Blackie + his belly licking

[Jan]

I didn't realise until yesterday how much fur Blackie had licked off until I held him up to have a look. Not only was his belly sparse but there was fur missing further up underneath his body and the top part of one of his legs was furless as well. .

Off to the vet we went yesterday evening, and I had my list of suggestions as to what the problem might be - most of which she thought were improbable. Her view was that knowing Blackie as well as she does, the problem was stress related.

I told her that he seems to have developed a reluctance to go outdoors in the last week or so (extremely unlike him as he'll go out in all weathers except snow). she thought this could be the root of the problem. I know there was a confrontation at the hole in the bottom of a fence panel 2 or 3 weeks ago when Blackie was about to go through but was met by another cat coming the other way. There was a lot of spitting, growling, hissing until Blackie backed off and came indoors. Knowing that Blackie can't fight his way out of a paper bag (except when he pays a visit to the vet) this seemed feasible to the vet.

He came running in the other night looking harassed, ran up the stairs, then half-way back down again and kept looking at the back door with a very worried/startled look in his eyes so whether that cat was around, I've no idea.

There's also a yappy dog who I think lives near the route that Blackie crosses to go into the adjacent gardens and out into the cul-de-sac where we live. He once heard the yappy noise down the chimney and rushed up the stairs looking at me as if I'd brought a dog into the house! I coaxed him down but had to open all the kitchen cupboard doors so he could see no dog was there. Finally, after opening the corner cupboard, he jumped through the hole in the back and hid behind the washing machine. No amount of coaxing would get him out so we had to pull the washing machine out to so he could escape.

The other suggestion she took on board was manipulation. Blackie will sit silently (he rarely miaows) in front of me and I have to guess what he wants. Food or being let out. If I don't get up straight away, he will go on the carpet and start licking his belly. As the vet so rightly said, we don't train cats - they train us.

Anyway, Blackie has been given some Metacam for 2 weeks in case he has made himself a bit sore and I was also told to give him Zyklene 2 x day for 2 weeks and to bring him back if the situation doesn't improve.

The only positive I could take from the visit was that the vet remarked again how soft and silky his coat feels to the touch and that we shouldn't feel responsible for what Blackie is doing to himself.

Sorry for long post but If anyone has any other ideas not mentioned I'd be pleased to have them.

[lilynmitz]

I'm with the vet on this one. Poor Blackie is utterly stressed out, and you've listed loads of things that can be causing this. Mitz did this a lot too, but this was mostly associated with the special challenges of him being blind, so it was understandable in his case, but it also became a habit with him that he never lost, like biting your nails. All I could do was try to keep him feeling safe, and by gently distracting him when I caught him doing it. Lily also did this once when friends were looking after her when I was away, and took their toddler in, who had a screaming fit while he was there. Poor Lil's tummy was completely bald when I got back, although in her case she never did it again (not least because I banned the toddler!)

To help Blackie most, do what you can to make his environment safer and calmer for him, ie address the cause, as well as the consequence, and you should find he settles down again. The Zylkene might also help.

[Jan]

My OH recently told me that when Blackie has come into the kitchen for food and I have to go outside to the garage to get another box, he miaows as if I'm not coming back. This isn't normal for him. Of course this is easily remedied - make sure I have an extra box in the cupboard.

The vet said there isn't much I can do about a yappy dog or another cat nearby. Her suggestion of putting flower pots by the back door so Blackie feels safe before he goes out are taken care of by the fact that Blackie can sit safely at the garden room door. This is always left ajar so he can sit and have a look/smell before he ventures outside and get back indoors quickly if he needs to. (Thank heavens for the sliding doors to the dining area otherwise OH and I would gone down with pneumonia by now ).

I did mention to the vet that I managed to shut Blackie in our garage for 3/4 hours a couple of weeks ago but she discounted this. I'm not so sure though. It was only by chance that on opening the front door to throw something away, I heard a very loud, wailing miaow coming from the side garage door. This is a cat who hates shut doors - let alone being left in a cold garage. My OH noticed a few days later that he'd vomited a little on a small mat in in the garage - presumably while he'd been shut in there. Poor little mite - I felt awful when I realised what I'd done to such an easily stressed cat.

[meriad]

Jan, I forget - you haven't cat proofed have you? could you?

Poor Blackie - and poor you. Watching a stressed cat and not knowing how to fix the problem is really horrid.

[Jan]

Jan, I forget - you haven't cat proofed have you? could you?

Poor Blackie - and poor you. Watching a stressed cat and not knowing how to fix the problem is really horrid.

No, we haven't cat proofed. I've thought about it from time to time but Blackie is a cat that loves to wander where he wants to wander and as he's done this for 13 years, I'm reluctant to block the access he knows so well. I may think again if the situation with his licking/biting doesn't lessen in a couple of weeks or so.

Blackie wasn't particularly stressed last night .... OH made a paper tunnel for him and we were in fits of laughter watching him destroy it and then roll around ripping the paper up. Today, he's completely ignored a new one OH made. Cats But we're collecting a proper cat tunnel tomorrow and investing in a few new toys for him.

[Jan]

We've now progressed to a small bald spot on one of his shoulders

The cat tunnel was a disaster .... for a start it was a lot bigger/longer than I thought it would be so I knew Blackie wouldn't take to it. He didn't - not even putting some of his favourite treats in it did the trick. He did eventually venture through one of the two holes in the top to get at the treats and then backed out of the tunnel. Whether size of the tunnel laying on the carpet stressed him and caused the increased scratching, I don't know. In any case, we've folded it up and put it away - not I think 'for another day'!

I keep a 'cat diary' as we've had a lot of problems with him over the past 3 years - usually scratching and/or licking. Interesting when I checked back in the diary to find that the scratching usually starts in February and continues on/off until the autumn so this could be some kind of seasonal allergy for which I don't think there's a cure.