Excessive Grooming, Licking, Losing Fur

These Q & A's are all about excessive grooming. These cats are licking and grooming themselves excessively, and losing fur or pulling it out.

Read through our archived questions and answers related to excessive grooming, licking, and losing fur. Just scroll down to read more. If you don't see an answer to your question, you can ask it here.

• "Maine Coon Thinning Tail"

• "Losing Hair On His Tail"

• "My 10yr Old Male is Losing Hair by his Tail"

• "Over licking, thus losing hair and bad dry skin"

• "Constant Licking"

• "Licking"

• "Why Does My Maine Coon....."

Maine Coon Thinning Tail

by: Cheryl White in Newcastle, Blyth, Northumberland, United kingdom

Maine Coon has suddenly lost a lot of weight and her tail has lost its bushyness, it's extremely thin.

Her name is Tora, she is 14years old.

I am worried because although she is eating a lot more (Always hungry), she has lost so much weight on her back region and her bushy tail is so thin, completely different from what it originally was.

She is lethargic though that might be down to her senior years.

She has never drank much water, so no change there.

She is a indoor cat, no parasites are visible in her feces, not anywhere on her body.She is regularly treated for fleas.

The reason I am concerned about Tora is this change in her lower back region and her loss of her tail appearance happened within 3months.!!

Her stomach area remains the same size, it's her back area is extremely thin now.

Comments:

What we experienced
by: Jim P.

Our 4-year old male Maine Coon experienced something similar. His tail didn't thin out but his hind-quarters lost their girth and he went from 18 pounds down to 12 pounds and his spine was protruding.

Our vet said that he was overweight and that it was healthy weight loss because we had changed his diet but I insisted on an x-ray and blood work-up.

Turns out he is diabetic which is very unusual for a cat that young, but we got him on insulin injections twice a day as well as a cat food formulated for diabetic cats and his hindquarters have filled out again, I can no longer feel his spine and his weight is up to 20 pounds. Just an idea.

Maine Coon loosing weight
by: Gary

My Maine Coon is 15 1/2 years old and is experiencing the same symptoms, My cat has hyperthyroidism. I’ve been treating it for 3 years now. Have your cats thyroid checked.

Responding to question, "Has Tora been tested for cancer?"
by: Cheryl White

No, Tora has not been tested for cancer, but I have a dreadful feeling that it is cancer related.

I will contact the vets next week.

Cancer
by: Kim Harloff

Have you had your cat screened for cancer?

Losing Hair On His Tail

by: Marie in Botswana

Hi,
I noticed today that my lovely 6 year old Maine Coon (9kg) male with the most gorgeous fluffy tail had almost no hair on the mid tail area, all thinned out. Is he sick or could this be another problem? I am very concerned.

Reply:
Hi Marie,

It could be a few things. Shedding, at certain times of the year can cause thinning in some areas, as well as over-grooming.

If his tail had tangles, maybe he worked on them a bit too hard.

Also, male cats can get a very interesting condition called "Stud Tail." It's caused by an overactive glad at the base of the tail, and it results in greasy fur there. That, combined with the resulting tangles and grooming has caused Leo's tail to thin a bit.

As for a medical condition, I would recommend you give your vet a call. They should be able to tell you over the phone whether you have anything to be very worried about, or if it's a reason to be seen.

All The Best,
~Carrie

My 10yr Old Male is Losing Hair by his Tail

by: Erin in New England

I have a beautiful male Maine Coon cat. When he was 8 he had diabetes, however after a few months of insulin and dieting his tests came back negative.

This weekend I was bushing his fur, it's very long, and by his tail were bald spots and a lot of dandruff.

His fur is so long it hides most of the spots, they aren't red either. I made a vet appointment but I'm really worried.

Does this sound like an allergy or maybe his diabetes returning?
Thank You

Reply:
Hi Erin,

I can tell that you are concerned. Unfortunately, this is a medical question and outside my experience. Feline diabetes is a subject I have not yet researched. At this point in time, the only thing I can say is that your vet should have your answers.

I know that the waiting is the hardest part. I can say that it could be nothing. Sometimes cats lose fur on spots for no apparent reason. Over-grooming, shedding, even reaction to medications such as flea treatments can cause a temporary loss of fur.

I hope things turn out just fine for your boy,
~Carrie

Over licking, thus losing hair and bad dry skin

by: Jim Benson in Portland

Our Maine Coon cat came to me from a friend who could no longer keep him. He originally came from the humane society who said the previous owners, for some reason had him declawed (front paws only) and then no longer could take care of him do to complicated diet.

So, he is about 8 years old and has been in my care for around 4 years with no diet or health problems that we can see what so ever. He does go outside, something he really likes doing, but generally stays in the back yard.

Three months ago, (August) do to unusually weather conditions fleas became extremely over populated, and I wasn't as quick as usually in getting the problem under control.

About the only thing that works well for fleas is Advantage or Frontline drops on the back of the neck. So, the fleas are gone, but he licked himself so much that he's lost quite a bit of hair on parts of his body, and has scabbed over areas.

Seems to be quit dry. I've added salmon oil to his diet but does not seem to help. Any suggestions. I believe if we could get him to stop licking, then he might have a chance to heal and then not have the dry scab spots and thus not feel the need to lick so much.

We have two other cats, not Maine Cats, just strays that came by long ago, one is about 10 years old, and the other is 15. they also came down with lots of fleas in August, but have recovered from it and both have great skin and fur.

I suppose we could try using those collars, but wondered if there was some medicine that would help stop the cat from itching thus stop licking so much.

Thanks

Licking

by: Robbie in Minneapolis

We have two Maine Coon cats (at least partial MCs). One has licked his lower belly and inner back legs to the skin, leaving little to no hair.

The other MC also has less hair than normal on his lower belly. The first cat is currently on Prozac (vet prescribed) to help cure the issue, but the results are still not good.

Is it normal for MCs to lick themselves nearly bald on the undersides?
Thanks.

Reply:

Hi Robbie,
No, it's not normal and it's not a Maine Coon trait. But I've heard of it happening. It sounds like your vet is doing what he can.

If you're not sure about the treatment, you could go for a second opinion.

And if any other Maine Coon owners have dealt with excessive grooming, I hope they will leave you a comment, too.

All The Best,
~Carrie

Comments:

My MC was allergic to his food.
by: Jamilah Haneef
Hi Robbie,
My MC was like that for years. I thought he was depressed because he had to tolerate my other very dominant DLH, my vet even advised me to find new home for my DLH.

I have changed to various types of commercial kibbles available, thought he was allergic to fleas (although he had none) finally I took the plunge converting my cats to raw diet.

It works like a charm... I don't know which component of the commercial diet he is allergic to. He was nearly bald, no outer coat, sometimes he licks himself raw, and even though he is a stripe tabby, I cant see his stripes anymore.

Now, after a few months his stripes are back. I am so happy after so many years wondering where did I go wrong. Hope this helps...

Prescription Diet Food
by: Helen
Your vet probably carries Prescription Diet foods. I would ask him to let you try the Allergy Diet.

It only takes one flea bite to set off the cascade of severe itching in some cats. I use Comfortis on my cats monthly even if I don't see a flea. Fleas are good hickhikers and can come in on your pant leg. If you have wild life of any kind in your area they are the reservoir of flea reproduction.

Why Does My Maine Coon...

by: Patricia in Worcester, MA

Constantly lick herself and seems to be scratching herself as if itching.

I purchased a kit for itching on Foster & Smith catalog (she is diabetic) by the way.

Reply:

Hi Patricia,
There are a number of reasons a cat would behave as if they are itching, and/or start over-grooming. Some possibilities include:

• Food allergy
• Skin Allergy
• Parasites
• Behavioral or psychological
• Infection
• Auto-Immune Disease

A number of uncommon conditions can cause "itchy" behavior.

Symptoms of these possible underlying conditions are as wide, and your best bet would be to contact your vet with a detailed description of the behavior, how long it's been going on, and any other symptoms.

I have not heard of itching being a symptom of feline diabetes, but that doesn't mean it isn't! I would check with the vet to ask of there could be a link.

If so, a remedy like the one you purchased could help ease her symptoms. Has it arrived, and is it helping?

One of the most common reasons for cat skin irritation is a food allergy. You may want to take a look at the ingredients in her food.

Cats with an ingredient intolerance often improve with grain-free, "limited ingredient" or hypoallergenic cat food. And that opens up a whole new subject!

I hope this helps,

All The Best,
Carrie

Comments:

Re: Licking Himself
by: Cliff
My Maine Coone did this till he was raw. I was told he had allergies and spent a small fortune. All he needed was cat grass, since then he is fine. Hope it all works out for your baby, good luck.

Grooming & scratching excessively
by: Ray
My cat was infested with fleas when she was rescued. I AM SPECULATING that she has acquired a habit of excessive grooming & scratching because of this. I don't know if this applies to your cat.

Hi Everyone!
To get back to you-we don't have any fleas. We gave her a bath tonight but she still itched- we used the Itch Stop shampoo from Foster & Smith- when that didn't work it included a salve to stop itching and that worked-I will have to keep renewing the salve until I can get to the vets.

More Excessive Grooming Conversations:

Cat Hair Loss Questions: These cats are grooming themselves excessively and losing fur. Their owners are seeking veterinary help, and community advice as well.

Top of Grooming Q & A's

« Back to Maine Coon Grooming

Recent Articles

• 
• 
• 

1. Today's Features

   Apr 16, 25 09:54 PM

   Today we have two classic Memory Lane pages to share!
   
   Murphy & Candy Cane: Double the Maine Coon Charm - This adorable Maine Coon duo from our 2011 Photo Albums - Murphy and Candy Cane - brought doubl…

   Read More

2. Memory Lane Month Begins!

   Apr 15, 25 10:22 PM

   We're thrilled to start our "Memory Lane Month" event by visiting some cherished moments from our community! We're in the process of restoring meaningful community stories like this one, to preserve t…

   Read More

3. Will a Maine Coon Protect Its Owner From Danger or an Intruder?

   Apr 09, 25 10:41 PM

   Plenty of people are curious: Will a Maine Coon protect its owner if something happens? Let’s talk about what this means, and what kind of protector a Coonie is.
   
   

   Read More

FacebookXRedditWhatsAppPinterest