## When Hygiene Stops Being Health

The cat is a professional groomer: it spends **3-5 hours a day** licking itself. This behavior is essential as it regulates temperature, distributes sebum, removes dead hair, calms anxiety, and maintains social bonds (cats in the same group lick each other).

Yet, when licking becomes **excessive or repetitive**, it stops being hygiene and becomes a symptom. This is referred to as **overgrooming**: a problematic behavior that indicates physical or mental discomfort.

## How to Understand if it is "Too Much"

There is no stopwatch. But there are clear indicators:

- **Bald or thinning areas** in the fur (belly, hips, inner thighs, back near the tail).
- **Hair broken within millimeters** from the skin, a sign of intense licking.
- **Hairballs** much more frequent than usual.
- The cat **interrupts other activities** (playing, eating) to lick itself.
- It does so **in specific contexts**: when you arrive, when you get home, when it feels trapped.

Differentiate from normal hygiene: a healthy cat licks itself regularly, alternating areas, average duration 5-10 minutes, then stops for something else.

## The Causes: Physical First, Psychological Later

**Physical Cause Number 1: fleas.** Even if you don’t see them. One flea every 2 weeks is enough to trigger severe itching in sensitized cats. Classic hair loss is at the **base of the tail**.

**Physical Cause Number 2: food allergy.** Often manifests on the belly and inner thighs. Diagnosis: 8-week elimination diet with a novel protein.

**Physical Cause Number 3: skin parasites**. Mites such as Cheyletiella, Demodex, Notoedres.

**Physical Cause Number 4: referred pain.** A cystitis, osteoarthritis, or an internal injury can cause obsessive licking of the corresponding area. Chronic cystitis leads to licking of the pubic area and thighs; lumbar pain leads to licking of the back.

**Psychological Cause: stress.** Only after excluding physical causes do we talk about **psychogenic overgrooming**: recent moving, new roommate, grief, conflicts with other cats, isolation, lack of stimulation.

## The Diagnostic Process

A serious veterinarian follows this checklist:

1. **Complete examination** + trichogram (microscopic examination of the hair).
2. **Skin scraping** for parasites.
3. **Strict antiparasitic treatment** even if "no fleas are seen".
4. **Elimination diet** if a food allergy is suspected.
5. **Complete blood tests** (thyroid, biochemistry).
6. **Abdominal ultrasound** if internal pain is suspected.
7. Only after excluding everything: **diagnosis of stress**.

Skipping steps means chasing the symptom without resolving it. Cortisone "to stop the itching" masks the problem, it does not cure it.

## What to Do While Awaiting a Diagnosis

While the veterinarian investigates:

- **Quality antiparasitic**, systematically, for all animals in the house.
- **Reduce evident stress**: carpets, hiding spots, access to high places, windows.
- **Environmental enrichment**: daily play 10-15 minutes, puzzle feeders for food, multiple scratching posts, alternating toys.
- **Feliway** diffuser: synthetic pheromones that reduce baseline anxiety. Effect in 2-3 weeks.
- **Consistent routine**: fixed meal and play times. Cats hate unpredictability.

## When Cortisone is Justified (and When Not)

Cortisone works wonders for itching, but it is a second-line drug: it treats the symptom, not the cause. It is justified when:

- You have an **identified cause** that requires immediate relief (e.g., diagnosed atopy).
- The cat is **self-mutilating** (open wounds).
- You have ruled out other causes and there is a need to "break the behavioral cycle".

Never use it indefinitely, never without a precise diagnosis. Long-term side effects: diabetes, obesity, immune suppression.

## Patience Pays Off

Resolving overgrooming may take **3-6 months**, sometimes longer. It is not a failure of the veterinarian: it is a complex condition that requires time and gradual adjustments. Document bald areas with weekly photos: you will see gradual improvements that you might not notice with the naked eye.

And remember: a cat that licks itself too much is not doing it out of spite or boredom. It is trying to manage something that disturbs it. Helping it understand and resolve the issue is one of the greatest acts of love you can give it.