Is your dog's unusual barking a secret code for something mysterious?

[Ziggy]

Hello all,

I wonder if someone might have experience of this, and might be able to suggest a solution. Well over a year ago, one of my cats had a slight leg injury, nothing serious, just a scratch that tore her skin a little bit on her thigh. She has been over grooming the area ever since, and it's getting worse. She looks nearly bald all over that area now, and the area is getting bigger. She has been to the vet, ages ago, and was given something to reduce inflammation (as she had actually damaged the skin by over grooming) and stop any infection, but she seems unable to stop the over grooming process. The vet seems at a loss about what to do. Is there anything that we could apply to her leg, to stop her licking it? We have treated her with zylkene and zap diffusers, trying to get her to relax, as she can be a rather stressed out cat, and she has areas of the house she lives in, that no other pet has access too (talk about special treatment!!), but nothing seems to work... I'd really like to find some kind of spray or other thing that could just break this cycle...

Any advice most appreciated...

Thanks,

[bluekarin]

I'll be keen to hear anything on this matter too. Our Gizmo has a very over cleaned patch on her back, about 2 inches about the base of her tail. It started to get better towards the end of last year, but she has started doing it again. She is also a nervous cat, jumps at the slightest noise. I was thinking of putting some pet tea tree cream on it, but I think she may clean even more, just to get rid of it.

[Chucky Mama]

This is not an uncommon problem. If you have had no success with a Feliway diffuser which usually helps, try a Pet Remedy Diffuser. It diffuses calming essential oils rather than pheromones and there have been very good results with cats that over groom. There are protective shirts that can be fitted but it sounds like they wouldn't cover the area that your cat is bothering. There are also various bitter tasting sprays but they don't always work in cats. There is a soothing bitter tasting cream called Skin Veda which can help if the area is raw. As a last resort to break the cycle and to give the coat chance to grow back you could fit your cat with a buster collar or similar

 

[Ziggy]

Thank you for this! i have ordered some of that pet remedy diffuser, it seems worth a try. The feliway didnt make a difference but I'm happy to try the pet remedy as its a different thing. We'd like to avoid a buster collar as she had one before when her skin was damaged and it really stressed her out, so I'd prefer to find some way that doesnt add to the stress. I'll try the bitter spray if the pet remedy doesnt help...

Thanks for the suggestion