#1
|
||||
|
||||
My cat is CONSTANTLY licking his 'privates'
Okay all, I am getting throughly annoyed and grossed out by what my cat Buddy keeps doing. I know it's normal for cats and dogs to lick and clean them selves, but this is getting ridiculous.
Buddy CONSTANTLY licks his private area numerous times a day and goes at it for a while, and also when he goes to the litterbox if you happen to be in the same room, he will pretend like he can't go. Could this be some sort of anxiety problem? Because he's already been to the vets and has no underlying medical problems that we know of. He eats plenty of canned food and gets in plenty of water. See, if he knows you are watching him when he is in the potty he pretends to strain and digs and acts like he can't pee, but if he doesn't know you are watching (like if he is in one in the kitchen and I sneak around the corner to see what he is up to), he pees perfectly fine. I can't take anymore of him licking himself.. he is worse than a male dog licking himself. He doesn't have crystals and we've been through the whole deal before.. maybe I can take some pee to the vets again just for a recheck but he seems to just be a lad that likes to lick himself and he does it right infront of company when people are over and I have to chase him off into the next room because he will sit there right infront of people and do it for 5+ minutes at a time. We started him on prozac a while ago too because of this.. it seems to be related to him going outside. He wants to be an outside cat again, he was previously semi-feral, but we don't want that especially since someone shot him with a pellet gun a few months ago.. when he gets to go outside he is fine, but when he is kept inside for a extended period, he seems to have a nervous tick of licking himself Any suggestions? It's been going on for well over a year and he's been checked out and has no apparent medical issues.
__________________
My cat is smarter than your honor student. Stop Dog Fighting ~ Neuter Mike Vick! ~ RIP Timmy ~ May 2009 - November 6th 2009 |
#2
|
||||
|
||||
Heh, wrong set of "privates". I think they've already been checked.. he's been to the vets for checkups a few times and also atleast once specifically for this problem... I don't see any specific reason for this to happen, no medical issues that I see. I know it's not abnormal for animals to do that, but this is ridiculous, like half the hours he is awake he spends licking his privates and usually in full view of people, I swear he does it to mess with us
__________________
My cat is smarter than your honor student. Stop Dog Fighting ~ Neuter Mike Vick! ~ RIP Timmy ~ May 2009 - November 6th 2009 |
#3
|
||||
|
||||
Haha well he makes it quite obvious, if you catch my drift
__________________
My cat is smarter than your honor student. Stop Dog Fighting ~ Neuter Mike Vick! ~ RIP Timmy ~ May 2009 - November 6th 2009 |
#4
|
||||
|
||||
So are you sure then that is not a Urinary infection? Sure Sure?
My Etienne (who lives with my parents now) had some sort of stress episode and he used to lick his fur a lot and not only that, he started to bite it off I caught him doing it. The vet told me he was having a crisis of some sort (emotional). He is an outdoor/indoor cat. He sleeps inside the house, allowed to be in the garden during the day. We were never sure why he got like this but he got some vitamins and some shots to boost his immune system a bit and lots of love. He also had moderate fever when we took him to the vet, could have been due to the stress of the car trip and vet check. The thing is he gave up the obsessive fur licking and also bitting it off after few visits to the vet for his vitamins and lots of wub. I know is not the same case as your Buddy but there's lots of licking involved as well.
__________________
" How we behave toward cats here below determines our status in heaven." - Robert A. Heinlein |
#5
|
||||
|
||||
How old is Buddy?
Quote:
That would be at the top of my list, given that everything has checked out otherwise. Has the prozac helped at all? If not, maybe it isn't the best answer for his situation. Quote:
Boredom can also play a HUGE role in cystitis. Boredom is stressful for cats, especially cats that are used to being in the great outdoors with all of the stimulation that provides. You might have to really take his entertainment outlets up a notch. Bird feeders outside the window, interactive toys like a Turbo Track, Cat-It Senses toys, a Cat Dancer attached to a door knob, crinkly tunnels he can run through, paper bags and boxes to pounce in and on, etc etc. And just playing with him, brushing him (if he likes that), for a good chunk of time each day would go a long way towards easing whatever anxieties he might have about living indoors. Play therapy! A true urinary tract infection is actually quite rare in cats under roughly 10 yrs of age. Urinary tract inflammation, however, is another story.
__________________
"To close your eyes will not ease another's pain." ~ Chinese Proverb “We must not refuse to see with our eyes what they must endure with their bodies.” ~ Gretchen Wyler |
#6
|
||||
|
||||
Quote:
So, could he basically be so stressed he has urinary inflammation from it? Because otherwise medically he's in good health.. he eats well, is in a good weight range and doesn't really have any other problems. I'd like to rehome him but I don't even think it would make a difference. I think the only place he is happy is outside, but he is such an idiot and it is too dangerous to just place him back out there. It's either have a ticked off indoor cat or a dead outdoor cat... can't win!!
__________________
My cat is smarter than your honor student. Stop Dog Fighting ~ Neuter Mike Vick! ~ RIP Timmy ~ May 2009 - November 6th 2009 |
#7
|
||||
|
||||
Quote:
Also scroll down a bit and there are some links explaining how environmental enrichment can help. Ya, it's too bad that these ex-"free range" kitties don't know how good they've got it all nice and safe inside.
__________________
"To close your eyes will not ease another's pain." ~ Chinese Proverb “We must not refuse to see with our eyes what they must endure with their bodies.” ~ Gretchen Wyler |
#8
|
||||
|
||||
Quote:
Thanks to the others that posted here, but suddenly peoples posts are disappearing Yeah, he totally acts like he is in prison I'm like DUDE, you have been shot, nearly hit by cars more than once, cuts, burns, bruises, parasites.. you do NOT need to go back outside He doesn't understand though, and seriously he acts like the tigers you see in those crappy zoos where they pace back and forth and go all crazy. Here is said cat
__________________
My cat is smarter than your honor student. Stop Dog Fighting ~ Neuter Mike Vick! ~ RIP Timmy ~ May 2009 - November 6th 2009 |
#9
|
||||
|
||||
What a cutie! He looks like a cool fugitive. Who would think he keeps licking his parts all the time
It's very hard to turn an outdoors cat into an indoors cat, really hard once they have tasted the outside world, however you are absolutely right in wanting to keep him inside I think. The Etienne cat licking was stress related and it sounds like Buddy is going through a lot since he wants out. I don't think anything will make it up for him not being able to be out BUT I do think it can become more bearable for him with time and amusements I guess. But yeah, too dangerous to let him out again, wise choice even if Buddy doesn't get it.
__________________
" How we behave toward cats here below determines our status in heaven." - Robert A. Heinlein |
#10
|
||||
|
||||
I'm wondering if he has food allergies or it's his diet? He's a gorgeous cat, but his coat appears to be rough and dry. A cat's coat always reflects its diet and am wondering what you're feeding? Excessive licking can also be a symptom of allergies. Perhaps he's allergic to something in his food. A good quality canned food that's no grain----no corn, soy, rice, wheat, barley---is ideal. If he's getting grains in his food, try switching and see if that doesn't make a difference in a month.
http://www.vetinfo.com/common-food-allergies-cats.html
__________________
"We humans are indeed fortunate if we happen to be chosen to be owned by a cat." -- Anonymous |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|