My cat has begun to pull his fur out while grooming. At first, I thought it might be an allergic reaction, as was indicated by a Google search, but I have since dismissed that theory. My cat is not overgrooming, he's just grooming normally (I also removed several things that might be causing an allergic reaction: room fresheners and diet change - no change). My cat is indoor only.
What I have noticed is that my cat no longer 'chews' when grooming. This behavior has been replaced by pulling the fur out wholesale. I have three cats, and while grooming they all pause and seem to 'nibble' or 'chew' on a certain area for a moment, before moving on. I've always assumed this is normal behavior. My cat now no longer does this, and is instead pulling his fur out.
Question: Why is my cat doing this? Is there something I can do to prevent it?
Important Factors:
- I noticed this change shortly after my cat had dental surgery. He had a lot of teeth removed, including almost all of his molars, and one lower incisor. Aside from the incisor, his front teeth remain intact. I'm beginning to wonder if this lack of teeth is causing my cat to pull his fur out, though I'm not sure why it would.
- I no longer let my cat eat dry food, due to the surgery mentioned above. He wants to eat it, but cannot chew it. This results in him swallowing it whole, where it sits in a lump in his stomach and slowly expands with the moisture (the food is very hard and dry). I let my cat have small amounts of dry food on occasion, but otherwise feed him only canned wet food (which he eats fine cut up).
Let me know if you need more information, and thanks for your time!