My eldest cat who is 12, has been obsessively licking himself this last 2 weeks. So much, that he is puking fur balls up at least twice a day Ive noticed his fur on his back legs is getting thin from all the licking. Cant remember who our resident Vet Nurse is ?? Has anybody else's cat done this before?? What do you think is causing him to do this ??

not sure, our dog licked his hair off his back leg and then started to nibble it- it was his bum glands!

our cat is 14 she keeps getting bald spots at the base of her tail and on her hind legs turns out she has suddenly got a flea allergy x

funny enough i was thinking fleas. my 2 cats are housecats and have always been flea free, we have spaniel pup who we've had for 5 months and im wondering if he's brought home some nasties (he's been de-flead so im not 100%).

Lisa, my mums dogs has dodgy bum glands as well, he nibbles his hair right off x

ours were deflead every 8 weeks and yet they still manage to pick them up i would give the cats and dog a quick flea treatment

yeh will defo do that first and see what happens. He's normally a fat, lazy sod so watching him with OCD cleaning is very strange xx

yep thats right first step is to de-flea then if it doesnt clear up he might need something else for it. you can buy a liquid called Katalax over the counter in the vets for a few quid for the furballs if they are causing any problems.

x

well took him to the vets cos i was getting worried. YES he has fleas Both my cats are house cats and have never had fleas . . . . . . . . .until THE dog arrived a few months ago. For the last 2 hours since finishing work i have stripped the beds, hoovered carpets, hooveredmattress, thrown all rugs, throws,cushions etc in the wash !!! He was given an antihistamine to stop him itching and i have now treated both cats. I know the dog has been de-fleas but im still really annoyed that my poor babies have been itching and scratching. Bloody dog, thats him off my xmas list again

glad its just something simple though. I was worried as cats sometimes excessively lick if they are sore. thought it might be an arthritis or something.

problem will be all gone soon

x

Thanks Steph - yeh glad it was nothing serious phew - cost me £60 though x