We recently got a cat and when both my wife and I got home on Tuesday evening, we noticed that the cat had been grooming / licking himself so much on his legs and the top of his belly that it was and still is red raw.

I thought it might be a reaction or an allergy so we took him to the vets last night.

The vet told us to keep an eye on him for the next couple of weeks and she took some hair samples to test to see if it was ringworm. She also scanned him with an ultraviolet scanner which didn't pick any ringworm up.

The thing is that he has had all his injections, jabs and is up to date on doses for fleas, worms etc. The vet thought it might be the stress of moving to our house from the Cat Protection League.

I've had a look on the internet regarding this issue of overgrooming by the cat and it could be stress, an allergic reaction to food or litter tray, seeing another cat (which he did through the window the other night - it was the neighbours cat) or it could be an obsessive compulsive disorder.

Obviously, any of the above are a concern and I am therefore wondering if anyone else has encountered such a problem with their cat before. If seems a shame that the cat is suffering further after having been a stray and then at the Cats Protection League for 6 months and now this.

Many thanks for any assistance.


PS He's been kept inside since Oct 26 2008 at the advice of the C.P.L. so it's not anything he's picked up from outside.

Wow captainnorth - your poor kitty is going through the mill a bit isn't he? Bless him!!

Well done on taking him straight to the vet and it does sound to me as though it could be stress related. I have no first hand experience though, this is just my opinion.

Do you know much about the conditions the CPL found him in? Was he just a stray?

Has he literally licked the fur away from the parts where he is now sore? Or was there no fur there to begin with? (sorry - my kitty has fur all over, I cannot think of a part of her that doesn't have fur other than inside her ears!!)

I cannot imagine that seeing another cat would cause this much stress although I guess it depends on what has happened to kitty before.

How were things left with the vet? Did they mention stress? Possible allergies etc?

If you are going to rule out the allergy idea try one thing at a time - maybe change food for a few days and see if that makes any difference and then same with litter if no joy on the food front?

Am glad that you care enough about your little fella to research it so much - I can't help thinking your vet wasn't all that thorough though?

Hi. It's great that you have taken him to the vets for tests.
It really could be compulsive licking caused by stress.,, which can then become a bad habit. A rescue dog of ours had the same situation. After all his tests came back clear it seems that it was a reaction to the stress he had been under, ( poor little guy had been abandoned prior to coming to us), and then he was readjusting to coming to us. It took time but it did pass and he has been the most wonderful addition to our home! We used to try and distract him whenever he began to over lick by picking up his toys to get his attention or picking him up for a cuddle. Hope things turn out well.

Hi - we have a cat that overgroomed when we got him as well. We had him tested for allergies and it turned out he was allergic to dust/housemites(!) and fleas.

By ensuring he is always flea free (we use Frontline Spot On) it is has completely cleared up.

Our cat (Colin) only has 3 legs so we have had a few veterinary issues and the allergy text was pretty expensive (circa £400) so it could be worth giving the flea remedy idea a quick go first, we found his skin started to clear up after 4 or 5 days.

No guarantees obviously, just a suggestion.

And: good luck!

Hi, the first things that sprang to mind for me were allergy to flea bites and stress.

You cat doesn't have to have fleas to be bitten. One bite could set off the reaction. This is usually treated with a steroid from the vet.

Do you put anything on your carpets? Sometimes those deodorising sprays can cause pets a problem. Don't wash his bedding in biological powder, just in case.

Stress is harder to sort out, of course. Settling down in a new place is always stressful, especially for cats that have been institutionalised. He's very lucky to have you for an owner and I'm sure if it's stress he'll stop eventually. Let us know how things go.

If you dont determine the exact cause it's best to put a small kitty cone on him so he can't lick himself down to the bones

Once he's recovered you may find he stops doing it