Why is my cat licking his back and getting bald spots? Is it dry skin?
Updated On September 23rd, 2025
Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Male | neutered | 12 years and 9 months old
My cat has taken to licking violently neat every time we pet his haunchs and lower back. We can hold the area and he has no pain but if we pet him he whips around and licks. He does this so hard he knocked himself over. He licked 2 bald spots on his back near the tail one is growing back but a new one appeared today. The skin looks normal though. We have super dry air in our area could this be causing it?
2 Answers
Most Helpful Answer
Published on December 29th, 2018
Hello. It sounds like your kitty has hyperesthesia syndrome where he just overacts to any stimulation to his skin. It may be allergy derived & your veterinarian may be able to recommend some treatments & therapies to calm the reaction. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Related Answers from Veterinarians
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Published on January 30th, 2019
Hello. Max may have allergies or may be developing a situation called hyperesthesia syndrome. I would definitely put the collar back on & then talk to your vet about seeing why this is happening. If it is allergies, your vet may recommend trying a long acting steroid to see if this brings him any relief. You may also want to try him on a sensitive skin/sensitive stomach diet like one made by Hill's. If your vet thinks this may be some type of food allergy, using a hydrolyzed protein diet is better than using some of the limited ingredient ones. Hopefully, Max will get some relief soon. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Health & Wellbeing
My cat is licking himself so bad he is going bald and have raw spots on his stomach back of his legs his sides I have tried benedryl he has on flea meds no signs of fleas
Thanks for using Boop by Petco! This is likely due to allergies. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing his 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. Allergi
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Training & Behavior
My cat, Max is about 4 years old. I have noticed bald spots on his back near his tail. I will also notice him licking and bitting the bald spots. He has licked it raw and to the point that if I touch it he will turn around and bite me. This happened
Hello. Max may have allergies or may be developing a situation called hyperesthesia syndrome. I would definitely put the collar back on & then talk to your vet about seeing why this is happening. If it is allergies, your vet may recommend trying a long acting steroid to see if this brings him any relief. You may also want to try him on a sensitive skin/sensitive stomach diet like one made by Hill's. If your vet thinks this may be some type of food allergy, using a hydrolyzed protein diet is better than using some of the limited ingredient ones. Hopefully, Max will get some relief soon. Thanks for using Boop by Petco.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Training & Behavior
Hello! I'm concerned about my cat Mia. She is about 9 years old and she has been constantly licking herself and it's causing scabs along her back by her tail. She also constantly licks other areas but I haven't found any scabs there. I tried using V
Thanks for using Boop by Petco! This is possibly due to allergies. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing her allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. A secondary infection is likely and also needs to be addressed. 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 envir
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My baby boy Brant is a Healthy 8 yr/old Russian Blue. He's energetic, playful and above all he's cuddly. He also one of the sweetest cats. Lately he's been constantly licking the lower half of his body. It's been about 5 months of him licking himself
The most common reasons for licking could include allergies to fleas, allergies to something in the environment, stress, food allergy or endocrine disease. Each one of these problems is detected and addressed differently and I recommend to discuss with your veterinarian which one to start hunting down first. Parasites are often ruled out with an oral medication like Comfortis. Food allergy is best ruled out with a diet trial using a hydrolyzed protein. Endocrine diseases are detected with blood work. Environmental allergies are a little more difficult to detect but a response to therapy or a blood test can give an indication. Once you figure out and address the underlying cause, the lesions should not come back. Stress is a little harder to diagnose. This link may help: https://www.petcoach.co/article/excessive-grooming-in-cats-what-it-means-and-how-to-help/ There are a couple things you can do at home and they can help but they may not address the underlying cause. You can try adding
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
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
Thanks for using Boop by Petco! 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
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
my 6 year old male cat won’t stop licking his fur off his tail and lower back. my vet said it may be an allergy and gave him steroids that causes bladder stones and needed a surgery, they gave him ultrasounds every week until the stones and grit were
Hello and thank you for contacting Boop by Petco. If the anti-allergic medications were not effective, maybe it is not an allergy. Some cats overgroom, for example because of stress, skin parasites, overactive thyroid gland, adrenal gland problems and more. I would suggest using Feliway diffuser (available over-the-counter) at home for a few weeks. That should help if the problem is stress-related. If there is no improvement to that treatment, you should ask your vet to do blood and skin testing to find out what is causing the excessive grooming.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
Hello I think my cat snoopy has anxiety but I am unsure he has a lot of bald spots due to biting scratching and licking himself way more than he should he also has many sores from it please help!
Hi thank you for using Boop by Petco. Excessive grooming can certainly be due to behavioral causes but it could also be due to primary allergic or skin disease. Ideally I would recommend a veterinary work up to in sure there's not a medical condition for his licking and grooming. Allergies, parasites and even some immune system disorders can cause itchiness and sores on the skin. If it does appear to be behavioral the vet can also diet you as far as possibly using anti-anxiety medications to help snoopy. When anxiety treatment you can do at home is he using Feliway pheromone products. These can help reduce stress and anxiety in cats. https://www.feliway.com/uk/Cat-behaviour/Is-your-Cat-over-grooming And there are anxiety or behavioral medications that can be used short term for potential he chronically if needed to help snoopy stop his over grooming. I hope this helps, thank you for using Boop by Petco.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My cat has a rash on his stomach and won’t stop licking it . He has no hair around it.. he has maybe had this for a couple of days
Hi and thanks for using Boop by Petco! Sorry to hear about Oreo. Looks like he is definitely over grooming this area. There are many causes including something that caused an itch sensation (external parasite bite from fleas, ticks, mites, etc), bacterial infection, allergies, stress or psychogenic cause, or something called Eosinophilic Granuloma Complex. I would advise taking Oreo to your veterinarian. Once pets start licking/scratching a certain spot, the surface of the skin gets compromised and bacteria living on the surface of the skin can cause a skin infection. This just increases and encourages the itch cycle to continue until it is treated. Your vet can get a history, perform a physical examination, and then advise a diagnostic/treatment plan. Oreo may just need some good flea/tick control, some antibiotics, some anti-inflammatory medicine (steroid), and an Elizabethan Collar to prevent licking until the area heals. Also, if stress is involved, that can be addressed a
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My cat is licking all his fur off. He doesn't have fleas or mites, I have no idea why he's doing this. It's not ringworm, there are no scabs or redness, he's literally just licking it all off. What should I do?
Thanks for using Boop by Petco! This is possibly due to allergies. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing his allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. A secondary infection is likely and also needs to be addressed. 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 envir
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
Whenever I touch my cats lower back he turns around quickly and starts licking the air, when I touch him on a certain part of his lower back he starts to cry and gets into like a catatonic state for no longer then 5 seconds while licking the air. He
Thanks for using Boop by Petco! It sounds like Domino is very itchy there and he licks when you scratch him there because you are helping him. That area is typical for flea bites and pets that are allergic to fleas will react and lick off fur. Even if you can’t see a live flea, it doesn’t mean they aren’t there. I would take Domino to the vet on Tuesday for an exam and treatment for the allergic reaction. They can prescribe a flea prevention that works as products over the counter don’t. Good luck and kisses to Domino!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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