The cat's pajamas

My catty friends know that Crumpet has had a long-standing problem with over-grooming her hind-quarters to the point at which her haunches and the underside of her tail are all but bald.

I have consulted multiple vets who have suggested it might be a flea allergy, a food allergy, a topical allergy, mites, a hormonal imbalance, or stress.

Over the three years she's been with me, I've treated the cat for fleas, mites and any other small parasite which might choose to reside upon her. I changed her diet, put her through a full course of acupuncture and a short course of steroids. I added various supplements to her food. I increased her play time and tried to eliminate stress from her already pampered and lazy existence.  I showered her with love and praise, and when that failed to reap any results, I took to calling her Baboon-butt, thinking shame might do the trick.

In the last couple of months, she's gone to the vet for vaccinations and microchip, watched the household go into disarray, with bits and pieces disappearing as I sold them, and the rest disappearing when the movers packed it up. Then I put her into a carrier for the long drive to the airport and the great adventure of flying in the livestock hold of a jet, letting her out of the carrier into a home that looks, sounds, tastes and smells like nothing she's experienced before.

This is the result I would have predicted:

Mais non!  It seems I had it all wrong. Who knew that stressing the cat to the max would solve the problem? The Crumps is once more decently and fully attired. I hope it lasts, because I'm not about to pack up and move every time she resumes this pernicious little habit.