My cat is licking her tail and rear end. Is she in pain or itchy?
Updated On September 23rd, 2025
My cat keeps licking her tail end . Really digging in .also wines when I touch her back end ..towards her bottom arear . And back legs
4 Answers
Most Helpful Answer
Published on January 17th, 2015
Excessive grooming of the rear may indicate fleas or worms. The area she's paying attention to is classic for flea allergy. The most common worms are tapeworms, which your pet gets by grooming and ingesting a flea carrying the tapeworm eggs. A broad spectrum dewormer can be gotten from your vet as well as a topical or oral flea control such as Cheristin or Comfortis. You might also consider asking your vet for a dose of Capstar. It helps get the problem under control by killing the fleas on the cat starting in five minutes but only lasts for 24 hours. You also need to treat your home environment. If you use a pest control service, tell them you are having a flea problem and they can adjust their treatment. Use a premise spray that also contains an IGR, insect growth regulator. This will keep eggs and larvae from maturing into adults and helps break the life cycle. Also, vacuum EVERY DAY, throwing out the bag or emptying the canister every time into an outside receptacle and spraying the contents with insecticide to kill the fleas you’ve vacuumed up. Treat your yard as well, since fleas are opportunistic and will hop a ride into your home on your pant leg without you knowing it. Concentrate on areas under bushes, in the shade. Fleas are less likely to be located in open sunny areas where it gets hot. You might want to consider boarding your cat for the day at your vet, to give you the opportunity to flea bomb your house without having to worry about your cat. They can bathe your cat and give a dose of Capstar while you take care of the problem at home. Be patient, you may have to repeat these steps multiple times 10-14 days apart to help break the flea life cycle.
14Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Related Answers from Veterinarians
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Published on December 26th, 2020
I see what you mean, poor Kitty! I'm wondering if she is up to date on her flea treatments, as fleas can cause this. If not, I can give you one for her. First, I would give her Capstar. It's a one time pill that starts killing fleas within 30. minutes. Then follow up with a spot on treatment, such as Advantage or Revolution. This is a treatment that has to be used once a month. You will also have to disinfect the environment. Wash her bedding in hot soapy water, and vacuum the furniture and carpet surfaces. You can use a spray to kill fleas in the house, such as Indorex, or a flea bomb would work well to kill the fleas in the home. If she is up to date on her flea treatments, then this may be a bacterial or fungal skin infection. In that case, I'd have her seen by a vet to have this diagnosed and treated. Give her vet a call in the morning to make her an appointment. Best of luck.
5Pet Parents found this answer helpful
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Published on December 2nd, 2016
Please do not bathe your cat in Dawn dish soap. it is likely that she reacts to it with itching. If you have not done so yet, make sure you do flea prevention. Cleaning excessively can have several reasons 1) the soap in her coat, 2) fleas 3) allergies and 4)a fungal infection and 5) stress. You should take your kitty to a vet to find out the cause. If it is the soap , washing it out with just water will help. Flea medication will take care of the fleas. If it is allergies, she will need to be fed hypo-allergenic food and if it is a fungal infection she will need to be treated with a fungicide. If it is stress, then stress needs to be reduced. Feliway spray or diffusers will also help cats get unstressed. Her wounds should be checked by the vet as well. She may need antibiotics.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
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Published on February 13th, 2018
Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Without seeing Cali it is hard to say for sure what is going on but it looks like she may have an allergy to fleas. If so, she needs a flea prevention product which needs to be used every 30 days for 3 months in a row. If you have other pets in the home, they also need to be treated- they may not be scratching because they are not allergic to the flea like Cali. If it is a flea allergy, a vet needs to treat her for the itchiness as there is no over the counter medication that will help with that. If you tell your parents she may have fleas, they may be more apt to help you. You should also look for a product to treat the fleas in the home. I like Knockout Spray. Use the spray on the furniture and floors and vacuum well. Be sure to throw out the bag (or clean the canister is bag less) because fleas can live inside. Good luck and kisses to Cali!
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
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