Kitty Psychosis

Anyone who has been to my house knows about Ezra. The twins and I picked her out from the Cat Welfare Association in 2001 and she's been a lovely addition to our family. She's very loving and is a nice lap cat.

But something's going on with Ezra we don't understand. About three years ago, she began licking her fur off. She wasn't excessively licking so that she had sores, she didn't have fleas, and she didn't seem to have a skin condition of any kind.

The vet was at a loss. He kept saying it must be fleas. But, none of our cats have fleas!

He tried a cortisone shot a couple of times, but it really didn't make a difference. Ezra kept on licking.

First she licked all of the hair off her belly. Then her back end. Recently fur began to grow back in these areas and we were thrilled. Perhaps she's finally been cured!

Then we noticed bald areas on her legs. Not the entire leg, just a swath that went diagonally on her front leg. Now her back legs are almost completely bald. This really has gone on long enough, and I'm not satisfied with our regular vet's diagnosis.

We chalked it up to nerves, or boredom, or perhaps psychosis. I'm hoping the new vet we are going to take the cats to will be able to answer the question and help her. Maybe she just needs some kitty Prozac or something.