Does treatment with clomipramine reduce cat psychogenic alopecia?

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Medicine
• Animal Behavior

Background:

• Psychogenic alopecia in cats is characterized by excessive grooming.
• Behavioral and environmental therapies are common treatments, but their efficacy varies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of clomipramine in reducing overgrooming and alopecia in cats.
• To compare clomipramine treatment against untreated cats with psychogenic alopecia.

Main Methods:

• A single pseudo-randomized controlled study was reviewed.
• Outcomes included owner-reported grooming episodes and clinical improvement, alongside veterinary-assessed alopecia and hair regrowth.

Main Results:

• The study found no evidence that clomipramine alone reduced grooming episodes.
• Clomipramine did not significantly improve alopecia or hair regrowth in affected cats.

Conclusions:

• Current evidence suggests clomipramine is not effective for treating psychogenic alopecia in cats when used alone.
• Further high-quality research, including randomized double-blind controlled trials, is necessary to ascertain the efficacy of clomipramine, potentially in combination with other therapies.