Cat still scratching after Flee treatment and bath

angel70732

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Jun 19, 2008
Messages
3
Purraise
0
Hey, My name is Angel. My cat Roxie has been scratching under her neck like crazy. Its so bad she has scabs comming up from it. After bathing her with regular flee shampoo I thought maybe it was time to get some really good meds for her since reg. flee shampoo from Wal-Mart didnt work. I first bathed her with Malaseb. After that I also ordered some Advantage and gave her a monthy supply of that in between her shoulder blades like it says to do. Now my poor kitty is losing her hair in the spot the medication was applied and is still scratching like crazy. i dont know what to do. This is the second flee treatment that has made my poor kittys hair fall out. She also licks herself like crazy. Please help me. I dont know what else to do.
 

strange_wings

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Dec 20, 2006
Messages
13,498
Purraise
39
Since she may have had a dose of flea insecticides/pesticides rather closely together I suggest you take her to the vet.

How many days did you wait between bathing and putting the Advantage on her? And how long has it been since you've seen live fleas on her? Have you treated your home? (look up in this section and in the care and grooming as there are threads with great pet safe tips to get rid of fleas in your home)

Most likely she's still itching either because of a flea allergy or because her skin was sensitive to the shampoo. Either way, off to the vet and hopefully they can give you some medicine to help with her itching - in fact, be pushy that the vet does something about that (it may just take a kitty dose of benedryl).
 

laureen227

Darksome Duo!
Top Cat
Joined
Sep 3, 2003
Messages
19,260
Purraise
387
Location
Denton TX
Originally Posted by strange_wings

Either way, off to the vet and hopefully they can give you some medicine to help with her itching - in fact, be pushy that the vet does something about that (it may just take a kitty dose of benedryl).
i agree - vet visit definitely in order!
 

mom of 4

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Jul 22, 2006
Messages
1,282
Purraise
12
Location
BajaOklahoma, should be 200 miles north
I agree about the vet trip. The scratching may be the fleas biting the cat, but that is still a lot of chemicals to expose your cat to in a short period of time

There are opposing views on whether or not so of the internet available are legimate or not. I don't know, but my vet who I trust, has concerns with them

And when you are at the vet, ask about CapStar for future use. For a cat, the dose is pretty cheap - under $8, I believe. Once the cat takes the pill, it starts killing the fleas in 30 minutes. It wears off in 8 -12 hours. Before I leave the house with the pets, while I fog it, I treat the cats and dogs with Capstar. We use Frontline on the dogs since they go in and out. My vet lets me call and pick it upwithout a visit charge.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #5

angel70732

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Jun 19, 2008
Messages
3
Purraise
0
I bathed her right before I put the flee meds on her. I got that shampoo so I can maybe knock out the possibility of any other kind of skin allergy. She is black and white and the only part I can see really is under her neck cause she has white hair there. I havent seen a flee in a while in that spot. Its been a while since I have seen one. We set off three smoke bombs in the house while on vacation and kitty stayed out. I also notice that she bites at her backside alot also. Sometimes she runs around the house like crazy from it. I hadnt took her to the vet because vet trips is very expensive my way. Maybe I can look in to trying to call them atleast. And I will ask about that pill. Does anyone know why her hair falls out when I put the flee meds on her?
 

strange_wings

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Dec 20, 2006
Messages
13,498
Purraise
39
Some cats are sensitive to drops like Advantage, Frontline, and Revolution - and will lose a little hair. As long as there is no redness or obvious signs that the area is badly irritated that should be ok.

I'm more concerned about the fact that you bathed your cat then put the drops on soon after. If I recall correctly, it says to wait 3-4 days after bathing to apply and after application to wait another 3-4 days before bathing. This is because your cat has natural oils on her skin and fur to help protect it (and keep the coat in good order).
I'm not sure what the side effect of not following those directions are - maybe too much can be adsorbed to quickly or maybe skin irritation.

The other point is that flea shampoos contain a pesticide, most of us prefer not to use them at all for this reason. Add the Advantage (a insecticide) soon after and that's a lot of potentially toxic chemicals in your kitty's body - chemicals that in smaller doses wouldn't cause serious side effects.
Do not use any more Advantage or flea shampoo on her for another month. If you must bath her again soon use a plain cat safe shampoo, regular old blue Dawn dish soap, or a cat safe shampoo from the vet to help sooth her skin.
To check if she still has fleas, get a flea comb from walmart and comb her.


As for why she is still itching - a better way to describe it is how you itch for a few days (or more) after being bitten by a mosquito. Just because the insect is gone doesn't mean the offending bites are. She has to heal or could even use vet care to help with that.

Please do call around and see if you can get her in to see the vet. They can help with the itching and make sure she's all right.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #7

angel70732

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Jun 19, 2008
Messages
3
Purraise
0
okay I went and talked to the vet. She said that my kitty probably has allergies. She told me to give her a benydrel capsule a day in her food. Half in the morning and half and night. She told me to see if that helps and if not, for me to bring her in. I'll update you all to let you know how things go.
 

strange_wings

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Dec 20, 2006
Messages
13,498
Purraise
39
I'm glad your vet worked with you for a simple trial first. Good luck and hopefully the fleas stay gone and she stops itching soon.


If she keeps itching you may be able to try an oatmeal bath -just regular food grade oatmeal. Look up "oatmeal bath" in any search engine to find exact details on how to prepare that.
 
Top