Instead, you may find clumps of hair on the carpet and upholstery, alopecia (patches of hairless skin) or an uptick in hair balls when your cat attempts to swallow the evidence. Though it might be tempting to write the behavior off as a strange neurosis, that’s rarely the case. “Most cats who pull their hair out have a medical reason,” Dr. Valerie Fadok, a board-certified dermatologist at North Houston Veterinary Specialists in Spring, Texas, says. “Behavioral problems are much less common.”

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Underlying Medical Issues

So what would cause a cat to pluck out her own coat? “Overgrooming in cats is usually a sign of itch,” Dr. Fadok says. An itchy cat may respond by scratching, but in other cats, itchiness can manifest as hair pulling and licking. Pinpointing the cause of the itch, however, can be a challenge. Most veterinarians start by performing a physical examination, which includes looking for external parasites, such as fleas, mites or lice. Sometimes specific tests, such as a skin scraping, may be recommended to check for some of these parasites.

In cats with a flea allergy, exposure to saliva from even a single fleabite can result in excruciating itchiness. Because many cats are fastidious groomers, it’s relatively common for them to ingest all the fleas on them and the flea dirt. So even if you can’t find any evidence of an infestation (and, yes, even indoor cats can get fleas), your veterinarian may recommend a trial with a parasite control product. If the signs disappear, parasites are presumed to be the most likely culprit. Underlying bacterial or fungal infections in the skin can also cause itching. Your veterinarian may perform skin cytology (looking at cells under a microscope) and cultures, and treat as needed.

Finally, allergies to environmental elements, such as dust mites, pollen and mold, or in other cases, food allergies, can lead to itchiness. Your veterinarian may recommend allergy testing to pinpoint the cause of environmental allergies or a food trial with a limited-protein diet or a hydrolyzed protein diet, in which the protein is broken down into pieces too small to be recognized by the immune system (so it’s less likely to trigger an immune reaction).

Potentially, a Sign of Pain

Occasionally, cats may overgroom in particular places where they may feel pain. For example, a cat with cystitis, an inflammation of the bladder, may focus her grooming attention on her abdomen. Another cat with an anal gland infection may groom excessively in that area (under the tail). Or an arthritic cat may lick the fur off areas around painful joints.

Compulsive Behavior

Less commonly, cats with a condition called psychogenic alopecia may pluck out their hair and groom to excess because of a behavioral issue. Often, the problem is triggered by stress or anxiety brought on by changes in the cat’s environment, such as a new baby, workmen in the house, other cats exploring the yard or even boredom.

For these cats, grooming may be a comforting way to help relieve stress. But behavior is rarely the main cause of hair pulling. In fact, a study examined 21 cats who had been tentatively diagnosed with psychogenic alopecia. Of those cats, the vast majority — 76 percent — were actually found to have an underlying medical condition causing itchiness, while only two cats, or 9.5 percent, truly had a behavioral problem. “Because compulsive behavior is less common,” Dr. Fadok says, “a medical workup is critical.”

A Positive Outcome

Once underlying medical or behavioral problems are identified and addressed, hopefully, your cat will spend less time grooming and have more time for that other favorite feline pastime: napping.

The Importance of Cat Health Insurance

Your cat health insurance policy can help to offset unexpected treatment costs. These costs may include veterinary visits, prescription medications, or procedures such as imaging or surgery. 

Find a personalized plan for your cat by using the insurance finder below:

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Cats are Often Fearful of Other Cats

To better understand this behavior, let’s take a look at how domestic cats interact in the wild. In a feral state, cats live in social groups and know who is a member of their group. Members of the group often help each other. For example, if a big, male cat who is a stranger approaches, he may be considered a danger to any youngsters in the group, since non-group males have been known to kill kittens if they can get to them. Both the Queens (the mother cats) and the Toms (male cats) who are members of the group may attack the strange male to defend the kittens. If the new male wants to become a member of the group, it will likely require weeks or months of his peaceably and patiently hanging around the periphery of the group’s area. He will have to gradually interact with the adults and show that he is not a danger to the group’s well-being before he has a chance of being accepted as a member.

Stranger Danger

When you bring a new cat into your home environment, your existing cat or cats may behave in a similar way. They will likely regard the new cat as a stranger and not as a member of the family. This is normal. They don’t hate the new cat — they are simply scared of him and need time to learn that the new cat is not a danger. There are definitely some basic principles that should be followed when introducing one cat to another, such as keeping them separated at first, allowing adequate time for them to become used to each other’s scent and presence, and making sure each cat has adequate food, litter box and hiding places to help avoid conflict. Sometimes, even when you have followed all the appropriate introduction techniques outlined in the links above, your resident cat may still act frightened of your new cat, even weeks later. One common reason for this is that the resident cat perhaps hasn’t seen another cat for a long time. Cats that have lived by themselves for long periods simply may need some time to get used to the presence of another cat. Another reason is that, as a kitten, your cat may have missed out on learning cat etiquette from socially adept adult cats during important periods of socialization. These periods for kittens peak at 2 to 7 weeks of age, but the weeks from 8 to 16 weeks are also an important time. If your resident cat was not properly socialized to his or her own species when young, or hasn’t seen another cat in a long time, it may take longer until he or she is comfortable with the new cat. Even with a lot of time and careful exposure, two cats may still not get along. Sometimes, it is a matter of personality. Just like humans, each cat is a unique individual and has individual preferences. Some humans may like or dislike certain other humans, and this issue can also occur between cats. If that seems to be the situation, then your ultimate goal for your cats needs to be non-aggressive tolerance of each other. If you have two cats who really don’t like each other for whatever reason, they may never cuddle and groom each other. But, it is a reasonable goal for them to be able to be in the same room together and not fight. If you are having a persistent problem with two or more cats not getting along, talk to your veterinarian, who can either help you directly or give you the name of cat behaviorists in your area who can provide additional assistance. If the cats are actually fighting, they need to be kept physically separated until the owner can obtain professional help. More from Vetstreet:

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The post Why Does My… Old Cat Hate My New Cat? appeared first on Vetstreet.

The quick answer is yes, it is normal. The most common reasons cats pounce on their owners are for play and attention. Typically cats who engage in this behavior hide behind a corner or furniture and then suddenly jump out at the owner. Your cat may dig her claws into you and hold on or lightly touch you with her paws and run off.

There is a higher risk of injury to owners if the cat digs in with her nails and starts biting or kicking with her back legs, and owners can find this alarming. However, keep in mind that for a cat, this is generally normal play behavior. Remember, cats have thick fur and loose skin while we, as humans, lack fur and are thin-skinned. When our cats attempt this version of play with us, we do run the greater risk of getting injuries, but it is not due to any malicious intent from our cat.

Additionally, some cats may have figured out that if they pounce on their owner the owner may cry out or chase after them. In this case, cats learn that when they pounce on you, there is more interaction with you, which most cats find very rewarding. In other words, your reactions to being pounced on have become “big fun” for your cat!

In some situations a cat may pounce on the owner when she becomes agitated, and the underlying reason for this is generally related to other people or animals in her environment that may have triggered the pouncing behavior. For example, some cats may see a neighbor cat walking through the yard and become upset.

Since the cat cannot go out and chase after the neighbor cat, it may redirect its aggressive behavior toward the nearest living thing, which in a household is often her owner. Certain cats also may be bothered by an owner’s quick movements through the house. When the owner is still, the cat appears calm, but when the owner is moving around, whether cleaning or making dinner, the cat may become agitated and pounce.

If your cat‘s pouncing behavior has increased in frequency or intensity it is always a good idea to have your cat examined by your veterinarian to rule out underlying health problems that may be contributing to the behavior. If the pouncing behavior is resulting in injuries to you and you want to curb it you may also wish to speak to your veterinarian for ideas on how to redirect your cat’s “playfulness” with some simple play activities or food puzzles or to obtain a referral to a veterinary behaviorist or certified animal behaviorist who can advise you.

More on Vetstreet:

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Common Culprits: Fleas and Food Allergies

Significant hair loss in one spot may indicate an external parasite — mites, ticks or fleas, in particular — or a fungal infection, such as ringworm. Once skin scrapes or blood samples are tested, a veterinarian can usually confirm the cause and treat the diagnosed condition with the right medication. If it’s a diagnosed food allergy that’s causing the excessive grooming, the problem can be addressed with dietary adjustments, such as a veterinarian-prescribed hypoallergenic diet. In some cases, a cat may also be trying to get at a source of pain caused by an internal problem, including kidney stones. 

Cat Health Insurance Can Help Cover Costs

If a health condition is causing your cat to lick excessively and lose hair, you’ll have veterinary bills and possible medication bills to cover. Cat health insurance can help you offset the costs and cover the majority of your cat’s medical care. 

Find high-quality pet insurance providers in your area, click on your state below to get quotes:

Stress Can Also Play a Part

If a veterinarian rules out a medical problem, the next step is to look for new environmental stressors, such as a new pet, baby or boyfriend. “Cat overgrooming is similar to people playing with their hair,” says Dr. Sueda. “You do it more when you’re nervous.” Behavior modification and training can help reduce a cat’s stress levels. In the case of a new animal in the home, owners can give the overly stressed cat extra attention or private space away from the newcomer. Regardless of the cause, hair loss and overgrooming are usually clues that something’s wrong, so consult with your vet sooner rather than later.

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