Why is my cat excessively licking and chewing her fur until it's sore?

Question

for the past 4 months my cat has been licking and chewing at herself around her back thighs, tail, and legs, until the fur is gone and there is a sore. she doesn’t have fleas, i put her on grain free salmon food, i changed her litter to a hypoallergenic one, and she has a cone on now to prevent her from chewing. why is she chewing at herself so much? it seems very compulsive. Pet's info: Cat | Domestic Shorthair | Female | spayed | 1 year and 1 month old | 5 lbs

Rodrigo Roca, DVM · Accepted Answer

Hello, sorry to hear about Willa. It sounds like she is indeed having some form of allergic reaction. This could vary from flea allergy dermatitis (you typically don't see fleas with this disease), food allergies, or environmental allergies. Steps for these cases involve having your cat on flea control year round, being on a novel protein diet as a food trial for at least 6 weeks (sounds like you're on one already), and starting allergy medications. In cats, this usually means having an injection of steroids and starting Atopica to control the intense itchiness. Rarely, this can be associated to stress and anxiety but this is typically considered after adequate treatment for allergies has been attempted. If she doest respond to this treatment, then it can be explored if Willa could require anti-anxiety medications. Have Willa evaluated by her veterinarian to obtain allergy medications. Hope this helps and best of luck.

Why is my cat excessively licking and chewing her fur until it's sore?

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