Cats are glorious self-groomers. So glorious, in reality, that they don’t have to take baths with water. Their tongues are tough like bristles on a brush, they usually sometimes spend almost half the time they're awake grooming themselves!
So, if grooming is such a standard conduct for cats, why do some cats groom an excessive amount of? And the way are you aware if your cat is grooming an excessive amount of? Learn on for every part it is advisable to find out about cat overgrooming, together with why it occurs, what indicators to search for, and deal with it.
Extreme Grooming in Cats: How A lot Is Too A lot?
Grooming is crucial for cats to take care of pores and skin well being, take away shedding fur, eliminate parasites like fleas, and funky off. Cats will groom by licking, chewing, and nibbling on themselves. They use their paws and tongues, contorting their our bodies into many alternative poses to succeed in each sq. inch. Cats could deal with one space of the physique or cowl all the physique head to toe. When grooming one another, cats are inclined to deal with the pinnacle and neck – the toughest locations to succeed in themselves.
Cats groom roughly 15 p.c of every day, which equates to a mean of 4 minutes each hour. Precisely when or how regularly they select to groom themselves varies from cat to cat, and after they develop into soiled, they groom for longer.
Most cats groom after resting and consuming. Cats will even groom instantly after disturbing conditions – after they get scared, they’ll run off, immediately cease, and furiously however briefly lick themselves. This could possibly be a approach of attempting to relax.
Overgrooming is actually when cats groom a lot that they take away wholesome fur. This leads to alopecia, or irregular fur loss. The fur loss could trigger your cat to be utterly bald, develop bald patches, or have an unusually skinny fur coat by which you'll be able to see pores and skin. As a result of loads of the extreme grooming can happen in secret, most cat dad and mom don’t notice they've an overgrooming cat till fur is lacking.
Cat Overgrooming: Why It Occurs
Round 75 p.c of cats with overgrooming points have underlying medical circumstances. Solely 10 p.c of cats overgroom strictly resulting from conduct, whereas the remainder of the inhabitants (round 15 p.c) have each medical and behavioral considerations [1]. All in all, in case your cat is overgrooming, there’s almost definitely a medical trigger.
There are three common causes of cat overgrooming:
Painful circumstances. Any supply of ache or discomfort may result in cat overgrooming. Situations reminiscent of bladder irritation (cystitis), again ache, or full anal sacs have led to overgrooming. Cats could overgroom in particular areas relying on the place the discomfort is coming from.
Pruritus (itchiness). Parasites like fleas, pores and skin infections with micro organism or a fungus, or an allergy to one thing leads to overgrooming. Allergic reactions or hypersensitivity can embrace fleas, meals, or environmental, reminiscent of pollen or mud.
Psychogenic (behavior-related and never medical) points. Stress can result in overgrooming, and it may be brought on by an ongoing concern like fights between cats or be triggered by one thing particular, such because the addition or lack of an individual (or animal) within the residence. With some medical circumstances (i.e. hyperthyroidism), cats could be hyperactive, which additionally results in overgrooming. Siamese cats and different Asian breeds, reminiscent of Himalayan cats, usually tend to overgroom for psychogenic causes.
Indicators of Overgrooming in Cats
Cats who're overgrooming for medical causes do not need a typical sample however could deal with a painful space. Cats who're overgrooming for psychogenic causes sometimes overgroom their sides, typically symmetrically.
Indicators of overgrooming are completely different for every cat however can embrace:
Full fur loss or baldness anyplace on the physique
Thinning fur coat
Redness or crusts on the pores and skin
Tufts of fur discovered close to your cat’s resting areas
Much less or extra exercise
Decreased or elevated urge for food
Cat Overgrooming Remedy
Pet dad and mom should search veterinary assist to establish and handle the underlying reason behind cat overgrooming. Even when your cat shouldn't be damaging his pores and skin to the purpose of needing quick medical care, it reveals that your cat is uncomfortable and ought to be handled.
Veterinarians will do an intensive examination and suggest testing of each the pores and skin and your cat’s total well being. fur or a pores and skin scrape pattern beneath the microscope can establish mites, lice, or ringworm. Doing blood and urine testing will display screen for underlying medical causes for ache or discomfort.
In case your cat has an allergy, testing for what they’re allergic to could be difficult to interpret. Most cats with allergic reactions undergo a meals trial, that means they eat a prescription weight-reduction plan that solely has one animal supply because the protein for at the very least two months with no treats, no individuals meals, and no different cat meals. Antihistamines like cetirizine could also be an possibility, and month-to-month flea preventives are essential to avoiding flea bites.
For the ten p.c of cats with behavioral (stress) considerations that result in overgrooming, administration sometimes includes elevated enrichment, trying to restrict or eliminate any stressors, and presumably medicine reminiscent of fluoxetine. With out modifications within the surroundings, medical care is not going to be efficient in these instances.
How one can Cease a Cat From Overgrooming
In case your cat is overgrooming, typically, you shouldn't actively try and cease them. Shouting at your cat to cease or including collars that stop regular grooming is not going to be efficient long-term. If the explanation for overgrooming is stress, both of these items would make your cat’s stress enhance. And if the reason being medical, their want to groom is not going to stop till it's handled.
Veterinary steerage on greatest deal with underlying points ought to ultimately result in enchancment. Strategies reminiscent of Elizabethan collars ought to be used short-term in case your cat is damaging their pores and skin and creating an infection or different points. Medical therapy of overgrooming typically takes place over months, and enchancment is gradual.
Even when you and your veterinarian suspect medical causes for the overgrooming, think about growing enrichment in your cat in case stress is concerned. Supply meals puzzles or actions reminiscent of snuffle-mats or balls that dispense meals when rolled. Actively play with a wide range of wand toys together with your cat every day. Supply contemporary catnip weekly. Guarantee your cat has a wide range of toys, and cycle by them a pair at a time so a toy shouldn't be out in the home for greater than every week at a time (you possibly can deliver them again out throughout a special week). Cat movies, music for cats, and pheromone diffusers or sprays are all nice enrichment choices as properly.
