Why Is My Cat Over-Grooming and How to Stop It

Wondering “why is my cat overgrooming?”

It’s understandable for pets to groom themselves, as we groom ourselves. No one wants to start and spend the day feeling uncomfortable or looking unkempt. Neither does your cat!

But after a certain point, those grooming habits can do more harm than good. What if your cat is scratching and licking to an unhealthy degree? If so, you might notice concerning skin sores and fur loss.

If so, you’ll want to exercise the utmost patience, compassion, and care.  Preventing overgrooming is a process that can take time. Likewise, if nothing you’re trying is enough to prevent it, then it might be time to reach DeSoto’s trusted vet clinic!

Our vets can capably, competently, and confidently deliver any care you need. 

Medical Reasons for Cat Overgrooming

Cats can spend close to half of their waking hours grooming. It’s a fairly normal and common routine. This might make it somewhat difficult for cat owners to discern how much grooming and scratching is too much.

If you suspect your cat is overgrooming, you might notice shedding in strips. You might notice this shedding along your cat’s back, stomach, or along the inside of their legs. To understand how to prevent and manage this excessive self-grooming, it’s crucial to understand the medical and environmental factors that lead to this behavior in the first place.

Why Cats Overgroom

If your cat is grooming and scratching to a problematic degree, it’s likely due to health reasons. Whether mental or physical, medical issues are the main culprit behind excessive scratching and grooming. Environmental problems, like pests or safety hazards, can contribute to these issues too.

Below are some of the most common health risks that can exacerbate excessive cat scratching and grooming:

• Stress-Induced Cat Grooming: Moving, new furniture, or a change in routine can all be big cat stress catalysts. So can other cats! A stressed cat will often excessively groom as a way to alleviate anxiety.
• Allergies: Cats can be triggered by all sorts of skin allergens, including fleas, mites, and pollen. Food allergies can trigger overgrooming too.
• Parasitic Infection: Fleas, lice, ticks, and ear mites can all carry infectious diseases, all of which can jeopardize your cat’s health.
• Chronic Pain: If they’re experiencing back pain, for example, your cat might excessively scratch.
• Boredom: If cats fail to have a fulfilling routine, then that boredom could lead them to excessively scratch or groom.

Stress is far and away one of the most common causes of overgrooming. It’s believed that grooming and similar self-soothing behaviors release endorphins in cats. It’s understandable why they’d be craving relief and peace of mind when they feel their peace is disturbed.

However, you don’t want this behavior to cross the line from self-soothing to self-harm. Is your cat licking excessively to the point of hair loss, or scratching and biting to a painful point? If so, you’ll want to take measures to try to divert their behavior. 

Cat Hair Loss From Licking: What To Do About Bald Spots on Cat From Licking

Is your cat excessively licking and grooming themself to a problematic degree? Don’t wait to address these concerns. Speaking with a vet can help you pinpoint the underlying cause behind the overgrooming and resolve it.

A vet can provide appropriate guidance if the diagnosis is determined to be physiological. If the root cause of the issue is determined to be more behavioral or psychological, they can advise with that too. The latter will often require big environmental and behavioral changes.

What the former requires will depend on the issue(s) at hand. Whether your cat needs anti-inflammatory medication, antihistamines, or antibiotics, a vet will be able to promptly fill that prescription. Vet care is essential to clearing cat critters too, whether we’re talking lice, mites, or ticks.

But what can you do about your cat’s overgrooming, as a pet owner? 

How To Help Cat Stop Licking Themselves

Vet care will be essential for diagnosing the underlying cause of your cat’s overgrooming. Even so, there are still plenty of measures you can take to mitigate the amount of excessive grooming. After you’ve determined the root of the problem at the vet, you could try to address the root problems at home, by: 

1. Promoting a mentally and physically stimulating environment: Toys and scratching posts can be enriching outlets for cats. Ideally, the more they’ll pick at these scratching posts, the less they’ll self-scratch. Cat trees near windows are another good outlet; they’ll birdwatch more and overgroom less.
2. Trying calming cat medications: You could get a vet’s prescription to alleviate your cat’s stress with anti-anxiety medication. Alternatively, you could consider using over-the-counter supplements that might do the trick.
3. Making sure they have a healthy diet: Beyond food allergies, an unhealthy diet could exacerbate hormonal imbalance and other health issues.
4. Considering buying a recovery collar or neck ringlet: These soft cushioned rings can make it harder for cats to overgroom.
5. Exercising patience and compassion when caring for your cat: Being overly punishing or punitive for overgrooming will just make your cat more stressed. It can take over a month for overgrooming to resolve, even with a vet’s assistance. So be patient!

Encouraging your cat to unlearn healthy self-soothing habits will take time, tenacity, and an open mind. To ensure your cat is healthy, their living conditions must be healthy too. The overwhelming majority of fleas and parasites are contracted environmentally, after all.

“Why is my cat overgrooming?”

There’s no one right answer to that question. You might need a multi-layered, multi-faceted approach. 

The Penny Paws Animal Clinic Team Can Address Cat Stress!

Our team is adept at delivering results for DeSoto pet owners. We know how to spot familiar signs of feline stress, from malnutrition to excessive cat licking, or worse, a cat throwing up blood. We know how to stay calm and collected through treatment, and we hope your cat will be feeling the same! 

Call Penny Paws Animal Clinic today at  (469) 807-3030 or visit our contact page to learn more and schedule treatment!