Friday, September 20, 2013

annual inspection

I've missed some blogging time partly because things have been a little crazy with so many extra cats to care for and because of this:


My laptop screen got all wonky. Having a big bar in the middle of the screen that blocks everything is very annoying! So after some research, I figured I would try to replace the display screen. The trickiest part would be to remove the thin piece of glass without breaking it. The YouTube video made it look so easy. So, I decided to give it a go and how did it go? Well this picture tells the story...


So much for easy! After picking off all the shattered glass, I managed to replace the display screen and am now using it sans-glass! The new screen works great. When the new glass I ordered from Amazon.com arrives on Saturday, I'll install it and all will be good as new for a fraction of the cost.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday I brought Oliver to the vet for his annual inspection and shots.


He was not a fan of my idea and fired up his lasers.


I've been growing more concerned about his over-grooming. The fur between his back legs has been over groomed for years and now he's starting to remove the fur from his sides too. I don't know why he's doing this and the vet didn't really know either. They tested him for fleas and he had none (Yea!) We ruled out mites because the other outdoor cats would be suffering from them too.


We are going to start by removing fish from his diet. The vet said the most common food allergy problem in cats is fish. Seems like a good place to start. Anyone know of any causes for a cat to groom off their furs?

12 comments:

  1. My best friend has a cat that severely over grooms. She is allergic to just about everything. So in her case it is an allergy. A severe allergy. I hope you find a simple fix for Oliver....and your computer.

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  2. our foster girl Licorice did it....but she came with lice (say it with us...ewwwww). we fixed that and switched her to chick-hen canned food to avoid fish and grains. seems to be working. poor Oliver (and darn about the computer)

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  3. Cats can also over-groom from stress. You might try Grannick's Bitter Apple Dabber for Cats to stop the over- grooming. It tastes terrible and is a good deterrent.

    Good news on the display repair job!

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  4. Any chance Oliver is having pee problems? Not likely if he's had this for years, but he might be working back there because he has problems 'going'.

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  5. Aww, poor Oliver. We hope it is a simple solution for him. Sending purrs and pawsitive thoughts his way. XOXO

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  6. We can't imagine what's going on except an allergy. How about a short course of steroids to see if the licking stops to try and determine if it's behavioral or physical?

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  7. I have heard of some cats over-grooming due to stress.

    So sorry you had problems with your computer .. I can only begin to imagine how frustrated you were.

    Hoping it all gets better soon!


    Pet lovers please check out my homeless cat blog archives for some informative posts and stories about the cat abandoned/feral colony I manage.

    Debby in Arizona
    http://homelesscatcare.blogspot.com/

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  8. I was going to say allergies. Maybe the vet will consider steroids as my Tortie Admiral got for hers and she barbered herself steadily until she got her shot. Allergy tests on him would be great.

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  9. I've had a cat who over groomed because of a combination of flea allergy and stress (the stress of being new to a multi-cat household). Once she, the other cats and the house had been flea-blitzed; and she'd settled in (plenty of water bowls, litter trays and hidey-holes) it cleared up nicely.

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  10. Over grooming can always be from stress if allergies are ruled out. Hope Oliver was found well and fit otherwise. Wow, you are brave to work on your computer like that. My MacBook Air has been acting up and I have to mail it in, but don't know how I'll do without. Janet

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  11. My cat Lia litterally pulled her furr out. I put her on an hypoalergenic food and the problem solved itself out. As she started throwing up after I bought the second Hypoalergenic kibble from Royal canin, I opted for super premium kibble with a high % of meat and no grain. If it's allergies, the better choices are duck, venison.

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  12. My cat Lia litterally pulled her furr out. I put her on an hypoalergenic food and the problem solved itself out. As she started throwing up after I bought the second Hypoalergenic kibble from Royal canin, I opted for super premium kibble with a high % of meat and no grain. If it's allergies, the better choices are duck, venison.

    ReplyDelete

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