Overgrooming

My cat has a terrible overgrooming problem - has stripped all of the fur off of his belly, inner legs, and a patch on his back. He can't take Prozac for it because of urinary issues. The calming collar didn't work at all. Is there anything else I can try?

Hello!  Absolutely - I would try a visit or a call to the vets.  Fleas, mites etc need to be ruled out as a cause of itching.  Everyone says 'my cat doesn't have fleas,' but unless a cat has been treated with a veterinary-grade treatment at the correct dose, fleas cannot be ruled out.  Another strong possibility is pain;  many over-grooming cats are in fact responding to a painful stimulus in their body, for example arthritis or neurological or even abdominal pain.  This could include bladder pain, for example, linking with your urinary issues.  (If a cat strains and can't urinate, it may be an absolute emergency so do not wait).  Stress is another issue, but I wouldn't advise treating it with drugs, without having spoken to a vet with an understanding of behavioural issues to identify the likely things that could be stressing the cat out and thereby tried to treat the cause of the problem.  Bladder problems are also commonly linked to stress.  Furthermore, if this has happened suddenly - acutely - be aware of the possibility of pregnancy tummy plucking (females only). Hopefully this has given you some ideas.  This, our blog and Sarah Caney's website, iCatCare, may be extremely helpful resources but we would certainly advise letting your vet triage this case. Please do let us know how you get on.