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jenniferd

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The vet gave my cat a plastic cat collar to wear so he'd stopped scratching himself. That thing looks very un-comfortable and I don't know as to how the cat would even use a litter box with it on. Is there anything more comfortable out there and where can I buy it?
 

judi

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Originally Posted by jenniferd

The vet gave my cat a plastic cat collar to wear so he'd stopped scratching himself. That thing looks very un-comfortable and I don't know as to how the cat would even use a litter box with it on. Is there anything more comfortable out there and where can I buy it?
Go to a Pet store or KVVet Supplies on line. I was told that this website has the cheepest prices.
 

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Where is he scratching himself, and has the cause of the scratching been treated? There are soft Elizabethan collars that may be easier for your cat. If your cat is small enough, the top part of a tube sock can be used, either as a thick collar barrier or as a "body cast."
 
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jenniferd

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Originally Posted by cloud_shade

Where is he scratching himself, and has the cause of the scratching been treated? There are soft Elizabethan collars that may be easier for your cat. If your cat is small enough, the top part of a tube sock can be used, either as a thick collar barrier or as a "body cast."
He is scratching himself on his head and neck. I have no idea what the cause is, and the vets have no idea either. Where do I get sof Elizabethan collars?
 

judi

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Originally Posted by jenniferd

He is scratching himself on his head and neck. I have no idea what the cause is, and the vets have no idea either. Where do I get sof Elizabethan collars?
I have seen them in petstores.
 
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jenniferd

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Originally Posted by cloud_shade

I think I got mine from the vet, but you can also get them from Petfooddirect.com. You might also call local pet stores to see if they carry them.

http://www.petfooddirect.com/store/p...ite=DDI%20Link
My vet put hard plastic one on him. I took it off, because the cat wouldn't fit in a litter box with it on (I have covered litter boxes), also the cat couldn't walk with that thing on.
 
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jenniferd

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This cat doesn't ever come out from under the bed anymore, because every time I see him I have to grab him to medicate him. I wonder if I should just get him declawed so he doesn't scratch himself to death.
 

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I think it would probably be more beneficial to find out what's causing the itching. Has the vet taken skin samples or done any diagnostic treatment? It could very well be an allergy, and food allergies can be "treated" by switching to a food that doesn't have the ingredient they are allergic to. In the meantime, you might try Soft Paws, little plastic claw caps that should help blunt the claws so less damage is done.
 
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jenniferd

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Originally Posted by cloud_shade

I think it would probably be more beneficial to find out what's causing the itching. Has the vet taken skin samples or done any diagnostic treatment? It could very well be an allergy, and food allergies can be "treated" by switching to a food that doesn't have the ingredient they are allergic to. In the meantime, you might try Soft Paws, little plastic claw caps that should help blunt the claws so less damage is done.
No. Neither vet I had taken my cat to did anything of the sort. Neither one did any diagnostic treatment. My guess it's expensive and they have already charged me a ton of money. But they didn't even suggest it could be done. I don't think I can switch his food. He is on prescription food. But he has been on it for a couple of years. Could he have developed these allergies after being on the food for a couple of years?
 
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jenniferd

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Well, he did it again. He was doing o'key this whole week, and his wounds have started to heal, but today he apparently scratched himself again behind his ear. What in the world can cause this poor cat behave like this? I don't know what to do with him.
 

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If he's scratching his ears was he checked for ear mites? You can't have spent a ton of money and not had the vets check anything. If you don't know what they've checked for you might want to call them back up and ask so people can give better suggestions on what to try next. Just stopping him from scratching isn't really helpful. If he's scratching hard enough to injure the skin he has to be very uncomfortable. Ever had chicken pox or poison ivy? Remember being told not to scratch it and how hard it is? Imagine living that way with a constant very irritating itch and burning skin that you can't do anything about. Temporarily keeping him from scratching until the problem is solved is fine but just stopping the scratching without solving the reason isn't going to stop the pain. He's still going to have to live with the discomfort and then he's going to have to live with whatever measures you take to stop him from scratching. It wouldn't be a good life. Better to treat the cause instead of the symptom.

Prescription diets tend to actually not be that great. Many still contain lots of ingredients that can contribute to allergies and continued health issues. There are plenty of better foods that are not prescription it just depends what the problem is. Why was he put on the prescription food in the first place?

If it the problem only shows up for a very short amount of time with sudden severe scratching then is there something he could be getting into? Does he go outside? Cats shove their heads first into places to see if the rest of them fits so he could be walking through something that causes him skin irritation.
 
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jenniferd

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He doesn't have fleas or ear mites.
I've taken him to the vet several times each week over a period of several weeks. I can't treat the cause because I have no clue what the cause it, and vet never told me what's causing it, because the vet doesn't have a clue. He is on prescription cat food because of urinary problems. I don't even know how to temporarily prevent him from scratching. I am thinking maybe I will have him de-clawed. Of course he does not go outside.
 

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It would be worth it to check for allergies before doing something extreme. Like I said preventing the scratching won't make him comfortable. Just stopping him from scratching is not going to help the cat. It may prevent you from seeing skin damage but he's still going to be uncomfortable and possibly even in pain. Declawing is also very painful and permanently alters the way a cat moves and can interact with it's surroundings. That's a very extreme path to take and in my opinion one of the worst solutions possible. I would suggest soft paws (http://www.softpaws.com/) to lessen the damage from scratching and trying a diet change before doing something drastic that doesn't even solve the problem. However I do not have enough knowledge to suggest a diet for a cat with urinary tract issues. Usually the best food for allergies is something like California Natural because it only has 1 protein ingredient and rice. Another temporary way to check if it's allergies is to feed boiled meat (usually hamburger or chicken) and rice and see if the scratching goes away. But I don't know how either of these would impact urinary tract health. You could suggest these things to your vet and see what they say but generally vets have little knowledge of nutrition and think their prescription diets are the best even when the animal continues to have problems. If you can find a qualified nutritionist (not just a vet that took an extra class) that would be the best professional to give diet suggestions. I wouldn't take a regular vet's opinion on diet without something else to back it up.
 

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I would imagine that declawing would only make this issue worse...maybe he is able to relieve some of his discomfort by scratching, and if you take that option away permanently he'll be even more miserable. Or he'll just use his back claws to scratch, in which case the primary "benefit" of having him declawed is gone. To say nothing of the likely complications and side-effects of declawing an adult cat.

Hopefully you were just speaking out of frustration. It's completely understandable, since you've taken reasonable steps to ascertain the cause of his behavior and still haven't been able to make progress. I know I'd be frustrated as well.

I really wish that I had something better to offer


ETA: Sham posted and covered the reasons to not declaw while I was typing this response.
 
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jenniferd

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Originally Posted by RobertM

I would imagine that declawing would only make this issue worse...maybe he is able to relieve some of his discomfort by scratching, and if you take that option away permanently he'll be even more miserable. Or he'll just use his back claws to scratch, in which case the primary "benefit" of having him declawed is gone. To say nothing of the likely complications and side-effects of declawing an adult cat.

Hopefully you were just speaking out of frustration. It's completely understandable, since you've taken reasonable steps to ascertain the cause of his behavior and still haven't been able to make progress. I know I'd be frustrated as well.

I really wish that I had something better to offer


ETA: Sham posted and covered the reasons to not declaw while I was typing this response.
I am thinking of having his back paws declawed, because that is what he is scratching himself with.
It's not only out of frustration. The problem is he is scratching himself badly and it gets infected. The vet gave him a collar but when I put that on he was scratching around the collar so I don't think that's a good way to prevent it. Also the vet told me to put booties on him but they don't stay on because he manages to get out of them.
So, I need to stop him from scratching somehow, and seems to me if I declaw his back paws he won't be able to mutilate himself no more.
 

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jenniferd, unfortunately, stopping the scratching won't solve your kitty's discomfort. I understand it will stop the sores that are getting infected, but he will still be suffering.

Itching of the head and neck are very often an indication of a food allergy.

And he will be suffering from being declawed. Scratching and grooming are actually very important to a cat's physical health. And cats walk on their toes. Declawing the cat causes him to walk un-naturally, and it often leads to other physical problems - especially later in life, in the form of arthritis or leg and back problems which are very painful to the cat. Cats that are declawed often stop using the litter box. 85% of the cats that are given up to shelters by their owners for behavior problems are kitties that were declawed and have stopped using the litter box. I doubt you want to trade his scratching problem for a peeing problem.


Because he's scratching around his neck, I'd buy a tube sock, cut it into sections, and pull it down over his neck:

Our kitty had surgery she couldn't be allowed to scratch:

So we used the tube sock:

It's much better than the collar.

However, declawing your kitty to stop his scratching is EXACTLY like cutting off your fingertipes (or toe-tips) at the first joint to prevent your scratching poison ivy. It is not like having your fingernail and toenails removed - it would be the equivalent of removing your fingers at the joint.


It is possible that your kitty has developed allergies. The best way to determine whether it is allergies or not is to switch your kitty's food.

Royal Canin is a very high quality food, and your vet may be able to order the appropriate food for your kitty's problem: http://www.royalcanin.us/vetdiet/vetdietfelineind.html

You can also call Royal Canin to see if their hypoallergenic food is acceptable for a cat on a diet for urinary tract health: http://www.royalcanin.us/vetdiet/fel...llergenic.html This is definitely an appropriate food for a kitty with allergies that are causing itching of the head and neck.

Hope this information and these suggestions help you solve your kitty's long term problem, and also help with the short-term problem,

Laurie
 
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jenniferd

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With the sock on, he can still get to behind the ears. And Royal Canin dry food is what he is eating already.
Maybe it's his wet food he is allergic to?
 

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It's certainly worth a try. With the Royal Canin dry, he doesn't need the wet. If he misses his wet food, try giving him chicken baby food with a little water mixed in.

Also, instead of the sock, maybe try an ace bandage. This you might be able to get up around the back of his ears, then down around his neck. Make sure it's not too tight - and use the one that attaches with Velcro instead of the little clips.

Is he on the Royal Canin hypoallergenic food? If he's on the Royal Canin Urinary Tract Health food, maybe it's something in there. I don't know what the difference is because none of our kitties have had allergies, so I haven't had to research it. But I do know that head and neck scratching is very often a sign of food allergies.

Can you search for a cat specialist - or a cat nutritionist - in your area? I really think you need someone to work with you on figuring out if this is caused by an allergy, which it very likely is.


Laurie
 
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