    stress for your cat, new furniture/pets/neighbours pets, I can not find
    anything which has triggered the most recent bout of hair loss but I am
    still looking.
    
    Hope (s)he gets sorted out soon.
    
    Martyn.
    

    Well, I'm going to buy a flea collar tonight.  I don't know whats wrong
    with her.  She wants a lot of attention lately.  And I give it to her
    as much as I can.  We have an outside stray (male, Winter) that I let
    in the front door to eat.  He has a flea collar and stays right at the
    doorway.  When I do this I put Pumpkin in the bedroom or the patio.
    
    This has been going on for a while so while its possible that she's
    jealous, I don't know why that didn't occur before. --besides, she kind
    of likes him.   Food.  She eats alot of fish products like Fresh Catch
    and Unique.  How good or bad this is I don't know.  My vet will prob.
    recommend I start her on Science Diet again.
    
    Well, I'll go for now.  Let me know any more thoughts on the matter. 
    I'll post another note on Monday re: the vet visit if its interesting. 
    He did say that if their skin is irritating them, some cats don't know
    when to quit knawing and pulling.
    
    Donna
       

    My sisters cat just recently went to the vets due to loss of hair
    and the vet did not find any fleas...but said his skin was very dry.
    He said he has seen many cats this summer with dry skin and it 
    probably is due to the extra heat this summer.  He suggested putting 
    a little bit of Cod Liver Oil in his food.  
    
    I'm glad your bringing him back to the vets...these symptoms you are
    seeing could be due to stress, alergies, fleas...and it's best
    to get the vets expert opinion.
    
    Sandy
             

    She may be responding to stress caused by the male cat.  Many years
    ago, there was a stray male in the neighborhood that wrecked havoc with
    the "pecking order".  Munchkin would pull his fur out, which,
    according to the vet, was the same as a person biting his/her nails -
    reaction to stress.  
    
    Please check with your vet.  He/She may put your cat on some medicine
    (usually hormone pills - male hormone pills for females and vice-versa
    - Munch was on progesterone).  If that doesn't work, as it didn't with
    Munch, you can get some Obtundia spray ointment, which has a foul
    smell, and spray the cat with it.  The ointment won't hurt the animal,
    but it will stop it from pulling fur.  It's the same old-fashioned cure
    as painting a child's fingernails with Bitter Apple (stops them from
    biting their nails).
    
    Hope this helps...
    

    Barney is pulling out his fur at the base of his back near the tail.
    This started *months* ago during the Spring.  Part of the problem
    was fleas (the vet found one), but it's also a problem between his
    ears in that little head of his.  He's jealous of my 14 month daughter.
    He didn't like it during the winter/spring when she would crawl all
    over him.  He also pulled out his fur on the base of his belly in
    my early pregnancy.  I guess Barney isn't crazy about kids.
    
    Mary
    

    =.6
    
    A good friend of mine had this happen with her cat after she had her
    second child - guess he could deal with one but two was tooooo much so
    he "licked" all the hair off the base of his tail - at first she
    thought it was fleas but after the vet checked him out it was stress. 
    Blue took to spending more and more time down stairs when the kids were
    up and about (found his own safe haven) and would come up later in the
    evening when the kids went to bed.  This seemed to help and after a
    while he "kicked" the habit.
    
    Giudi

    re: .5 - I have NEVER heard of giving male hormones to a female
    cat.  If anything testosterone would "crank her up".  Are you
    sure of your information.  
    
    I HAVE heard of spayed females being given female hormones to 
    calm them down.  I believe Deb Skalsis (SOrry Deb, I can't spell
    your last name) has such a cat.
    

    I guess the male hormones to female cats and vice versa are to adjust
    behavior?  (Never heard of it, either way.)
    
    Something I have heard of for dogs with flea allergies is steroids,
    which resemble male hormones chemically but aren't really quite the
    same.  (Cortisone is a steroid, I think, but that's usually for
    external use.)  Dogs on these hormones need regular shots (every few
    months) more or less indefinitely, and because of the side effects
    steroids are a treatment of last resort.  (My sample is small, though--
    I've only known two, and their flea allergies were causing them to
    scratch or lick off most of the hair on their bellies, necks, tails,
    and rumps without the drugs.  These dogs were so allergic that even a
    few fleas in the house or yard caused trouble, so frequent bathing/
    spraying/vacuuming/fumigating was insufficient--one strange dog with
    fleas could walk by the yard and they'd have to start all over again.)
    
    Lisa Dean and Snoopy

    Cortisone is a steroid too and in some cases it is injectible.  Some
    vets give cortisone shots in treatment of hot spots and flea allergies.
    
    Jo