Today, my sister told me about a website that explained why our stressed cat has been obsessively pulling out the fur on her legs. Interested, I asked for a link. Not just out of deep concern for the cat, but because I have the same problem. FML
Collection
Fall
Dead leaves, the first cold of the season and an umbrella flipped inside out: fall, the season of grace.
Today, my sister is nursing an injured cat back to health in our home because she accidentally hit it with her car. Now I can't decide which is contributing more to my insomnia: the incessant meowing, or the constant itching because our house is infested with fleas. FML
Today, my girlfriend's cat adores me. I can't sit down without her jumping on my lap and purring. The cat is also overweight, with very sharp claws, and likes to knead on my legs. My legs look like I lost a fight with a thorn bush. FML
Today, I was half asleep when my cat came over to cuddle. I was petting her in the dark when I felt what I thought was a patch of matted fur under her neck, as if she had been injured and bleeding. Alarmed, I felt for that spot again and found myself holding her tail. What I'd felt was in fact my cat's anus. FML
Today, I saw my cat licking something on the side of the road and went to check what it was. It was someone's old cigarette. I now know why she wants to be let out so often: She's addicted to nicotine. FML
Today, I was at my friend's house, when she commented that her dog's fur kept getting tangled because of its length. I reached over to tickle his tummy, felt a big tangled knot and agreed that he needed a good grooming. Then I realized what I'd grabbed wasn't fur. FML
Today, while waiting the required 5 minutes for my hair removal cream to work, my cat rubbed all over my legs while I wasn't looking. After getting clawed to death throwing her in the bath to get the cream off, all her hair on that side fell off. I now have a half hairless cat. FML
Today, my cat is extremely sick and has trouble grooming himself. As evidenced by his butt. He laid on me for a while and it wasn't until a few minutes after he got off that I realized he had stained my pants. That also explains why my chair suddenly looks so nasty, and why my room smells horrible. FML
Today, I spent an hour cleaning up cat hair from every surface in my house, only for my cat to immediately jump up on the counter and shed her fur all over again. I guess I'll just admit defeat. FML
Today, I found out after $200 worth of checks and tests, three rugs being ruined from her peeing and pooping on them, that my cat isn't sick. She just has really bad separation anxiety. FML
Today, I realized my cat has a foot fetish. She keeps randomly flopping over on my feet while I'm walking, and will lick my toes if I am barefooted. I have absolutely no idea where this came from, but it makes me super uncomfortable. Even my other cat looks at her like she's gone insane. FML
Feel like sharing it with the other FML users?
Thanks, your FML was submitted, and will appear in the moderation queue soon!
Top comments
Saone_fml 27
You have fleas. :(
\ 28
There's also this strange condition called "trichotillomania" where people compulsively pick at their hair. Brought on by a variety of factors.
Add a comment · Reply to
You must be logged in to be able to post comments!
Comments (67)
celebgil 1
It really does sound like trichotillomania, I have it mildly compared to some sufferers. I know of people who have pulled out so much hair they have to wear wigs. It's on the same spectrum as self harm, and that sort of thing. Please do go to a doctor OP, there are treatments for this. Get well soon.
dcam13 19
...
Juicenub 25
I think it might be a good idea to visit a vet.
DotDootyDot 17
You have trichotillomania, my friend. It is horrible, embarrassing and people often mistake it for "attention seeking" (even though no trickster I've ever known, including myself, has ever wanted the attention brought by self harm). Hopefully now that you know the name of your condition, you can find a way to learn how to control it! Be strong, you are not alone!
NBree 3
Not the same thing, moron. Sounds like you may suffer from trichotillomania. A website about cats will not help you.
quarks09 3
They're right, trichotillomania is pretty serious. You should talk to someone. And since You're probably not a cat, that should rather be a psychologist/therapist, not a website about cats. Good luck.
letsgooo_fml 23
Take your cat to the vet!
danielleg49 1
I have a degree in psych. It sounds like Trichotillomania too me. It's a compulsive disorder, which means that the person has the urge to pull hair from different parts of their body. This can be caused by an imbalanced in the brain chemistry or it could run in the family. A person with this disorder can go to cognitive behavioral therapy or be put on medication. It can be easily corrected. I am not a doctor or diagnosing you with Trichotillomania. However, I would see a doctor since this disorder (if you have it) can relate to others like OCD and anxiety.
JMichael 26
Most likely a lot of it is probably stress. You could find out the factor that's causing the stress as see if you can't cut that out of your life. Or seek professional help.
musicnole 8
OP, this is definitely trichotillomania, and I know this because I have it! Instead of biting my nails or twirling my hair, I pulled out my eyelashes for years. It's not unhealthy but it is a little strange, so I worked on stress management and "breaking the habit". I can now say after 13 years I have removed the habit. Therapy can help too! Hope you find the help you need!
ShayMarie99 15
I compulsively pull my eyelashes out, too. I'm going on six years. It's not a fun thing to go through.
sonictardis 8
I went back and forth with my brows, lashes and hair. I'll still do it sometimes, but now it's almost to the point where I don't have to fill in my brows anymore, eyelashes are back & hair is fine. I used to make excuses about why my lashes were gone though :/