Bubba needs a Lampshade

[SeaCat]

My one cat BubbaShay needs a Lampshade.

He has a problem. He licks himself until he removes his fur. From about halfway down his body he is bare of fur. It looks pathetic.

He doesn't have fleas and his skin looks good. No open wounds or dry spots. He just licks.

Unfortunately he does this to the point where he vomits.

Bubba being Bubba he herks it on the bed. He has done so on my head at night. He has done so on our pillows and he has done so on the bed itself.

It's getting to be a pain in the ass. I'm thnking a Lampshade around his neck will stop this. I'm thinking this lampshade in place for at least two weeks may break the cycle.

Any other ideas?

Cat

 

[Guest]

Shang had some good ideas on another thread -

I wish I had some suggestions that would help.

 

[jomar]

Dang. I was thinking tin foil and duct tape. But yeah, if you go to Pet Smart, or one of thise type stores, you should be able to get a plastic 'funnel' to put around the neck to prevent biting his/her body. I did that with my dog and he banged around some until he figured it out (he was a dumbass). Try it. But check with the vet for some type of 'lickum' syndrome - seriously. Could be some type of vitamin type of deficiency.

 

[jomar]

I just reread your post. How old is your pet? My dog is ancient and, um, runny, when he wasn't before. Sucks.

 

[Sapphire_O]

Some stores sell bad tasting, but harmless sprays you can put on you sofa to keep pets from chewing it. Maybe you could put some on its belly?

 

[3113]

My cat did that--not to the extreme that Bubba's doing it, but she was pretty bald on her tummy and knees. We didn't know what to do to stop her from licking herself raw...then, circumstances made us change her food. Circumstances being that my husband forgot to buy the high-priced food we get from the pet store, so we were out of food and the pet store was closed, so he went to an all-night animal hospital and bought food from them.

The transformation was astounding! The cat not only dove into this new food as if she was starving, not only put on muscle and weight (she was a skinny cat!) but stopped licking herself and started growing back all her fur...my Gawd! Her fur! It's come in longer and thicker than ever, luxuriant and this is her *summer* coat! I can't wait to see what happens for winter.

I'm now wondering if I can pawn off this food to humans for curing male pattern baldness....

I feel guilty now that we never tried to change her food. Clearly, *something* crucial was missing from her diet. Anyway, I don't know if it'll be practical for you Cat, but I say, buy Science Diet/Nature's Best cat food and feed it only to Bubba and see what happens:

http://www.petsmart.com/media/ps/images/products/detail/standard/i/inp0/inP032608_13ec7.jpg​

 

[cantdog]

There you have it, Sea Cat. The engineer's solution is not always the best approach. Listen to 3113!

 

[Vermilion]

Sometimes animals do this through stress - perhaps Bubba is frustrated because the rain is stopping him from going outside? Cats need space and freedom and can get very agitated when they feel trapped. It may well be the diet thing 3113 mentioned (could even be he needs some grass, also caused by the not going outside) but it might also be remedied temporarily by introducing new distractions inside? Cat toys and games? bits of string and feathers and catnip mice etc?

I don;t know if that will help stop the licking, it depends if it *is* stress or not, but try using a calendula or zinc cream (do you have Sudocrem in the States?) on his bare skin to stop it getting more sore or infected. Good Luck SeaCat, it's horrid watching your furry friends suffer.

x
V

 

[Chantilyvamp]

I was going to say maybe it had itchy skin or an allergy...

I'd go with a change of food like what was suggested before. Or a water pistol to stun them out of doing it. No I have not done that but a friend has.

 

[3113]

Listen to 3113!

Heh. Not me, Dude--my cat. Listen to the happy kitty and her ever more fluffy fur