Fur mowing

Hi, I've searched the forum and seen a lot of posts on fur mowing, but my cat continues to have a problem with it 4 mos. into insulin treatment. It's not a dietary allergy because I've done an elimination diet. I don't think ym cat is stressed, unless the diabetes symptoms stress him out. I've seen a lot of advice here and two I'm thinking about trying are Vitamin b12 and Vetericyn spray. Any other advice/thoughts? Thank you!

 

Have fleas been ruled out?

These links offer a lot of good info on possible reasons, diagnostics, and treatment:

Cats That Lick Too Much - (Cornell Feline Health Center)
Fur-Mowing (Feline) - (Mar Vista Animal Health Center)

Good luck finding the cause.

 

Could be fleas even if not evident. My cat Tika licked her hair off one side almost all the way, as far as she could reach. Tried steroid shots and flea medicine for a couple years. When steroid wore off, she would lick again. Thought allergies at first, tried different foods, went grain free and still no change. Then thought it was stress due to moving and also to getting a younger cat. She started hiding in/under the couch earlier this year, and would only come out to eat and potty. I was blaming the younger cat again who was chasing her and making her a "scaredy-cat." Turns out the flea medicine was doing nothing and she was super-sensitive to fleas and was trying to hide from them, and licking where she could reach because of the irritation from the "invisible" biters. So, I began flea-combing the dog and all cats daily. The fleas are really good at hiding, we had no idea we had a flea problem. Think the dog was picking them up on neighborhood walks. Now we are flea-free and she is out of hiding and her usual self...and no more fur mowing! Side benefit, they all enjoyed the extra attention. Best of luck, hope you find a quick solution for your Samson.

 

Hi @DonnaBee and @Jill & Alex (GA) , thanks! I have another cat - wouldn't she be showing signs if it were a flea problem? Tx!

 

Sorry to jump in.

No the other cat may not. I had a British blue cat who had a flea allergy so he would wash, and break out into crusty scabs. Dog never showed any signs. Vet said that those with flea allergies often don't have fleas on them because they keep going until they remove it whereas ones that don't - just act normal.

 

Hi there, thanks! How do I check for fleas? Buy a flea comb and comb him over a white sheet?

 

Hi

Unfortunately that won't work, we never found any fleas on Parsley (my British blue) because as soon as a flea lands on a cat with a flea allergy they don't stop until they have it so they never really get a chance to leave any evidence.

We had him diagnosed with a skin scrape. Then it was a matter of keeping him de-flea-ed.

Always rotate your flea meds as they do build up a resistance if you use the same one.

 

Agree with TempestsMum. Not all have the same reaction to fleas. You could just flea comb every day, if there is one hiding you will eventually find it on the comb. Be sure to have a bowl of soapy water handy to dunk it in. The soap acts as a surfactant and will break the tension of surface of the water and allow the flea to fall to the bottom of the bowl and drown. Without the soap, they just float on top. Then when you are done combing, just dump and flush. A tip: If you find flea dirt on the comb, that's a good indicator that fleas are in that general area. I'm not a big fan of chemicals on pets. And as TempestsMum said, they are ineffective after a while. Flea combing takes a little extra effort but works, and it's good bonding time with our fur-babies, plus it helps get rid of loose hair, so thats a plus too.

 

Fleas are a common culprit, however there area also other reasons for this behavior that you might want to consider if you aren't finding evidence of fleas:

Mites (mange) - mild cases can cause itching and grooming behavior. Ivermectin or salemectin will kill both mites and fleas. A lot of the other flea medications don't work well against mites.

Sensitivity to the insulin you are using - lantus especially stings and can cause this behavior for hours after dosing. It is possible to have skin allergies to animal insulins as well.

Feline hyperestesia/seizures - My cat with FH grooms excessively when he has episodes. It's a common behavior with episodes. If you notice the skin on the back rolling a lot, you might want to look into this. Can be treated with anti-seizure medications (some vets give anti-depressants for this, might be questionable)

Back pain - Older cats with arthritic changes can start to excessively groom with pain. Can be treated in several ways

Neuropathy - diabetic neuropathy can cause pain the lower extremities and lead to this behavior as well.