Author Topic: How to Spot Excessive Grooming Behavior  (Read 1941 times)

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Offline Lola

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How to Spot Excessive Grooming Behavior
« on: September 12, 2012, 12:26:50 AM »
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Cats spend about 30 to 40 percent of their day grooming themselves, and much of the remaining time is spent snoozing. So it’s common for pet owners to have no clue there’s a problem until they notice significant hair loss, bald spots, or scabs from over-grooming.

It’s also possible cat owners don’t notice the behavior because when the person is there, the cat feels more comfortable and relaxed and doesn’t need to self-soothe by licking.

Obvious signs of psychogenic alopecia are excessive licking and chewing. More aggressive kitties can resort to biting themselves and pulling out patches of hair.

There may be shafts of hair that are chewed down to stubble, or there could also be skin wounds or ulcerations.

Hair loss and skin damage will be localized to areas of the body where the cat actually can reach to lick and chew. Oftentimes, it’s the abdomen, flank, back, chest, and the inner legs. Often there’ll be a line of stubble down the back or on the front leg that looks a lot like a buzzed haircut.

In addition to excessive licking, there can be other signs of stress, including hiding, refusal to eat, and nervousness. These are all general tip-offs that the behavior could have an emotional rather than a physical root.

But I’ve seen plenty of excessive groomers where the only symptom of stress manifested as the psychogenic alopecia. The kitty appears to be calm, but is just over-grooming.

http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2012/09/10/cats-excessive-grooming.aspx?e_cid=20120910_PetsNL_art_1
Everything you NEED to know about caring for your feline. www.catinfo.org

Offline Middle Child

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Re: How to Spot Excessive Grooming Behavior
« Reply #1 on: September 12, 2012, 08:10:17 AM »
I have one with a perpetual Pink Triangle. She licks the area over her spay scar bare. Actually the past year or so, while the fur is very short, it is almost never bare.  I have animax for when she licks so much she develops sores, but haven't had to use it in a couple years. She just keeps the fur very very short there, and the pink skin usually shows through.

She licks other things too.  Walls, and underneath the table when she is on a kitchen chair.

Here's what it normally looks like, this was taken in September 2010:


here's her reaction to me trying to take a picture of her Pink Triangle



Offline Middle Child

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Re: How to Spot Excessive Grooming Behavior
« Reply #2 on: September 12, 2012, 08:16:36 AM »
Here it is, just now:





And just for propriety sake, here is what she looks like upright:

This is her  "I smell tuna" face


This is her "I smell turkey" face

Offline Lola

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Re: How to Spot Excessive Grooming Behavior
« Reply #3 on: September 14, 2012, 10:39:07 AM »
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And just for propriety sake, here is what she looks like upright:


 funny2
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