Have you ever seen your cat pulling out fur with his teeth, literally yanking out mouthfuls of fur and then spitting it? The practice is called barbering. Today we have a guest post from veterinarian Dr. Audrey Harvey about the practice, what causes it and what you can do to help stop your cat from pulling out fur in clumps.
Our Personal Experience with Barbering
This is an issue we know all too well.
For several years, our cat Linus had this problem, pulling out his fur with his teeth and literally spitting it out onto the walls and floor.
Years ago, our cat Cheeto got into an excessive grooming problem so we’d seen it before. Cheeto, however, could lick and bite at what may have been only one flea bite. The skin became leathery from the grooming, and his hair was trimmed to just a stubble by his teeth.
However, Linus literally pulled out the fur by the roots! He took mouthfuls of hair, pulls them out, then went back for more. At one point, he had pulled out so much hair he was basically left with a “mohawk” haircut with hair only down his spine and on his shoulders.
One morning, we woke up to this hair display on the rug by the bed.
At one point Linus went in for blood tests to check for hyperthyroidism.
And they were negative.
Our veterinarian prescribed anti-anxiety medication to help Linus get through the stress he was experiencing and responding to by pulling out his fur. With the medication, Linus’s nervous tendencies were reduced and the fur began to regrow.
A Reader Question about Cat Pulling Out Fur
My cat recently had dental surgery and lost all but two canines and his small front teeth. Now my cat is pulling out his fur in clumps, accompanied by a lot of saliva.
Could it be related to the dental surgery? I don’t see anything wrong with his skin. He eats well and seems to feel well.
It may well be more than just a coincidence that your cat’s hair pulling occurred after he had his teeth extracted.
The excess salivation is also a common symptom when there is a problem in the mouth. He may be doing this purely because his mouth hurts; after all losing that many teeth will have caused quite a bit of trauma to his gums.
However, if his mouth is that sore, I’d expect him to be not as keen to eat.
Barbering often occurs with skin itches and infections, but if there are no obvious problems with his skin, that isn’t very likely.
The other condition that comes to mind is feline hyperesthesia syndrome. This is a poorly understood condition where cats seem to be extremely sensitive over their back and flanks.
They lick and pull at their hair, and they have fairly obvious skin ripples over their back.
The other things to rule out are back pain, and behavioral problems associated with a change in the environment such as a new cat in the neighborhood. Cats are very sensitive to such changes and may develop behavioral problems because of them.
I think it’s worth taking your cat back to your veterinarian just to have his extraction sites checked, and to make sure there is no other cause of his odd behavior.
He may just need a few days of pain relief to put a stop to his bad hair days!
More Vet Advice from Dr. Harvey
Ask the Vet: My Cat Has Urinary Tract Problems!
What Can I Do For My Cat’s Arthritis? Ask Dr. Audrey
Ringworm in Cats: Identifying, Disinfecting and Treating
Pin it to remember what to do if your cat begins pulling out fur!
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