Why is my indoor cat licking her back and tail excessively? No fleas!

Question

Mink is licking at her hair by her backside, up around her lower back (about 2 inches up) and on part of her tail, haven't seen any fleas on her, she is an inside cat only! What could be causing this? This is the second time doing this after the 1st time her hair grew back, then about a month and a half later she did it again, could it be stress? What do I do? There is no irritation. Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Female | unspayed | 2 years and 2 months old | 7 lbs

Ricardo Fernandez, DVM · Accepted Answer

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is likely due to allergies. It may be due to flea allergies though other types of allergies should also be considered. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing her allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. There are many things that can cause allergies though in most cases they can be broken down into 3 big categories: flea, food and environmental allergies. Allergies are usually worked up in a stepwise fashion starting with flea allergies as this is the easiest and cheapest to take care of. If not on a flea preventative, then it would be a good idea to get started on one. If already on one then it would be a good idea to change to something else (there are many new products out in the market). If not improved in 1-3 months then it is time to move on and check for food allergies by switching to a novel diet (new protein and new carbohydrate). If that does not seem to be the issue then you are left out having to check for environmental allergies which require blood and/or skin tests. Allergies can be very frustrating to deal with at first but so rewarding at the end when we are able to treat them effectively!

Why is my indoor cat licking her back and tail excessively? No fleas!

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