Why is my cat excessively licking her fur and getting bald spots?

Question

My 11 year old black cat looks like she got a poodle cut. She has licked all her fur off that is reachable to her.. What fur is left & had before was shinny & beautiful.I have changed foods, litter, new blankets, new laundry detergent. Flea control. She is well behaved, happy cat. Only major issue is her teeth. She eats wet and dry food diet. She has two other cats with her they are almost always together. vet suggested Prozac. She isn't stressed or depressed. Help???

Andrea M. Brodie, DVM · Accepted Answer

Licking all her hair off is a sign of stress, even if your kitty does not appear stressed, This can be brought about by small things even, such as moving furniture around, a new baby or person in the house, a person moving out, changing cat litter, being mobbed by the other cats, or a neighboring cat looking through the ground floor window. Try getting some Feliway dispensers for a few months. These emit a pheromone that mimics the feline facial pheromone....a natural cat prozac, so to speak. I have seen this work in many stressed cats who were licking themselves excessively until they were bald. It may take a week or two for the licking to taper off and a few weeks for the hair to regrow. Also try to figure out if there are any of the stress factors I mentioned and eliminate them, if possible. Please also have her teeth problems taken care of, as pain is also a stress factor.

Why is my cat excessively licking her fur and getting bald spots?

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