cat help

[simba928]

Ok, so I know a lot of you have cats and I was just wondering what you would do and if you agree with me.
I have a almost 11 year old tabby cat named Sassy. I have had her since she was a little kitten and she has always been an extremely well behaved cat. She did have a few problems concerning "doing her business" around the house, but that was easily corrected by getting her spayed (that was only a few years ago). We have let her have free roam of the house for a while (we used to put her in a room when we were gone). Just recently (this summer) we started letting my dog have free roam of the house while we were gone, too. But lately, Sassy has been licking herself, especially her lower stomach ALOT. She is bald on probably about the lower third of her stomach as well as a strip on the inside of each leg. She hasn't been acting differently or anything, just the licking. My question is, why do you think she is doing this? I think it might be boredom, but I kind of wanted a second opinion. If you also think its boredom, what do you suggest I get her? The only thing I know she likes to play with is string, but only when I am playing with her. She used to like cat nip, but I don't know if she still does and I know for a fact that my dog loves to steal anything that I give to Sassy.
Sorry this is so long. Sassy and I both thank you much.

 

[mickeyboat]

I'm not a cat expert by any means, but I remember reading on another recent thread that a DIS'er has a cat with a history of UTI's, and that one sign that one is coming on is excessive licking. You might want to give your vet a call. Good luck.

Denae

 

[MNSusan]

I'd definitely get her to the vet. Any unusual behavior like excessive licking or inappropriate urination could have a foundation in disease.

I don't think cats get easily bored. They sleep too much!

 

[LoveWDW]

We had a cat with a naked tummy and legs and it turned out it was flea allergy. We used one of those drop on flea meds and withing a month or so the cat had a full tummy of fur, we didn't even realize she could grow fur on her tummy. Your cat's could be urinary tract infection, instead. In this case she needs a vet's care right away because that is very painful. If you notice running around searching for places to wet, and squatting to wet all over the place, it is likely urinary infection. But the symptoms remind me of our cat's flea allergy.

 

[chrissyk]

I'm not a cat expert by any means, but I remember reading on another recent thread that a DIS'er has a cat with a history of UTI's, and that one sign that one is coming on is excessive licking. You might want to give your vet a call. Good luck.

Denae

I'm the person with the cat with the UTI. He probably infected himself by licking, but he was licking his boy parts repetitively to relieve the feeling of a urinary blockage. We think that that's how he ended up with the UTI that he has right now. He never licked the fur off of any body part that I know of, though.

I think that repetitive licking can be a sign of stress. My sister's dog does it whenever my sister goes away (even though she stays with my parents who she loves ) She licks until she gives herself a "hot spot". My sister's vet thinks that it's purely a stress reaction, so she puts an Elizabethan collar on her until the hot spot heals up. Maybe the cat is stressed out by the dog? That would be my guess. Can you give her her own space where the dog can't come and steal her toys and such?

 

[Rajah]

Go to the vet and rule out any physical illness.

Then we'll discuss possibilities for why else she's licking.