Allergy, itching, etc.

kittykaren

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Hi everyone. I hope I don't sound crazy here but I am clutching at straws to figure out why my kitty, Misty is so itchy for such a long time.

It started in January of 2006 with a slight shake of the head. I had her ears checked, they were fine.

A few months later, it persisted so I had her check again and I was told her ears are fine, they're clean and the vet didn't see anything wrong. She then had a urinary tract infection and went on antibiotics for about 3 weeks and I figured if there was some sort of ear infection going unnoticed, the antibiotic would help that too.

The Urinary infection is long gone and the head shaking gets worse and worse and still the vets (3 different vets) say they don't see a problem. So I'm thinking maybe it's an allergy. But now I have to think of what she might be allergic to. Misty is 9 years old and for 7 1/2 years she was fine then suddenly the head shaking.

So I was thinking and thinking of what changed in January of 2006 and the very one thing I did that month was I bought a down feather mattress topper for my bed. Misty sleeps on my bed every day.

So my question is this. Would it be silly for me to think that she could actually be allergic to this mattress topper? When I was a kid I had allergies to certain feather pillows so that's what made me think of it. Also the fact that the very month Misty's problem started was the month I bought that thing for my bed.

Does anyone think it could be the culprit? Or am I just fooling myself thinking I might have found the cure? I'm so baffled by the problem that I am willing to do anything to help make her comfortable. All the ear flushes and panalog has not helped so I'm at my whits end here to find a way to help Misty.


Anyone have any ideas?

Thanks.

Karen
 

sharky

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it could be but my first question is what is the cat eating>>>??
 
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kittykaren

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I am in the process of doing this now. I just removed it and I vacuumed the mattress and boxspring and I vacuumed and mopped under the bed which is a place Misty likes to go. I am leaving sheets off the bed for now and will put them on before we go to bed tonight. I'm thinking maybe letting some air get to the mattress during the day today might help too. I will see if there is any improvement. I sure hope so because this has been going on too long already and we all know that an itch can be very disturbing and uncomfortable. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this might help. Thank you for your reply.

Also, I meant to say that her food has not changed but that doesn't mean she isn't allergic or has some sort of deficiency from the food. That is another angle I am working on with the vet but she said to do one thing at a time so we can pinpoint the problem better. Misty currently eats Fancy Feast (not the best food I am told) and she also eats Hills Prescription ID for her tummy. She used to be on Hill's X/D for Calcium Oxalate stones but she vomits that one up. We will probably start switching her to something more natural like Wellness or something. But Misty is a picky eater and she doesn't like changes in her diet so I am taking one step at a time. She's 9 years old which isn't the terribly young but she's also not so old that she shouldn't have many more years of happy living. Her brother Tino diet this past December at 9 years old but that was a rare case.

This new vet I am seeing is very involved in natural treatment to the extent possible. She recommended a book named "Pets at Risk" and gave me literature about hormonal imbalances in pets going undiagnosed and untreated and how many illnesses stem from these imbalances. So I'm looking into that angle as well. I am waiting to see what her blood work says.

I love Misty so much, I just want her to be happy and comfortable and live a fun, enjoyable life.
 

barb0802

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My cat is having the exact same problem. he is 17 yrs old and it started with head shaking and progressed into VERY intense scratching. He'll curl into a ball and get so involved in the scratching that he has fallen down the stairs. I've taken him to 2 vets. No ear mites. The 2nd one thought it was his teeth and pulled them. Still scratching. Then he gave him a cortisone shot after I told him that it started after we moved in with my boyfriend. He believes he's allergic to something in the house. The cortisone worked for about 2 weeks that's it. Then the Dr. gave me prednisone pills, well, I've given him 10 so far (every other day) and the symptoms almost seem to be getting worse.

Sorry I can't help you, but I'm glad to see that there is someone else with the same problem. How can a vet be stumped??? why can't they find out what's wrong.? my cat is miserable...

P.S My cat has been eating fancy feast for more than 7 years... could that be a connection?????
 

sharky

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Originally Posted by KittyKaren

I am in the process of doing this now. I just removed it and I vacuumed the mattress and boxspring and I vacuumed and mopped under the bed which is a place Misty likes to go. I am leaving sheets off the bed for now and will put them on before we go to bed tonight. I'm thinking maybe letting some air get to the mattress during the day today might help too. I will see if there is any improvement. I sure hope so because this has been going on too long already and we all know that an itch can be very disturbing and uncomfortable. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this might help. Thank you for your reply.

Also, I meant to say that her food has not changed but that doesn't mean she isn't allergic or has some sort of deficiency from the food. That is another angle I am working on with the vet but she said to do one thing at a time so we can pinpoint the problem better. Misty currently eats Fancy Feast (not the best food I am told) and she also eats Hills Prescription ID for her tummy. She used to be on Hill's X/D for Calcium Oxalate stones but she vomits that one up. We will probably start switching her to something more natural like Wellness or something. But Misty is a picky eater and she doesn't like changes in her diet so I am taking one step at a time. She's 9 years old which isn't the terribly young but she's also not so old that she shouldn't have many more years of happy living. Her brother Tino diet this past December at 9 years old but that was a rare case.

This new vet I am seeing is very involved in natural treatment to the extent possible. She recommended a book named "Pets at Risk" and gave me literature about hormonal imbalances in pets going undiagnosed and untreated and how many illnesses stem from these imbalances. So I'm looking into that angle as well. I am waiting to see what her blood work says.

I love Misty so much, I just want her to be happy and comfortable and live a fun, enjoyable life.
I have a dog with a hormone inbalence and allergies
... BOth are relatively easy to manage.... If you try a new food try a simple chn and rice or lamb and rice
 
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