Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Poultry and Pets => Pets without Feathers => Topic started by: Optimistic Gardener on August 23, 2013, 13:11
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My tabby (male) cat has always had odd habits from time to time. Such as going through phases of batting the cat flap before leaving, then switching to batting it before coming in. Another favourite is scratching him at the base of his tail makes him lick his front right paw; if you stop - he stops; start and he starts...anyway, he has been prone in the past to yanking out tufts of fur whenever he is not best pleased with me i.e. been away overnight etc.
However, I've just come back from a fortnight away. Even though he was at home and fully cared for by my son and had full run of the house, he is going mad with fur pulling. There are piles of it on the lounge carpet and drifting across the kitchen tiles. He's made a bald patch on his right shoulder and another patch close to it that is nearly bald. You can see the scabs where he has yanked the fur out. He is licking himself madly as well. I'm taking him to the V.E.T. tonight (wish me luck!) to check for skin problems etc as the cause, but I'm sure its just stress.
Has anyone got any tips for distracting / dealing with stressed (and slightly bonkers) cats please? Bear in mind I work full time and I am out of the house all day - but I always have done so he can't use that as an excuse.
Thanks.
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Sounds more like a skin/ lice issue to me. ??? Not sure though so a vet is a good idea.
Our cat gets stressed when she spots suitcases but we figured this was due to the fact she was rescued from a flat where the owners moved out and left her behind. She used to be a house cat but she is an outdoor girl so we let her go in and out as she pleases, she loves the freedom and is more outdoor than indoor these days.
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I went to stay at my son's to cat-sit while they went away, and Lucy had to stay shut in the bedroom to avoid a confrontation :ohmy:
I found that a Feliway plug-in really helped her calm down.
http://www.feliway.co.uk/Feliway-Where-to-buy/What-is-Feliway
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Batting his catflap makes me think of something he wants to make sure won't trouble him when he gets outside. As for his fur-pulling, my lovely Tortie cat Daphne has a flea-allergy and chiggles her fur. Though she does it all over, it is mostly on her hind-quarters, so her lovely bottie fur tends to get the worst of it. She has been on monthly doses of Frontline Combo which, so far, hasn't been particularly effective, but have read that some cats can react to the medication on their skin. I am now going to try either Advantage or Advocate though you will need to read reviews as to what is best for your cat.