Once a night - EVERY night... and I'm sick of it

boo!s master

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I got Boo! about 7 years ago from the rescue shelter. She was very skittish and aloof when I first got her, and it took her what seemed like forever to get over it and to become affectionate.

Over the course of a year, she finally warmed up to me, and is completely devoted. She follows me around when I get home from work and always wants to be near me, but rarely ever shows physical affection, unless I'm sitting at my computer desk, where she loves to sit on my lap as I surf.

She's EXTREMELY intelligent and sat on command without any training whatsoever. She quickly learned to shake hands and even rolls over on command. She's quite an amazing cat - I've never seen one so intelligent - OR so willful.

About 3 months ago, she started attacking me after dinner. She'll sneak up on me and bite me - always on the left leg, and then jet away. There are no triggers that I can determine - no outside cats, no other pets, no loud noises, weird smells, etc.

I thought it might be that I wasn't playing enough with her, so I increased her playtime - still the attacks happened. I thought maybe LESS playtime was called for - still the attacks persisted. I tried squirting her - I tried distracting her - I tried yelling loudly - all to no avail. If I'd catch her "before the act" - I could dissuade her at that moment, but she'd always come back later that night and attack again. One quick bite - and then away.

Now here is where I'm going to sound like I'm crazy. On my left leg, I have a rash that started at about the same time that she started attacking. My doctor gave me some steroid cream for it, but the rash is persistent (about the size of a quarter) and it just won't go away.

Is she some super-sniffer cat that smells my "sickness" and trying to draw attention to it? Is she smelling the triamcinolone cream and is THAT what is driving her to attack? I just don't know why she's always attacking my LEFT leg - not my right. Ever. Only the left one.

I love her dearly, and would hate to be parted from her, but these attacks HURT and she sometimes draws blood. (she's not biting near the rash - actually, it's on the other side from where she bites).

Feel free to call me crazy to my face - as long as you have a SOLUTION to this problem!
 

kluchetta

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That's very interesting, and I wouldn't be surprised at ALL if the biting was related to the rash. Did the doctor say what the rash was? I had some round spots I thought was ringworm, and it was called nummular eczema - it was VERY hard to get rid of.
 
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boo!s master

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He upped the dosage of the cream and told me to add anti-fungal cream to the mixture. It sometimes fades but always comes back as soon as I skip putting cream on it.

I've tried patiently explaining to Boo! that I'm aware of the rash and that she doesn't have to tell me about it anymore, but she looks at me like I'm speaking human. "?"

The only thing I haven't tried is to tie a cloth around my leg with some vapor-rub on it like I saw suggested elsewhere. If it works, great - but that means tying on vapor rub every night - until when???
 

kazy

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I am pretty sure it is related with your rash.

I may sound crazy but try to send her message by picturing the image in your head. I have been reading a lot of books about animal communication. They may not understand your words, but they get your message if you send mental image.
Try sending image of you treating your rash. And also picture the image of her bite really hurting you. It's possible that she is trying to defend you by trying to attack "IT". "IT" could be something which cause your rash. I don't think she is doing it to hurt you.

How about consulting animal communicator? There are a lot of them around. The one I use cost $85. They usually do phone consultation after seeing animal's picture.
 
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boo!s master

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but yes, sometimes her bites break the skin.

I'm always careful to wash and disinfect it right away.



I'll try the "communication" technique. Hope it works.
 

larke

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I would want to see a dermatologist to be very sure about a diagnosis before making any decisions and before worrying about the cat at this point one way or the other. Your GP may be well meaning, but when something persists, you should be checking it out properly.
 

chrisstie

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I, too, have had what I thought was a fungal thing going on from the gym but it turned out to be eczema. Before that I have had a different type of eczema flare up on my fingers (often flare ups are due to stress but the exact cause and "cure" are unknown to us)

What I learned from my dermatologist is everyone is different, everyone's sensativity is different and that sometimes it may take a few trips to find a treatment that works for you.

Depending on the diagnosis (eczema may fade but may not ever go away, it could just disappear, unpredictable) of what it is and your rash's treatment, you may even want to address the fact you have a cat in the house that does this. They may know of a medicine to help the rash heal\\prevent it from coming as well as a medicine that may be safe to use around the cat.

I'd be worried about my cat accidentally getting mixed with the medicine (usually mine sniff it and go ew! and go away but you never know if they would take to something or not) and having a reaction.

Maybe considering the rash further with your doctor and re-evaluating treament could help.

On the same note, when one of my cats was around 1 year old and we still lived in our old apartment, every night i'd shut off the light and shuffle over to the bedroom since it was dark. He'd pounce on my ankle every *single* night and scare the bejeezus out of me. It could, in the end, just be a coincidence or not, but best of luck figuring it out!
 

zoethor2

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It definitely sounds a little crazy -- but I would be hard pressed to believe that the rash and her sudden attention to that particular spot are just coincidental. She may very well "know" that something is wrong, and be convinced that she can help somehow.

My hubby's cat will attack him in the morning sometimes and try to pull out his earrings (all hoop-style). Partly maybe it's a fun game, but we also think that he might believe, in his little kitty head, that somehow they don't belong there and they might hurt and he's doing Dan a big favor by yanking them out! (And he WILL yank them out, and run off with them and hide them.)

So, I would say, pursue the medical issue further with a dermatologist to try to get a more specific diagnosis and treatment. As far as the kitty, have you tried putting the medication on while she watches? And maybe putting a band-aid or some sort of bandage over it? She may be able to connect seeing those things with your taking care of the "wound", and stop bothering you about it.
 

tickytat

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I would keep a very close eye on that rash. Cats (and dogs) have been known to detect cancer in their owner, either by licking or paying a lot of attention to a certain area of the body, or, in your case, biting that area. Maybe she's trying to tell you something. Yikes! Hopefully it's NOT cancer! I'm sure it's related to the medicine you're using on it. Very strange though!
 

kluchetta

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The more I think about it, the more I think it would be best to see a dermatologist. You don't have to mention the cat thing, LOL, just that your GP can't seem to get it to go away.
 

laureen227

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Originally Posted by kluchetta

The more I think about it, the more I think it would be best to see a dermatologist. You don't have to mention the cat thing, LOL, just that your GP can't seem to get it to go away.
& i personally wouldn't try the vapo-rub idea - my Java LOVES anything minty or mentholy! she'd be more likely to attact it more if i were to try something like that!
 

cheylink

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I have to say I would definitely think that this was related! Just out of curiosity, have you seen a dermatologist? If you are anything like me, I shunned dermatologists until I developed plantar psoriasis that went miss diagnosed for 5 years! Has anyone done a culture of the area? It could be a type of psoriasis.....
Your kitty could be irritated by the medication, rash, or even the attention you give to this area..............Most likely is she is physically effected by either the smell of meds, rash, or sensitive to your sensitivity.
 

howtoholdacat

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I too find it hard to believe that the biting and rash are a mere coincidence. I've had my fair share of skin problems. Though I've never had one of my four cats react that way, I've found that all doctors and even dermatologists are not created equal. Rashes that persisted for years under other doctor's care were quickly cleared up once I find the right dermatologist. The suggestion that the rash may indicated cancer is an interesting one. Were it me, I'd get a second opinion on that rash.
 
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