Tummy licking?

[Caitlin & Mr. Kink]

Anybody else have experience with tummy licking? It started about a year ago with Mr. Kink. That's why the vet gave him Ovaban evil + a steroid shot six months ago (and I think this was his diabetes culprit). He suspected it was allergies, and if we ruled out allergies, then some kind of OCD type neurosis.

He did sort of let up on the licking after the meds, and some of the hair grew back, but now it's awful again. It's pink, raw, and there are even little scabs. Anybody know any home remedies we can try? He just seems so agitated all the time. He's always been very anxious around mealtimes, but he licks all. the. time.

Thanks for any input, guys!

 

[Caitlin & Mr. Kink]

Anybody have experience with this product?

http://dancingpaws.com/store/purely-bot ... ing-spray/

Also - anyone tried Feliway to soothe an obsessive licker? Would love to know about other people's experiences!

 

[tortie58]

A few of my kitties also have this tummy licking practice. No allergy, no flea. I accept this because we are multi cat household, 21 kitties under one roof. I believe it's stress & anxiety. My vet said can be hormone, yes we can blame everything on hormone. That's a female cat. Vet recommended steroid & hormone treatment which I had refused. The licking is not too bad, only bald on her tummy part, hairless, like a nice clean shave. But sometimes, the licking stopped & the hair grows back. This is an on & off thing.
I tried plugging in Feliway everywhere at home but I dont see any different in their attitude. My friend swear on the use on Feliway easing the stress level of her cats. So maybe ECID. confused_cat

 

[BJM]

I had a civvie, Kiddle, who licked her tummy raw. It was food allergies. Common allergens include corn, wheat, and rice.

You may want to rotate through various proteins day to day, so you never have the same protein nor the same family of protein (like fowl) 2 days in a row - ex chicken, fish, duck, beef, turkey, pork and repeat.

If you do this, chart the licking behavior to see if it changes based on what protein source was eaten.

 

[knolet]

Also - anyone tried Feliway to soothe an obsessive licker? Would love to know about other people's experiences!

My Smokey becomes an obsessive licker when any part of her routine is switched. I recently finished remodeling the kitchen, and she was just a wreck, she licked the base of her tail, both sides, until there was barely any fur. I tried the feliway plug ins, and I think it helped a little, but it does take a while for it to start working. I didn't notice any changes in the licking for the first week or week and a half.... but I only had 1 plug in too - old house, not many outlets - did some re-wiring during the remodel too. It might have been better if I could have put one in other rooms too. I also took her to the Vet twice for prednisone shots - that is what really helped her.... just in time for the remodel to be finished. She's much happier now that she has her house back

 

[Caitlin & Mr. Kink]

I had a civvie, Kiddle, who licked her tummy raw. It was food allergies. Common allergens include corn, wheat, and rice.

You may want to rotate through various proteins day to day, so you never have the same protein nor the same family of protein (like fowl) 2 days in a row - ex chicken, fish, duck, beef, turkey, pork and repeat.

If you do this, chart the licking behavior to see if it changes based on what protein source was eaten.

Hmm, can't be corn, wheat or rice because he only eats FF classics. Rotating between proteins might be difficult, since he only eats the Chicken Feast, Turkey & Giblets, and Beef flavors. He's been on this food for about a month, and he's only just started getting very itchy around the ears and the licking's gotten worse in the past week.

I tried the feliway plug ins, and I think it helped a little, but it does take a while for it to start working.

I may get some and try those. Can't hurt!

I also took her to the Vet twice for prednisone shots - that is what really helped her

Is prednisone a steroid? I'm hesitant to start giving him any steroids, because I suspect that may have been what caused his diabetes in the first place when we took him in six months ago for itching/allergies (I think they gave him a depomedrol shot - not 100% sure).

 

[Jennifer & Saima (GA)]

If it is allergies, it will probably be tough to find a single protein source food that is also low-carb. I know there are different schools of thought on this (and honestly I don't know how much of it I believe myself) but my vet always said you need to do a several-week feeding trial of a novel protein to see if it helps with potential allergy issues. The novel protein just means it would be something the cat has never eaten before. (So, probably not chicken or beef for most cats.) The problem with this is that even "allergy" foods or foods touted as being for sensitive stomachs, etc. tend to contain some chicken, or if they don't (e.g. Natural Balance, Blue Basics, or prescription allergy diets), they can be high-carb. For example I got all excited about Instinct duck flavor and then it turned out to have chicken in it. Blue Wilderness Duck is, I believe, a variety that is both low-carb and single/novel protein, but it's expensive and pretty high in calories and fat. Of course if the budget allows, you could always try it to see if your cat tolerates it, and just make sure you control the portion size as needed. It's at least pretty widely available. Another brand with several truly weird protein options is called Addiction, but it's only available online for the most part, is insanely expensive, and my cat didn't really care for it anyway.

Other people here have said that they think a raw diet might be the best for allergies. I'm not sure why this is but it's something I have heard repeatedly.

If the budget and logistics allow, I think the easiest way of accomplishing all this might be to try a raw pre-made frozen diet. Primal makes raw nuggets in a number of unusual proteins, or at least they used to (venison, duck, etc.) and I seem to recall they are acceptably low-carb. Of course they do contain some veggies and other ingredients, so if the allergy is not to a protein, this could be a drawback between a pre-made vs. a homemade raw diet, where you can completely control what goes into it. I would like to feed raw, but I'm pregnant and will soon (if all goes well, of course) have an infant in the house, so these are situations where they say raw can be a bad idea.

Again there are many schools of thought on allergies so I'm not saying this approach is the be-all end-all, or anything.

Good luck! Allergies are such a pain.

 

[knolet]

I tried the feliway plug ins, and I think it helped a little, but it does take a while for it to start working.

I may get some and try those. Can't hurt!
quote]

That's what I thought... can't hurt If you live near a walmart - they sell it there too, it was around $20 here for the feliway and the diffuser.

Is prednisone a steroid? I'm hesitant to start giving him any steroids, because I suspect that may have been what caused his diabetes in the first place when we took him in six months ago for itching/allergies (I think they gave him a depomedrol shot - not 100% sure).

Yes, prednisone is a steroid. The Vet did say that they don't like to give the shots often as it "may" contribute to the cause of diabetes. However, because of her age and overall health, and the fact that she had only had one other, he felt it was OK to give a second shot. He did say though that if she didn't start licking that we'd have to look for another alternative as he wouldn't want to give a third shot in a short amount of time.

 

[Anyname]

My boy followed a similar route as Mr Kinks. He went on steriods for eosinophilic granuloma complex for a granuloma on his tongue. The steriods helped bring on the FD. Our vet says FD was coming anyway as steriods don't cause FD rather they hassen its onset. So a short time into FD the itching intensified. LB had quietly licked off his belly fur some time earlier - but the licking had not presented as a problem before FD. We had never seen him doing it excessively until 3 months into FD. The itching became a problem and grew to the point that he was nibbling fur off the outside of his hind legs and around his tail stub and the back of his hind legs. I personally think you are describing eosinophilic granuloma complex. Maybe you should take a look inside Mr Kinks mouth. Check for red spots or lumps on his tongue or ulcers on his lips. Our boy is currently in hospital after having an ultra sound on his tummy - after they shaved off his fur the red areas are VERY obvious. Eosinophilic granuloma comes in 3 forms and itchy skin is one of them. Even if your cat doesn't have the extreme form the red bumps, blotches and scaly areas are very itchy and make them agitated.

We have to put our kitty back on cortisone even though he's been FD for over two yrs. We have to increase the dose of insulin to compensate. He has a large troublesome granuloma on his tongue that has to be treated. Or he can go on Neoral as eosinophilic granuloma is thought to be an auto immune disease. One lady I know has had good success with Neoral for her cat with lip ulcers that were no longer responding to steriods.

I have tried many diets and it's not so easy as they won't eat the things that don't upset them plus it's a combination of environmental and food.

Like you I too have been certain that LB doesn't have flea's but I have been proved wrong on this at times. Although I've never been able to find them on him - they periodically surface. My vet combed along his spine and found some flea dirt. Any little black spots that run when you add some water (test on a white tissue) is evidence of their existence. I thought he might have a flea recently but couldn't find any but vet found the dirt and the next day I found a flea. Cats with eosinophilic granuloma are extremely allergic to fleas. Plus they are allergic to mosquitos and possibly garden ants. I notice my cat seems to itch a lot after he's been sitting on grass. I don't think it's the grass itself I think it's his warm body creates moisture and minute critters in the grass probably bite him. These allergic cats are extremely sensitive to bug bites.

I mostly give LB chicken (free range). I never give him beef. He always ate Fancy Feast varieties for 10 yrs before the itching became uncontrollable. I don't give him any Fancy Feast now. I give him chicken breast with a sprinkling of gastro intestinal dry on it. He doesn't eat much of the dry but likes it there for the smell - to make the chicken more appetising. Normally they are meant to be allergic to chicken but I don't think my boy is. He itches after beef and kangaroo and maybe fish He was good on rabbit but he won't eat it now. I would look for brands that do venison, duck and rabbit or other game bird. I would worry less about carbs than about the granuloma as my experience is that it gets worse over time. Be extremely vigilant re bug bites. Expect fleas even if you don't believe they are possible. I was sooooo incredibly slow on this - it's taken me for ever to get it thru my thick skull that just one flea every six months can do a heap of damage in these auto immune challenged kitties.