Soothables Cool Aid By Lorianna on Oct 24, 2007 - Updated Sep 18, 2011

Several years ago, my cat had a compulsive licking problem: he would over-groom, continuing to lick his back and sides until there were bare spots, or worse, until the skin bled. One of the things I had tried to stop this was Soothables Cool Aid. When I had first found it online, it seemed the answer to our problem: this spray is said to help with skin irritation and stop compulsive licking in cats and dogs. The bitter-tasting spray is to be applied directly on the affected areas; it is supposed to have a cooling, soothing effect, and the unpleasant taste should discourage the animal from licking.

I thought it was going to work when I had first applied it: my cat tried to lick, made a face and spat; then he did not go back to licking for about an hour. But then the bitter taste wore off, and the cat started licking again. This had happened every time I used Soothables Cool Aid, day after day. It would work only for an hour or so, which was not enough to break the habit. I had to continue my search for the cure. Soothables Cool Aid did not help.