What Are the Causes of Excessive Grooming in Cats?

Cats naturally groom themselves to keep clean. Unfortunately, sometimes this grooming becomes obsessive and your cat can create patches of bald skin or even sores and abrasions, leading to an infection. Cats excessively groom for a variety of psychological and medical reasons. In order to properly treat your cat for this condition, you must determine the cause of her behavior.

  1. Psychological

    • Alopecia, or hair loss, refers to any type of condition that causes your cat's hair to fall out. When he grooms too frequently, it causes hair loss. If he becomes stressed, he grooms as a means to comfort himself. Continued feelings of stress, fear or anxiety leads to a condition known as psychogenic alopecia. Any changes in your cat's environment, such as the addition of a new pet, a move to a new home, a new baby or even a change in food can stress your cat out, causing him to over-groom. Cats with separation anxiety or are weaned too early also can develop this behavior in response to the stress of the situation.

    Medical

    • When a cat experiences pain, she may lick the area to attempt to relieve that pain. If your cat has an abscess, she will lick this area repeatedly before it opens and drains, according to Arnold Plotnick, DVM. Arthritis can cause pain in your cat's joints, causing her to lick these areas repeatedly. Your cat also may lick her wounds, fractures or skin infections. Check the areas your cat licks for swelling, dermatitis or a foul odor, indicating an infection. Areas that appear normal may indicate an internal problem, causing your cat to lick the area.

    Parasites and Allergies

    • A cat will lick and bite areas of his body that contain parasites to relieve the itching caused by these pests, according to VetInfo.com. You may find that your cat obsessively licks and pulls out the hair near the base of the tail, usually indicating fleas. Some cats experience an allergic reaction to flea bites causing extreme discomfort, itching and inflammation at the area of the bite. Cats also suffer from contact and food allergies, which can lead to scabby, crusty sores on the cat that will cause him to lick these areas to try and gain relief.

    Considerations

    • When you notice your cat excessively grooming herself and she develops bald patches, you need to take her to a veterinarian to rule out a medical or parasitic problem. Catching the behavior early will prevent it from becoming ingrained and chronic in your cat. Treat your cat with the appropriate medication your veterinarian recommends, including anti-inflammatory medication to reduce swelling and itching from skin allergies and flea bites. Switch your cat to a hypoallergenic diet for food allergies. For a cat with no medical explanation for excessive grooming, keep her as calm as possible and use flower essences or pheromone sprays to ease anxiety. Depending on the severity of the behavior, your vet also may prescribe anti-anxiety medication for your cat.