Help! Multiple sores and scabs (Pictures)! Allergies? Mange??

Hey folks,
It's been a while since I was last on, but these past few months have been CRAZY with this ridiculous cat of mine, Garbanzo. I'll try to make the explanation brief.

She was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism and went onto carbimizole. Thyroid level evened out, she gained weight, everything was looking OK. She was throwing up every now and then, but it was an early reaction to the meds and that stopped after a while as well. She very picky about taking her meds, but I make sure she gets it, no matter what.

We went out of town for a week and a half, and our friends who took care of her were not good about making sure she took her pill. As a result, she missed 7-8 doses in 10 days. She was sickly thin and exhausted when we returned . Needless to say, I've since hired a cat sitter for out of town trips. I nursed her back to health in about two weeks, being super-diligent about feeding, hydration and her pill.

Following that, we went out of town again for a weekend, and when I got back she had started to develop dark scabs around her eyes and in her ears. She was lethargic and wouldn't eat, though the pet sitter noted she ate fine while we were gone. I checked under her collar, and she had scratched a huge, raw sore the size of a nickel where the metal clasp on the collar sat. Assuming it was earmites that had spread badly, I immediately gave her a dose of Revolution (flea med) and took her to the vet the next day.

The vet noted that there was no evidence of fleas or mites, and her sores were a "textbook case" of an allergic reaction to medication. However, she said it was unlikely that her thyroid pill was the source, as the allergy would have shown up the first week or two she started taking it. She got a steroid shot and the cat version of Benadryl. When she got home, she went straight to the food bowl and got her energy back. It was touch and go the next few days, to the point where I almost took her to the vet again, but her sore started to heal and she was eating really well for the next week.

So today we just got back from a three day beach trip (cat sitter again). Her sore looks worse than the first time I discovered it, as she's clearly been scratching and licking at it, and now the area around and above her eyes are swollen and scabby, as well as all over her ears and now her paws!!

Pics (sorry a little fuzzy; she wouldn't stay in one place):

Scabs on her ears:


Neck from the side:


Scabs above/around her eyes:




Paws (one mangy toe on each paw):


I'm convinced that this can't be simply an allergy, as what kind of allergy "spreads" like this, to the paws? After some research I'm pretty sure it's mange or scabies of some sort. Have any of you had kitties with mange before? Are there home remedies?

One final note: I am trying to avoid the vet by ANY means, I mean total last resort. On top of all the other complications, she's part of a medication study for the vet where we get all her meds for free, but she's had to go to the vet a lot for blood work. She's been to the vet at least 7 times in the past three months, and she seems to get even more stressed out and lose hair after every visit, sometimes throwing up. Don't get me wrong, I think my vet is awesome; but even she agrees that it's highly possible that getting stuck in the cat carrier and coming to the vet so much has really stressed her out.

Thanks in advance for any help!

Originally Posted by RosyC

We went out of town for a week and a half, and our friends who took care of her were not good about making sure she took her pill. As a result, she missed 7-8 doses in 10 days. She was sickly thin and exhausted when we returned

.

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Originally Posted by RosyC

Following that, we went out of town again for a weekend, and when I got back she had started to develop dark scabs around her eyes and in her ears. She was lethargic and wouldn't eat, though the pet sitter noted she ate fine while we were gone. I checked under her collar, and she had scratched a huge, raw sore the size of a nickel where the metal clasp on the collar sat.

Click to expand...

Originally Posted by RosyC

So today we just got back from a three day beach trip (cat sitter again). Her sore looks worse than the first time I discovered it, as she's clearly been scratching and licking at it, and now the area around and above her eyes are swollen and scabby, as well as all over her ears and now her paws!!

Click to expand...

Originally Posted by RosyC

She's been to the vet at least 7 times in the past three months, and she seems to get even more stressed out and lose hair after every visit, sometimes throwing up. Don't get me wrong, I think my vet is awesome; but even she agrees that it's highly possible that getting stuck in the cat carrier and coming to the vet so much has really stressed her out.

Click to expand...

Sounds to me like it is more a stress related condition that she is doing to herself. She doesn't like it when you leave -or maybe she doesn't like your new cat sitter! And she doesn't like going to the vet. These things could have combined to cause a stress-related behavior.

So how would you address that? Stay home and don;t take her to the vet I guess. lol If you HAVE to go out of town again, maybe try another pet sitter. It doesn't mean the one you have been using is "bad" or anything. But some cats just don;t like certain people you know? Something about her may be stressing her out - or perhaps it is just the fact that you are gone.

Just my 2 cents. I wish you the best of luck with this!

ETA: oh and try Feliway diffusers in your house - they have made a HUGE difference in my house and at the shelter I work at. Also you can spray the inside of the cat carrier about an hour before you go to the vet and that seems to help de-stress.

oh my poor kitty i do know what your going throw, my cat has this problem too she has server flea alergy, although it cleared up for almost 6 months it is now back she has sore on her belly legs paws eyes and mouth, she has to have a flea shout every 4 weeks and also have a normal flea treatment. she is no longer allowed outside and all my pets need to be checked nearly everyday for any signs of fleas, my house is cleaned from top too bottom every 2 weeks. A lot of work i know but my kitty feels so much better. Ill post some pics in a moment

these were all i could get as she isnt very happy at the moment after having another round of injections but they clear her up, also i forgot to mention we clean her sores with medical wipes that you can use to clean cuts and then apply nappy rash cream this helps stop the weeping and red ness. As you can see hers are clearing up after the injection, we try to keep an eye out for the slightst sign its coming back and get her in for a shot asap.

UPDATE!

Called the vet first thing this morning, and it's gotten so bad that she insisted that I bring her in immediately. Since I've been at work, she called and informed me that it is, indeed, an allergic reaction, most likely to her thyroid meds. She gave her a skin scrape and found zero evidence of mites or fleas.

Now here's the bad part: I was a total fool and forgot that the last time I took her to the vet, we were going to go without her meds for a week to see if that was what was causing the allergy. Unfortunately, I completely blanked, with all the business and travel, and kept her on her daily regimen, and I'm afraid it just made her sicker. I think it's likely that the stress of us going out of town makes it worse, but this is definitely a clear allergic reaction.

Not only that... she hasn't gained the weight that we were hoping she'd gain while on the meds; in fact, she's lost weight from the first time we ever brought her in. This could be indicative of something besides hyperthyroidism... like cancer . In the meantime, we're just going to take her off her meds and see if it clears up the allergies, and then look for alternatives such as thyroid surgery or radiation.

I got the update from the vet right before lunchtime, and I totally lost it in front of my workmates at lunch. I don't want her to be sick anymore, and I'm afraid that I'm just making her sicker . I've put so much energy into trying to take care of her, and sometimes I feel like I'm the only one in my household who gives a crap... I just want her to be healthy! It's so frustrating.