Cat licking and chewing fur until bald and raw
Cats excessively lick, chew, and pull out their fur due to anxiety, stress, or underlying allergies, leaving their skin raw and bald. This compulsive overgrooming requires identifying the root trigger—whether behavioral or allergic—to prevent ongoing skin damage.
What the numbers show
Counted from the threads quoted below. How we count
- The most recent one is from October 2026.
- This comes up 12.8× more often in r/dogs than across the site as a whole.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1using feliway diffusers or pheromone spraysDid this help you?
- 2changing litter material or foodDid this help you?
- 3putting cones or fabric coverings on the catDid this help you?
- 4providing small hiding spacesDid this help you?
- 5using topical healing creams and distracting the catDid this help you?
- 6trying anti-anxiety or allergy medications like gabapentin or atopicaDid this help you?
- 7brushing the cat oftenDid this help you?
- 8deworming the catDid this help you?
- 9increasing playtimeDid this help you?
- 10adding stimulating toysDid this help you?
- 11applying flea medicationDid this help you?
- 12brushing a bunchDid this help you?
- 13using burts dendrite sprayDid this help you?
- 14physically get out of bedDid this help you?
- 15shove her awayDid this help you?
- 16lick her backDid this help you?
- 17visiting the veterinarian periodicallyDid this help you?
- 18trying apoquelDid this help you?
- 19using prescription foods recommended by the vetDid this help you?
- 20blowing in the cat's face to get them to back offDid this help you?
- 21chalking it up to a habitDid this help you?
- 22stopping the use of scented lotions or natural oilsDid this help you?
- 23Using anti-anxiety medication like Prozac or gabapentinDid this help you?
- 24Putting cat pajamas on the catDid this help you?
- 25Taking the cat to the vet for medical checks or allergy testingDid this help you?
- 26Switching to prescription diets or novel protein foodsDid this help you?
- 27Using medications like steroids or anti-anxiety drugs (e.g., Prozac/Fluoxetine)Did this help you?
- 28Changing cat litter types (clay, corn, pine)Did this help you?
- 29Putting the cat in a soft cone to prevent them from licking themselves rawDid this help you?
- 30Vacuuming the apartment twice dailyDid this help you?
- 31Feeding the dog Open Farm Kibble, Omega 3 Fish Oils, and sweet potatoDid this help you?
- 32Bathing the dog once a monthDid this help you?
- 33Brushing the dog regularly every other dayDid this help you?
- 34Using a rubber curry comb in the showerDid this help you?
- 35Using a zoom groom or generic rubber curry brush to pull out loose hairDid this help you?
- 36accepting hair as part of the home decorDid this help you?
- 37cleaning often but missing hidden spots like under the couchDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“I’ve fallen asleep with him on my chest, and woke up an hour later (having been desensitized to the licks) with a literal section of my neck/collarbone skin licked off and oozing. The boy was still licking.”source ↗
“She doesnt stop until I physically get out of bed or shove her away from me.”source ↗
“She'll come over and start licking my arms/legs and can keep going to the point where my skin is literally wet.”source ↗
“I would really like to wake up without a cat tongue exfoliating my lips every morning.”source ↗
“My black cat goes through a period every year where she will excessively groom to the point she rips her fur out and will chew through her skin leaving scabs, bloody spots, and marks.”source ↗
“I periodically take her to the vet and have tried apoquel to help but it never helps.”source ↗
“I’ve also tried prescription foods recommended by the vet and those don’t work either.”source ↗
“I noticed my calico girl (5 yo) starts balding on the sides. At first it was just the belly but it stayed that way for 4 years (after her spay. I assumed it was due to that, and she experienced weight gain too). It has been a few weeks or 1 month that I started noticing the balding has 'spread' to her inner and outer back thighs too.”source ↗
“I already took her to the vet and vet says it's probably caused by worms (internally) so I've dewormed her too (from the vet). She pees, poops, eats and drinks normally, no diet changes either, so I still can't tell what makes her overgroom.”source ↗
“Since then she’s clicked herself raw, literally. It used to be only her tail but now she’s found her chest and belly to be a good fit”source ↗
“my cat did this for a long time because of anxiety.”source ↗
“shes been shedding a little extra since we moved in but i brush her often.”source ↗
“How do u guys deal with excessive shedding.”source ↗
“I tried brushing a bunch and the burts dendrite spray on her but she still just sheds like crazy.”source ↗
“How can I manage it so I’m not breathing in cat hair all the time lol”source ↗
“My cat Satie is 4 years old and over-grooms to the point where she looks like she has a Mohawk down her back.”source ↗
“Her vet says she is fine and it is most likely just because she is a nervous cat, but I wanted to see if anyone had any experience with helping their cat stop over grooming?”source ↗
“Has anyone else had a very anxious cat that licks and chews the fur off their arms and belly?”source ↗
“My cat does the same exact thing. If I let him, he’ll lick any bit of skin RAW.”source ↗
“this sounds EXACLTY like my cat. she also licks her wrists bald.”source ↗
“My cat did this when we first rescued her. She licked until her skin was bald and raw.”source ↗
“My cat does it too. I was told it’s probably allergies and started him on atopica.”source ↗
“my black kitty licks the crap out of her tummy, her butt (base of tail) and her hind legs.”source ↗
“We’re dealing with this currently, our vet suspects allergies. Our cat is on a prescription diet, novel protein and we are also trying out a different litter in case she developed an allergy to her pine litter”source ↗
“Yes. My cat has been kicking his belly randomly for quite awhile.”source ↗
“My partner and I each have to vacuum our apartment 2x a day and it takes about 20/25 minutes to vacuum.”source ↗
“Every time we vacuum, there's already fur on the floor because she's like a little snow cloud leaving trails of snow everywhere.”source ↗
“The struggle is real! I’ve basically accepted that hair is now a permanent part of my home decor”source ↗
“my dog sheds so much i could knit a second dog out of the fur balls under the couch”source ↗
“We just moved and when we pulled our couch away from the wall we swept all the hair in one pile and realized that was the same size as our 110 pound boxer...”source ↗
“Oh yes. I brushed mine yesterday and got enough hair to make a second dog. It just keeps coming.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 11How to trim a cat's nails when they fight back
- 2Why is my dog shedding worse after professional grooming?
- 2Best brush to prevent mats in a long-haired cat
- 10Cat getting poop stuck in long fur around back end
- 4How to deal with severe cat matting without getting a full shave?
- 3Cat losing fur around neck from collar