Incessant scratching with NO fleas (NOT TROUT)

Hey everyone!

I figured I would ask about my sisters little 5 months old spayed girl. If this should be in behaviour feel free to move it as I wasn't sure..

So, she got this kitten when she was little..like 7 or 8 weeks (I know thats too young). She did have a minor flea irritation at first..and that was treated. She no longer has fleas..but she scratches herself raw on some areas of her body. Under her jaw on her throat, and on her ear mostly.

She has been at the vet for numerous things (ie; shots, spay..) and the vet jus says she scratches too hard. Nothing actually wrong with her And I guess offers no solutions to the scratching or the raw spots.

Anyway, she has done it since she was first living there. I am wondering if she is just stressed out? My sister has two young children that don't treat the cat especially well ..and now has added a puppy to the mix. (Once again, the scratching started before the puppy came..but I wonder if the children could be stressing her out).

Also, I will mention, my sister keeps the cat in the bathroom over night or else she wakes up the baby by going into her room/crib while she sleeps.

Any ideas guys?

Thanks!

The vet didn't think it could possibly be related to an environmental or food allergy? What kind of dry or wet food does she eat? Food allergies can cause scratching around the face. My female, Kaley gets awful sores in her ears and on her paws from food allergies and has had one on her chin as well. She would shake her head and scratch around her face. I've gotten her straightened out by eating food with only 1 grain(rice)and only 1 protein source (chicken) which thankfully she isn't allergic to. Since the vet isn't offering any suggestions maybe a visit to a different vet could help? If it is stress, maybe a pheromone diffuser could help?

Could be food allergy or possibly acne, cats don't normally 'scratch too hard'. Stress can also trigger behavioural quirks such as this, as the scratching causes the release of endorphines which give a slight high and feeling of calm which the cat can then get physically and psychologically addicted to.

I'd definitely want to look into the allergy thing and try Feliway in case stress is a factor - and also might I suggest those soft claw things in the meantime, stop her damaging herself!

Could be an allergy, but if she's scratching herself raw and your vet doesn't have any ideas, then I'd suggest looking for a veterinary dermatologist in your area.

Yes, don't forget about allergic/irritant dermatitis. Read these links to find out a bit more:

http://www.peteducation.com/article....&articleid=140
http://www.happy-moggy.com/allergic_dermatitis.php
https://www.thepetmedsite.com/pet-he...dermatitis.htm

My cat was scratching herself to pieces recently, and it turned out to be irritant dermatitis caused by carpet shampoo.

I asked a very similar ? and got great responses. Thier answers are here:
http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=154389
good luck!

As far as I can tell, mine turned out to be an issue with her drinking toilet water (which shes sposed to know better )