Sterling is pulling out his fur!

Help! My persian, Sterling, is excessively grooming and is pulling out his fur. He has his winter coat, and it has been pretty warm lately, so it might be partially because he's shedding. But I also noticed he did it when I was gone to Houston when it was colder, and then yesterday morning, after I had kicked him out of my room and closed the door (he and Smoke would NOT let me sleep), I came out and he had a HUGE bald patch on his neck, and clumps of fur were everywhere! He didn't have the bald patch on Friday night when I went to bed. So I'm thinking it's part emotional, but am not sure.

I groomed him twice yesterday, and he even let me cut off some clumps that were hanging. (He usually doesn't let me get near him with scissors, and an electric trimmer, you can forget it). Any suggestions on what I should do? I mean, he pulled out hair clear down to the skin. It doesn't seem to have hurt him, though, as he will let me touch him there.

It turned out to be allergies.

I haven't changed anything in the house or his food or anything. What allergies did your cat have?

However, there were no other indications that she had fleas (like constant itching). Go figure..

of a sort of OCD behavior that is relieved by kitty prozac. Check with a trusted vet.

Also..if this is only in the one spot, see if there is something inbedded there that might be irritating him.

PLEASE keep us updated.

On edit..try some Rescue Remedy for temporary relief in case it is emotional.

Turns out she was allergic to commercial cat food. It's got a lot of junk in it, so we're not sure exactly what the problem was. One vet thought she was stressed out. But all her fur has grown back now that we switched her food.

And it's wet, like it's pus-y (is that a word?). I'm going to call the vet tomorrow and take him in. I hope it's not something contagious, because I have very sensitive skin and get every skin infection known to man.

if there's a Persian breeders group online, you might check with them to see if this is something that shows up in the breed. The Persian coat is unique, so it may come with some unique seasonal problems as well (just a guess). It may be allergies, or there may be some emotional issues going on...let us know what the vet has to say. :hug:

One of our Abys pulled all her fur out on her tummy but had no sores. The other one pulled it out in patches and licked it raw. At one time, the patches were as big as a quarter. It was a food allergy in both cases. The vet was clueless and kept putting them on different prescription diets because of "protein allergy." They went through this for months, almost a year. We had been going to this vet for 10 years, so it's not like she didn't know our pets. The poor kitties also had diarrhea, which was also caused by the food. A new vet diagnosed the problem on the first try, changed their diet, and they now have beautiful skin and fur. It wasn't a protein allergy at all -- it was allergy to all the stuff they put in pet food.

one of your other cats, he could have gotten a puncture wound. Does it look swollen and "hot". You should let the vet look at it.

He's 10 and the other cat is 14. They are both declawed in the front, so even if they did fight, an abcess would be unlikely.

Please, no yelling at me about them being declawed. Sterling came to me that way, and 14 years ago, I didn't know how bad it was, when Smoke got declawed.

I got her from the Humane Society. In fact, the job had been botched and my vet had to remove the tips of some of her toes to prevent the infection from spreading. I think her owners surrendered her to the shelter because she was biting. It was probably because her paws were painful. THey must not have groomed her at all because the fur on her tummy was all matted (it looked like a matress) and she had to be shaved. My vet was appalled and so were my husband and I. She lived to be 20+ and was one of the sweetest kitties I've ever know.

I'm wondering if your Sterling might have been bitten by a spider. They can also cause abcesses.

edited for spelling

First, make sure you are using a GOOD monthly flea control product. I think you are in TX, right? Major flea problems year round! Use Advantage or Frontline, and use them monthly.

Ok, now that we have made sure that fleas CANNOT be the problem, by controlling them, let's move on to other likely suspects: allergies. It might be a seasonal pollen allergy, and if you saw it last year same time then maybe that's it. Judicious use of short-term steroids (prednisolone) is indicated. Can't do much about pollen in the air (HEPA air filters do help).

Food allergy is an EXTREMELY common cause of skin problems in the cat, and fish is the major allergen of concern. Make absolutely certain your cat is not consuming ANY FISH. PERIOD. Check the ingredients lists of every morsel of anything that passes his lips. NO FISH. NO FISH. NO FISH. NO FISH. etc.

I own a cat that is highly allergic to fish, so I know all about this problem. Some dry foods that do not have fish are: Science Diet(any of the dry foods that do not specifically say fish flavor), Max Cat (ditto), and last I checked Costco's Kirkland Signature was also a good option. Canned food is not usually needed in cats, but again Science Diet and Max Cat have nice turkey and chicken flavor foods that have NO FISH (avoid their special tiny cans with the pieces in gravy - some of them have fish). Remember - READ THE INGREDIENTS LIST. If this is the problem, the itchiness improves pretty rapidly once fish is stopped, but any skin sores can linger for a couple of months and again may need judicious use of prednisolone.

Could be ringworm (fungal infection) too, so be sure to have kitty TESTED for this - fungal culture is definitive - Wood's lamp exam has a high rate of false positive and false negative, so it is pretty much useless.

Good luck!

No flea problems up here at 8500 feet elevation in winter.

I didn't know that about the fish allergens, though, and I have been feeding him fish-type cat food. I'll stop doing that.

I'm taking him to the vet this afternoon, and will let you know what he says. Thanks for all your advice!

lol.

I went to vet school in CO and at 5000 ft it was a MAJOR cause for excitement when we actually had a patient come into clinics with Flea Allergy Dermatitis. The dog had previously lived in the Midwest and got sensitized there, then a guest brough a dog with fleas into the home and the poor dog got bitten. He was a mess. I actually got to see a single flea on him, and they called everybody in Small Animal Medicine rotation down to see the case!

"Look close everybody - THIS IS WHAT A FLEA LOOKS LIKE!!!!!"

I lived in Texas and Florida before moving here. Had more than my share of fleas in the summer when I had my dog. My other cat, Smoke, is highly allergic to fleas. When he was about 5 years old, he got fleas and all his hair fell out from the waist back. Thankfully he hasn't had any problems with fleas since then, even when the dog had fleas in Florida. I was religious about using Advantage and Frontline on them. The dog had a high tolerance to any flea medication though, he got fleas no matter what.

Well, his undercoat was really matted. How in the heck did that happen? I brush him every freakin' day. Guess the brush I had was not getting down far enough. They gave him a lion cut, and gave me antibiotics to give him for the spot on his neck. The vet said it looked like a bacterial infection. Didn't have the fungal test done, am going to try the antibiotics first. Just getting him shaved, updated shots, vet office visit, antibiotics and ointment cost me $250. Ouch. But at least he feels better now.

Not like this, I hope:

Well, he LOOKS like that. It's so damned funny. But I am trying hard not to laugh. He hid for about 30 minutes when we got home, but now is fine and wanting to be petted. I think he actually likes being petted without all that fur on his back. It does look funny as hell, though. I am going to take photos and post them later.