My tomcat bites himself like crazy

Alcarohtare

Alcarohtare

Jedi
I know it's normal at some extent for felines to, say, play with themselves but this fella has very strange behavior. I had at least 5 cats so far and none of them wasn't that extreme with biting, growling, 'screaming' and pulling off their fur so much. In that moment he acts like a wild beast you better not touch. :shock:

He eats mostly raw meet and fish, sometimes hard cream or fresh cheese,
he's healthy.
He is a mollycoddle actually, but has that strange attacks of self violation, and i wonder what is possible background of his extreme changes in mood/behaviour?
Has he been hooked on with 'something'? :huh:
 
When you say raw meat and fish, is this muscle meat or organ meat? Is the cream and cheese from raw dairy?
 
Eliminate dairy stuff from your cat's diet. It is a big no no. Dairy causes hotspots on cat's skin similar to how humans get acne.


Ytain
 
Thanks for responses.
It is mostly muscle meat, occasionally organ meat. I cut the heads from fatty fish, he likes them.
Also likes fish fillets, refuses anything cooked.
Dairy is raw, i suppose, but anyway he gets it only if i haven't got anything else and he doesn't actually prefer dairy.
I live with my mother and brother, and when i'm absent they are giving him what's available.
In all other cases, i'm a main pet supervisor.

So the cause of his strange behaviour could be eventual slips in his diet?
 
Do not feed fish, cause fish contains an enzyme (thiaminase) that destroys thiamine in cats leading to neurological and seizure problems. Also fish tend to give too much histamines to a cat according to these links:
_http://www.littlebigcat.com/nutrition/why-fish-is-dangerous-for-cats/
_http://catnutrition.wordpress.com/2007/09/22/eight-strikes-against-fishy-feeding-for-cats/

Have you seen in nature a wild cat fishing? Are you doing enough research?

Ytain
 
Thank you, Ytain.
No, i haven't seen cats fishing. Obviously, only because something tastes good doesn't mean it's a good food.
And i certainly haven't gave that much attention to a nutrition.
Meat only, then. :grad:
 
lux12 said:
Thanks for responses.
It is mostly muscle meat, occasionally organ meat. I cut the heads from fatty fish, he likes them.
Also likes fish fillets, refuses anything cooked.
Dairy is raw, i suppose, but anyway he gets it only if i haven't got anything else and he doesn't actually prefer dairy.
I live with my mother and brother, and when i'm absent they are giving him what's available.
In all other cases, i'm a main pet supervisor.

So the cause of his strange behaviour could be eventual slips in his diet?
Click to expand...

There are some nutrients that cats only get from raw organ meats (especially liver & heart) or from supplementation. If you aren't going to use prepared cat foods then you need to learn how to prepare your own. If the cat is malnourished, strange behavior would not be surprising, I don't think.
 
ytain said:
Do not feed fish, cause fish contains an enzyme (thiaminase) that destroys thiamine in cats leading to neurological and seizure problems. Also fish tend to give too much histamines to a cat according to these links:
_http://www.littlebigcat.com/nutrition/why-fish-is-dangerous-for-cats/
_http://catnutrition.wordpress.com/2007/09/22/eight-strikes-against-fishy-feeding-for-cats/
Click to expand...

feeding fish in moderation will not cause B1 deficiency nor histamine overdose, especially if the fish is lightly cooked.
ytain said:
Have you seen in nature a wild cat fishing? Are you doing enough research?

Ytain
Click to expand...
In fact cats are such opportune predators that they even fish in the wild, fishing cat from Asia being the best at this
_http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fishing_cat
 
Herr Eisenheim said:
...
feeding fish in moderation will not cause B1 deficiency nor histamine overdose, especially if the fish is lightly cooked.
ytain said:
Have you seen in nature a wild cat fishing? Are you doing enough research?

Ytain
Click to expand...
In fact cats are such opportune predators that they even fish in the wild, fishing cat from Asia being the best at this
_http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fishing_cat
Click to expand...

I figured they probably would catch small fish if they could. But those fish don't come in cans!

What I can't visualize is a domestic-sized cat trying to bring down a cow. And yet they seem to do OK on beef and beef liver, although I wouldn't feed that as the only thing.

You have to be careful with cooked food, including the kind that is cooked in a can. We have evolved to synthesize our own nutrients to replace those that are critical and that are lost in cooking. Cats aren't quite there yet.
 
Some time ago, I was channel surfing and paused to watch a show about a couple who owned 2 or 3 cats. One of them was particularly vicious, biting or hissing at the owners. She would not allow anyone to pet her. She would not use the litter box, instead would do her business beside it.

They called in an expert to solve this problem, as they did not simply want to get rid of the cat. As it turned out, the cat had autoimmune problems/arthritis like joint pain or something along that line. Once the cat was treated for this, its temperament totally turned around. The owners also changed the litter box, making it easier for the cat to step into and the problem was solved.

It is possible that your cat has some health issue, such as dermatitis, causing itching and that's why it bites itself and pulls out its hair? Or maybe fleas? Just some thoughts after watching the show with a kinda similar situation with a cat.
 
Hi lux12. Have you examined his skin to see if he has fleas? If you see anything that resembles black pepper, that would probably be flea dirt/dried blood. One flea can drive an animal crazy. Best places to check are the belly or their back near the tail.
 
Hi lux12,

I am just wondering, do you have another cat in your house??

The reason I ask is that my cat acts just like what you describes - biting, growling, screaming, and licking his fur like crazy - when he smells other cats.
I only have him (one cat) at home. He was a very friendly and adorable cat until one day, we had to keep another cat in a house just for one night. He started growling like he had never done before in a house, so I put him on a leash and experimented to see what happens when he sees the other cat - btw that was a bad idea!. When he spotted the other cat hiding in a corner, he started acting in frenzy. Nothing could stop him after he was on a "fighting mode", so I had to lock him up downstairs for a whole night. Next day, when another cat was gone I released him, but it took a while for him to get used to and be back on the "normal state". He looked really anxious when he went into the room where the other cat was kept.

So I think that some cats do not get along with another cats at all. In fact, cats are very sensitive to a smell, so if he smells other cats in a house from clothing, cushions, curtains and so on, it can trigger his fighting instinct at any time osit. Cats have their own territories, and some cats can be fierce to fight and protect it.
 
Hi everybody,
This is my cat pal whom i found, while i was walking in the woods, as blind kitten all alone crying for his mother, nine months ago.
Somebody surely got rid of him.
When i took him in my arms, he crawled on my shoulder and stopped crying, like i'm his cat mother.
I decided to take him home with me, and fed him with goat milk on medical syringe. I had only him at the time and i still have, no other pets.
Other cats are always around 'cause i feed them occasionally, cannot help myself. Neighbors dog also gets attention from my mother, brother
and myself, he's frequently in our yard.
I don't think my tomcat has fleas, as he wears protective collar against external parasites, i didn't see any.
He has densely, beautiful shiny coat, not a trace of dermatitis.
The thing he does is not too much scratching or licking, gosh, he acts like he needs a cat exorcist. It's a pity my camera isn't here.

His diet is the best from all other cats i've ever had, as he did not ever ate canned cat food or briquets like prrevious did,
he should be the healthiest and yet he's the most strange cat i've ever met, with one of the most beautiful eyes too.
He eats mostly what i eat, only lower in fat and raw.
Therefore, i am confused pretty much actually.

Thanks.
 
Megan said:
What I can't visualize is a domestic-sized cat trying to bring down a cow. And yet they seem to do OK on beef and beef liver, although I wouldn't feed that as the only thing.
Click to expand...
yes but its always best to try and stay as close as possible to natural diet, this means mostly menu of rodents and birds, i.e poultry and rabbits ( although rabbits are recently not classified as rodents anymore) as explained in detail on this website www.catinfo.org
 
I heard of this behavior many times, sometimes the cause is boredom, sometimes frustration and sometimes there is no discernible cause or underlying health issues.
Some cats go as far as removing all the hair from their bellies. I really wouldn't worry that much, as long as he is energetic, of good appetite, bright eyed and bushy-tailed.

Of course if you have an extra buck its always a good idea to routinely go for a general blood test, perhaps every 2 years or so.
 
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