Purrs In Our Hearts - Cat Forum UK
Cat Health & Behaviour => Health & Behaviour General => Topic started by: swampmaxmum on August 10, 2007, 15:04:24 PM
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Sorry, another day another problem so another thread cos not sure what to do. Swampy's taken to pulling furr out of his legs, front and back on the same side (doesn't do it the other side). I find little clumps on his chair every day and he has bald patches. I assume it's some nervous habit but am not sure how to break it. Does anyone have any ideas please?
It is when he's grooming himself that he tugs at it very hard.
he did this once before after an op and the French vets made him wear a 'jersey' - the elastic wrap around non sticky bandage they use to stop a cat licking a wound, rather than a collar - and he got into the habit of picking at his hair then too. The french vet broke that habit with a course of steroids. That's more problematic now as he's not supposed to be on steroids unless 100% necessary as it lowers his immune system and, as you know, he's had liver and snuffle problems and has early CRF.
Can't let it go on indefinitely though.
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I had a lady here the other week who said her 2 abyssinians always bully her somalian and she pulls her hair out with the stress - is Swampy stressed about anything?
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not really observably stressed but maybe his illness caused him some anxiety. He's generally more clingy since he became ill. I don't mind as am home a lot so can shower him with TLC. It could be linked to age I suppose. He and Max have always had some jealousy but they get on really well so it's not that.
Re-read your post, Mark: my vet is always banging on about 'pedigree cats' being prone to psychological problems but french vet seemed to think it was related to a traumatic episode in any cat (like illness, bullying, ops). He'd seen it loads of times and you hardly get any burmese in France.