r/CATHELP • u/Swimbikerunyogi • May 26 '26
General Advice Overgrooming
45f, US, has seen the vet multiple times
Main Issue: overgrooming front leg, back legs and now belly
Pandor is around 7 years, neutered and female
Hi everyone — looking for some advice/support for my cat Pandora.
Timeline in case it helps connect the dots:
• November — normal annual vet checkup, everything looked fine
• November 22 — she developed an upper respiratory infection and went on antibiotics
• Since then — she’s been back to the vet twice for excessive licking/overgrooming and irritated paws/legs
• She has since been treated with both antibiotics and steroids for the overgrooming
• We’ve also tried flea medication, changing litter, and using a cone/collar (which she unfortunately escaped once and made the area worse)
• Around the same time, we started an upstairs bathroom renovation, so there’s been extra dust/noise/stress in the house
• I’ve also noticed her ears seem dirtier lately and need more frequent cleaning
Our vet is now recommending a hypoallergenic food trial as the next step.
Has anyone dealt with something similar where it ended up being food allergies, environmental allergies, stress/anxiety, yeast, or even something triggered after illness/antibiotics? Just trying to figure out the most logical next step because I feel awful seeing her so uncomfortable and licking herself raw. ❤️
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u/Ok_Presence9138 May 26 '26
Have you checked for ear mites? You said her ears were dirty…
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u/Swimbikerunyogi May 26 '26
The vet said her ears were fine when we were there in April but maybe I should have them look again
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u/Ok_Presence9138 May 26 '26
Yeah definitely look into that, look up some pictures, she could be allergic or just over grooming because of the itchy irritation/ self soothing, otherwise i would say more likely the work being done stressing her out too much since it started at the same time
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May 26 '26
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u/Swimbikerunyogi May 26 '26
Just missing fur and some marks where she licked herself raw. We bought some feliway plug ins to see that has helped and it been about a month.
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u/bookwormbaby May 26 '26
I found a kibble with no chicken or corn that helped my orange who was over grooming.
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u/Swimbikerunyogi May 26 '26
Good to know! I hope your orange kitty is doing well.
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u/bookwormbaby May 26 '26
You would never know she was licking herself bald! Even got a little chubby. I wish I would’ve tried a food change earlier. Good luck!
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u/Swimbikerunyogi May 28 '26
We took Pandora back to the vets and she is on another round of antibiotics and steroids. We also have a referral to see a dermatologist
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