Help my cat!

I adopted my cat, Max, about 2 years ago from a  shelter along with his sister. We already had a cat before that as well. Ever since we brought him home, he has not been happy. He is very nervous, and jumpy, and meows constantly. He is really close with his sister, they sleep together, and groom each other... His sister is fine, she is snuggly, playful etc. We have taken him to the vet, and they can't find anything medically wrong with him. We have just kind of learned to accept it.

The problem is, he has started licking himself so much, he has bald spots everywhere and has broken the skin. I feel so awful for him. We have tried everything to ease him, but nothing works. You can tell he is just so stressed out. We have a very calm house, either me or my husband is usually always home, we don't have children or anything. I just don't know what to do for him. It breaks my heart.

Does anyone have any suggestions??

Poor baby. My kitty also plucks out her fur and chews her skin when she gets anxious (which is a lot of the time). It's heartbreaking. :(

Just like people, kitties sometimes have psychological issues. Unfortunately, you can't diagnose a cat with generalized anxiety disorder by sitting down and talking to him, and you can't give him medication for his problems.

What helps my cat is catnip. When she's obviously uncomfortable or hyper I will try and play with her and use up her energy, but when she's not responsive to playing, I give her some catnip to roll in and she calms right down.

It sounds like you are already doing quite a lot to keep him happy, and that's really observant and caring of you. He's lucky to have such a great family!!

Just saw the photos in your gallery. Wow, he's beautiful (and so is his sister)! My cats are orange tabbies (the faded kind like him) and tortoiseshells like his sister! What a coincidence <3

Thank you! I will try catnip. I just feel so awful for him :(  I wish there was kitty prozac or something.

I was going to suggest catnip also. It has sedative properties for kitties. :) Might help calm him down! Poor kitty. You sound like an awesome mom. :)

I don't know much about cats, but my dog used to do the same thing.  He has scars from it.  I still don't know if it was nerves (yes, he is a bit nervous) or allergies.  The vet suggested Benadryl for him, and it did seem to help, as well as trying to redirect the chewing, but it might have just been the sedative properties of the benadryl. (Too bad I didn't know of a catnip for dogs ).

Have you tried some sort of antihistamine?  Poor kitty.  Good luck!

Have you tried changing your cat food to something with no wheat in it?

I have an allergic dog and changing the food type really help a lot.  She was doing the same thing.

Original Post by yummy_kitty:

Just like people, kitties sometimes have psychological issues. Unfortunately, you can't diagnose a cat with generalized anxiety disorder by sitting down and talking to him, and you can't give him medication for his problems.

Not necessarily - my cat was on buspirone, a human anti-anxiety drug, for over a year (related to a litterbox failure issue). I did have to take my cat to a vet school to be seen by a behavioral specialist, and we did first have to rule out any health issues, but the medication, along with (for lack of a better phrase) behavior modification training finally did the trick. It wouldn't be my first resort, but it *was* my last resort, and it worked. Not cheap, not easy or convenient, but effective.

That said, have you tried hypoallergenic diets? Lots of cats can develop allergies to really common food ingredients, so just switching food brands might not help. Again, ask your vet - the ones I know about (Science Diet z/d and Royal Canin HP) are prescription only, but they can be really effective.

Also ask your vet about cortisone shots - if it's an insect allergy or allergy to some pollen, the injection should provide a little relief. If it does, they can be repeated monthly. This, too, can be expensive, and the cortisone comes with some potentially serious side effects, but it's one more thing to try.

Good luck to you and your cat.