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overgrooming

1K views 4 replies 4 participants last post by  pkbshrew 
#1 ·
Hi, I have a 6 year old female cat. She has been excessively licking her lower stomach for awhile now. She licks it to the point that she licks the skin right off and it ends up being a huge sore. I cannot get her to stop doing this. I have her in a cone so she can't lick the area. If she gets the cone off that's the first place she goes and even licks the inside of the cone trying to reach it to get relief. Even after wearing the cone until the area is healed she still starts all over again in the same spot once the cone is removed. She does not lick any other area to the point of injury. I have taken her to 2 diff vets trying to get answers to how I can correct this behavior. The first vet suggested an allergy to plastic bowls and gave her a steroid shot. I switched the bowls out to ceramic and the steroid shot didn't help at all. The second vet I tried taking her to suggested anti anxiety medication and/or switching her food to something that is not a common allergy. I have had her eating Nature's Balance duck and green pea flavor for 6 monthes. I also had her on the anti anxiety medication for 2 monthes. After doing both of those things it's still the same thing. I took her back again and they did blood work and a urine sample which all came back fine. They then suggested an antihistamine allergy pill. She has been taking that 2 times a day for about 3 weeks now and I am not seeing any relief with that either. Does anybody else have or have had similar experiences? I am looking for any recommendations or advice that can help as the vet bills and medication are starting to get pricey. Thank you
 
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#2 ·
Wow! this is a severe case of overgrooming....and seems the vets have tried everything. I dunno perhaps Bach Flower Remedies have something to correct this behavior? Worth a try. Also there may be something your cat could wear as a barrier that would keep her from the constant licking.....maybe baby clothes? like a short-sleeve body suit----and she could still urinate etc. Measure the length of your cat from shoulders to tail to get one long enough, and go to a thrift store.....always lots of infant clothes there and prices are cheap.
Give us an update.

Bach Flower Remedies: "White Chestnut" for overgrooming:
https://orientalcatassociation.org/2014/07/bach-flower-remedies-for-cats/
 
#3 ·
Re: Bach Flower Remedies: "Crab Apple" especially, and "Vervain" are also cited as helpful for overgrooming.
 
#4 ·
Our previous female cat had a similar problem and she was on cortisone for it. We tried to wean her off it gradually at the vet's suggestion, but she'd just break out in nasty sores if we did. It probably shortened her life - we got her when she was 12 and she only lived to 14 - but it was the only medication that would give her a good quality of life.
 
#5 ·
A cause for lower belly overgrooming in cats can actually be impacted scent glands. I would suggest getting them checked and expressed if necessary and see if this helps. Of course - if it's been going on for a while it can become habitual but if it is an issue maybe expressing them will reduce to excessive overgrooming.
My cat had this issue and we ended up removing the scent glands because one had a damaged duct (scar tissue due to prolapses as a very sick kitten) and could not be expressed.
 
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