Hey guys,

We got a rescue cat last February who seems to have settled in really well, although she doesn't like the cat we already had and won't let him anywhere near her. When we first got her she had a small bald patch on her lower back, which we managed to get rid of when treating her for eat mites (which have cleared up beautifully) by using Surolan on it. However, she's been overgrooming this area, and her tummy and they've both got really big bald patches on them now I've tried the Surolan to no success so I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions?

She's a happy cat as a general rule so I don't know why she's overgrooming like this!

Really hope someone can help!

Thanks,
Tara x

Overgrooming in cats is not uncommon & seems to be more prevalent in oriental type breeds. There are several medical issues you need to rule out first before you start looking at behaviour problems. Firstly, whilst you've sorted out the ear mites, has she been treated for fleas? If not, this is probably the first thing your vet will suggest. Some cats are allergic to flea saliva which can cause terrible itchiness. Secondly, it could be an allergic reaction to something else, like house mites, dust, food etc. But this can be notoriously difficult to pinpoint & may involve lots of skin tests & other expensive veterinary treatments.

Having said that, as the overgrooming is confined to her lower back & abdomen, it seems quite probable that this could be a stress-related issue. The grooming is almost like a stress-reliever & once they start to make themselves feel better by grooming, they can be quite obsessive over it, to the extent that they lick the fur away & can start to make the skin sore & raw. This leads to more itchiness, so more grooming & you're in a vicious cycle.

You say that your new cat doesn't like your other cat & whilst there might not be any out & out aggresssion & fighting between them, there could well be quite subtle body language signals going on that you need to be quite observant to spot & would be a signal that all is not well between the cats . This alone can be a cause for stress in your cat causing her to overgroom.

I would suggest that your first port of call should be your vet so that any medical causes could be ruled out. Possibly a course of steroids to relieve any itchiness & inflammation? If there no apparent medical causes then perhaps ask your vet for a referral to a qualified feline behaviourist to help sort any factors in your cat's life that are causing her stress & anxiety.

In the meantime, you could try the following:

Make sure that both cats have separate areas that they can go to for resting/sleeping, lots of warm beds, at different heights around the house. Put out lots of e.g old towels, jumpers, fleeces, vetbed etc, in warm draft-free places in different rooms.

Do the cats use a litter tray? If so, make sure you have at least two in different locations (& possibly a 3rd if you have room ~ you can always remove any that they don't use).

Have separate feeding stations & several water containers around the house.

If one cat is particularly wedded to one room in your house, try to make that room as comfy as possible for that cat & if possible, try to make another room as a sort of "comfort zone" for the other cat so they each have a room to call their own.

Scratching posts, toys, if they use them, can be placed in their rooms as well. If they both enjoy your company, try to spend quality separate time with each cat.

It may be that things will settle down as they start to realise that they have everything they need without having to worry about the other cat, but if not, you should really consult a qualified behaviourist who can visit your house & help you sort things out. I wouldn't just leave it to carry on as the overgrooming can get quite serious & the longer it goes on, the harder it is to sort out.

Best of luck ~ I hope things get better for your cats.

My cat started over groomed his stomach when he was about 2, he did it for years. He was treated for fleas/ticks/mites every four weeks and put on steroids, which seemed to stem the problem for a little while, then he's start again and they'd up the steroid dose, and so on till he was on a rather large dose, which can, long term be harmful. Vet thought it was stress related.

So I did huge amounts of research and and found an article (wish I'd have kept the link) about additives in food causing behavioural problems. So then started looking into foods. When I realised how utterly crap the food he was on (go-cat) was, I changed him to Arden grange and the over grooming stopped. He's since gone through quite a few stressful things (to an animal anyway, loss of our dog, the gaining of two very bouncy puppies) and thankfully no over grooming, so it must have been something in his food and not stress after all.

Might seem a little obscure, and obviously I've no idea what food you use, but if you're not using a good quality food, it can't hurt to try changing to one and see if it has any effect.