Mary Allen
Cats love to use their tongues to groom their own fur. You invest a lot of time in this – up to four hours a day. But what if this natural cleaning instinct is pathologically increased? Then it could be that your house tiger has a behavior disorder called psychogenic leak alopecia.
Definition: What Does “Psychogenic Leak Alopecia” Mean?
The word “alopecia” means hair loss. A special variant of this is the psychogenic leak alopecia. It is a behavioral disorder or obsessive-compulsive disorder in cats. In this case, stressed cats inflict hairless spots on themselves by licking intensely.
Causes: What Are The Triggers For The Conduct Disorder?
The psychogenic leak of alopecia is not based on physical, but psychological causes. Stress, in particular, plays a major role here. It usually arises when you change everyday things around your cat.
For example, the following changes can make cats feel stressed:
- Changed environment: You move to a different apartment or change your cat’s living space, for example by buying new furniture.
- Loneliness and boredom: Your cat is often completely alone, has too little activity, and/or suffers from separation pain very quickly when you are not at home.
- A new addition to the family: You have a child, have a new life partner, or adopt another pet.
- Hardly any retreat: Your cat has no shelter to retreat to.
- Conflicts with other animals: Territorial fights with other cats or animals can be stressful.
- Change of food: You suddenly change your cat’s food for a new type of food.
Symptoms: This Is How You Recognize the Psychogenic Leak Alopecia in Cats
You can recognize alopecia by the typical hairless areas that your cat inflicts on itself through increased cleaning behavior. You can usually find these where your cat can easily reach with the tongue – for example in the area of the stomach, paws, or inner thighs.
The hairless areas do not always stay dry and inconspicuous. There are a lot of bacteria on your cat’s rough tongue that can get into the skin when you lick it.
The result: the skin becomes inflamed and wet. In addition, the areas can swell and redden. In severe cases, the affected cats move less because the skin hurts.