Hi everyone,

So, i posted in the behaviour section the other day here http://www.bengalcatforums.com/forums/v ... php?t=4514

To summarize, my 1.5yr old neutered male has an obsessional problem of biting his privates. We have ruled out ongoing urinary problems with negative results on urinalysis and cultures, and have tried antihistamines to see if there is a general skin irritation with no luck. We are settling on the fact that this is a behaviourally mediated problem now and I'm seeking further advice for treatment.

I have a phone consultation with my vet this afternoon, and have booked the soonest possible appointment with a behaviourist in two weeks.

Taz is getting a little easier going over the past few days, and is definitely made HUGE improvements reacquainting with his previous feline friend Belle that he parted with over the holidays. He's now sniffing faces across a door that's a crack open without hissing a lot of the time... no aggression anymore.

But, the issue still stands and he does seem to have an unexplained interest in overgrooming leading to biting of specifically his penis.

I have a few questions:

1. Why does he have tendencies to self-mutilate his privates when he gets stressed? As a solution, in addition to the obvious lifestyle modifications I can figure out on my own (such as reduce stress as much as possible, increase interaction as much as possible by teaching tricks etc.) does this still warrant intervention with anti-obsessional medication for a periodic problem? is he maybe experiencing more generalized anxiety than i might know about that would also benefit intervention with medication and improve his overall lifestyle?

2. for anti-obsessional medications, often tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) or selective seretonin reuptake inhibitors are prescribed (SSRIs). SSRIs seem to be more common for obsessive disorders wheras TCAs are more common for anxiety problems. Does anyone have any input or experience as to which medications me be preferred in this situation? There are a variety of both TCAs and SSRIs.

If anyone has any references to good literature, I do have subscription to many academic journals through my university. Feel free to talk in full detail, I have a MSc in neuroscience (human research, not animal... darn!) and know a great deal about medicine and pharmacology.

Thanks in advance,
Brian