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My dog licks my cat's fur, causing bald spots. How can I stop him?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed | Male | unneutered | 5 years and 5 months old | 29 lbs

My dog and my cat get along just fine. Lately I’ve noticed my cats fur has 2 small bald patches right behind her ears on her head where she can’t reach. I caught my dog a few times licking and pulling her fur. Any tips to get him to stop? Thank you

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Oneal Bogan, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on January 3rd, 2018

Hi there. This can be tricky - especially if Blaze now wants to lick her out of habit. You can try discouraging him each time he does it but spaying him with some water from a water bottle, or you can put a cone on your cat for a short period of time so he is unable to access the area. If he's just causing some mild hair loss but no skin infection, it may just be something you can leave alone as well. I hope that helps and thanks for using Pet Coach!

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    Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

    Veterinarian

    Published on June 25th, 2017

    Thank you for providing a picture of Bear's bald spot. From the picture, it looks a little irritated. It could be from an injury, ringworm, or a lick granuloma among other causes. Without seeing him in person, I can't say for certain what is causing this bald spot and I do recommend having him seen by a vet for it tomorrow. If he is licking at it, I would put an Ecollar on him tonight to stop him from doing that. I will put a link below on how to make one at home: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ffR-LzyW1M

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