Good luck at the vets Bam Bam-really hope they can help. Funny you should mention the senile thing Em- I have been reading up about it because Emily my eldest has gone a bit 'funny' at night..she demands a lot of attention and wants reassurance all night (she has taken to sleeping on the pillow I know I know but she's 17 what can you do!! ) but other symptoms apparently are crying a lot, staring into space or appearing 'confused', unusual affection or demands for attention...but there is little research into cat senility. However that said Bailey is unlikely to be senile he is far too young. Maybe he needs some sort of cat behaviour therapist? maybe it is psychological rather than medical. Anyway lets hope they can point you in the right direction. As for the rolled up newspaper balls..it is one of Freddie's greatest joys in life to run after pieces of paper being flicked everywhere...also stops him watching too much CBeebies lol (but don't let Penny read that bit!!! )

He sounds like a confused cat in his dotage. Hows his eyesight . Has he got Horizontal Nystigmus (eye wobble) alternatively he may have a neurological problem. or some vitamin missing in his diet.or an allergy. I think only the vet can sort this out. Penny

Hi Meow
Yes I read about it somewhere and also mentioned it to my vet when Oscar was first diagnosed diabetic, vet said it's his age, bless Oscar can be heard wailing at night sometimes and I know he is pacing about downstairs.
Obviously Bailey is unlikely to be senile but he may be suffering confusion of some sort which could be related to the sorts of issues you mention Penny.
Forgot to ask if Bailey is overweight Bam Bam
Em x

Hi Bam Bam,how did you get on at the vets? are you any closer to finding out what the problem is with Bailey?
I hope you have got some answers today?

Hi again,
Just an update on this as my wife took Bailey back to the vets today for another check up. His eyes were checked and they tested his hearing and breathing, parting what little fur he has left where he has been at his back and his skin was fine.

Basically the fur pulling is a psycological problem, no skin condition, allergies (that we know of), fleas etc etc, he's developed this habit for reasons unknown and hopefully he will grow out of it. He likened it to similar behaviour in humans biting their finger nails, mainly due to stress, anxiety, boredom etc etc.
He suggested the most likely cause would be the arrival of the 2 Siamese but couldn't be sure on that, my wife pointed out that we have had all 3 together now for coming up to 7 months and this has just started within the last 5-6 weeks...he said it may be due to the Siamese being very hyper and him being very laid back, probably a bad choice on our part pairing up 2 breeds of cat which are poles apart.
They are all still very young with Bailey at 15 months and Beau & Tia at 8 months and over time hopefully when the Siamese settle into a calmer frame of mind Bailey hopefully will stop the fur pulling.
We asked what we could do to help him and he recommended the plug in diffuser which he said does work in a lot of cases in calming a nervous disposition, he also said it wouldn't do any harm to Tia and Beau.
He didn't recommend the cream as it has been known for the cat to stop grooming altogether due to the bad taste thus creating another problem.

So my wife has ordered the plug in and if we keep giving him all the attention he asks for this may just be a passing phase and he'll cure himself. Time will tell I suppose. We have a friend who has offered to give him a break, she will look after him for a few weeks and monitor his behaviour without Tia and Beau and we wonder if this may be a good idea or make his anxiety worse.

Thanks for all your concern.

I'm very relieved for you that it's nothing physical and it's hopefully just a passing phase.
It's worth trying the diffuser Bam Bam and hopefully this will work. I've not had to use one of these myself before so I've no experience to offer there - hopefully someone else on the forum can comment on that.
I wonder about the offer to take him away from home though - It's with very good intentions I'm sure but I can't help wondering if that's going to make things worse for him when he comes back? By that I mean whether your other two cats will just take over his territory and take over, making it difficult for him to re-establish his own territory when he returns, thus making it even more difficult to settle in.
Whatever happens, I hope he recovers soon

Hi Bam Bam, it was a stress reaction then? at least you are not going to wondering and going through all sorts of reasons it could be,
It isn;t your fault, and it will probably sort itself out,but it is strange it has come on at this time and not when you first got the siamese
I dont know whether it would be a good idea to send him to another new environment or not, he will have to come back to the siamese again, and they may not accept him back

As a matter of fact i had a similiar situation with a lady who got a tonkinese kitten from me a couple of years ago, but reversed
The lady already had a Norwegian Forest cat and a siamese, strangely enough the NFC took to the kitten, slept with him and washed him, but the siamese attacked him, she asked if i would have the kitten back, of course i agreed, and was looking for another home for him, when she decided she wanted to try again, this time it didnt work either,it was worse, so had to rehome him
What i am trying to say is i wouldnt send him away to come back to the same situation,it might make things worse
Could you maybe get another similiar natured cat as a companion for him,?
I know it might not be financially convenient but otherwise i think you might have to persevere, or maybe rehome him, or the kittens
Maybe someone else has some ideas

I personally would let it run a little longer, then if he doesn't start to improve take up the offer of a temporary placement with friends (preferably where someone is at home best part of the day) see if their is an improvement after a couple of months living with them.
You will then be able to guage whether it was due to the Siamese and act accordingley. However he may still be doing it at present down to overheating ,hence stating leave it a little longer.Penny

I'm really pleased to hear Bailey is healthy Bam Bam
I agree with Penny - give it a bit longer and try the diffuser. If nothing does the trick and he is still fur pulling in a couple of months then perhaps consider your friends offer - however I think you have to be fully prepared to accept that Bailey will probably never come home again
Em x

Hi Bam Bam glad that there doesn't seem to be any underlying health issues. Hopefully the diffuser thing will work. As Penny said i would give it a bit longer see if he will settle. Maybe he has had an upset with the kittens when you have not been there which has been a trigger. Personally i would try an animal behaviour therapist too before trying to rehome him as they are all still very young and maybe it could be sorted? It makes me realise how lucky i have been with all of mine as they are one big happy gang!