Hair Pulling in Cats

When cats pull out their hair, it is often a symptom of the condition psychogenic alopecia. It similar to the obsessive-compulsive disorder known as trichotillomania in humans. In both species, the condition can be barely noticeable or lead to overall baldness.

Development

The condition develops with cats grooming during times of stress or anxiety to calm themselves. However, the normal behavior evolves into over-grooming and then into psychogenic alopecia.

Stressors

Causes of stress that may have led to the condition include living in a multi-cat home, outside cats, wild animals and separation distress.

Symptoms

The cat with psychogenic alopecia will likely appear anxious with baldness across the abdomen and the insides of her legs. Oriental breeds and cats that were not socialized or were abused are likely candidates.

Treatment

There are pharmaceuticals, such as Prozac and Paxil, which are sometimes prescribed. Other treatment may involve clicker training, enriching the cat's environment and eliminating stressors.

Other Causes

Because psychogenic alopecia is diagnosed by behavior, it is important to rule out other possible causes of the hair-pulling behavior. Other possible causes include flea allergies, other allergies, other parasites, fungal infections, bacterial infections, tumors and other causes of pain.

References

• Psychogenic Alopecia in Cats
• Feline Psychogenic Alopecia