HELP - Advice Needed

Hi, we have a 3 year old cat called Jo Jo who has a severe allergy to fleas.

We have been using Frontline Combo and Hibbiscrub as recommended by the vet but even though this has made improvements it is still not enough. She is still always covered in scabs that she makes bleed and are often weeping, these scabs / sores are all over her body. She looks such a sorry sight, is there anything else we can do for her to keep this more under control?

Any advice appreciated.

Thanks

My dog used to have a flea allergy many yrs ago, always scratching. When I discovered Advantage, she's never had a problem since. My oldest son used to have a flea alergy, then I used to bomb the house each spring.
My present cat, Blossom, now 1 y/o has never had a flea & I use Revolution on her. I guess that since the dogs have always been treated with Advantage & very occassionally Frontline Plus we've managed to keep the fleas at bay.
Good luck in finding a cure, I know how frustrating it is to see you pet continually scratching.

Are you keeping her totally inside so she doesn't have any contact with fleas? Has the house been treated for fleas? Does she have any fleas on her now?

You have to work on a flea-free house/cat before she can heal from the allergy. I'd talk to your vet again and see what else can be done to help her.

Is she eating healthy cat food? (Do a search, "food" in health forum)

Usually a healthy pet who eats non-grocery store food will not have health problems.

She probably needs a bath with unscented soap or unscented shampoo too.

If you have an aloe vera plant, you could put some on her sores after her bath.

We have on occassion dabbed soars with "providone iodine swabsticks" found at your local drug store. It keeps infection down and seems to clear the soars up really fast... Bag Balm is always a good option as well. The skin is going to dry out more as part of the healing process, bag balm would help you stay ahead of that where as the swabsticks won't. You want to be careful not to irritate the already sensitive/damaged skin more. I've had the same issue with my dog and one cat (neither of the two I have now) in the past. My vet recomended using Johnsons Baby Shampoo until her skin was better, or forever if I wanted too. He said it wouldn't dry her skin out and fleas don't like it so they would be less attracted to her. I didn't use Johnsons because as a groomer I was always taught that human shampoo is for humans, dog shampoo is for dogs, etc... I did find a reallly nice moisurizing dog shampoo. I can't remember what it was called now, it's been a while... Worked for us... I've read about putting a little vinegar in the water to help rid of fleas too. Never tried it myself but sounds logical.

Ask your vet about trying a medicated shampoo. That could help relieve a lot of the itching. I know this has worked for me on 2 different cats in the past.