Can You Offer Stressed Out Elton a Home?

---

Moggie can't cope with cattery and is tearing his fur out

Stressed out stray puss Elton is so anxious for a home he has started tearing his fur out.

The eight-year-old black moggie, being looked after at the RSPCA’s Southall Cattery, is suffering from a condition that means he over-grooms himself when he becomes worried.

Staff at the cattery believe Elton, who already has bald patches on his face and body, needs a home urgently before he does any more damage to himself.

Animal care assistant Hayley Willis said the stray, who was found in East London and brought to the centre in May, cannot cope with life in the cattery. She said:

“There isn’t enough stimulation for him here because he is kept in a pen, so he resorts to pulling his fur out in frustration.
“He just loves to be around people and needs an owner who can spend at least a couple of hours a day with him and give him lots of fuss.
“Elton has been over-grooming since he got here but the situation is getting worse. Of all our cats he is the one in most urgent need of a home.”

Some animal experts believe excessive grooming is a type of obsessive-compulsive behaviour.

Cats wash and groom themselves for relaxation but they can overdo it when they feel stressed or anxious, leading to bald patches and even skin damage.

Despite his problems Elton is very relaxed around other cats and could settle equally well into a home where he is the only pet or one with other sociable moggies.

 

13th June 2012