Scabby Cat!

murfie

TCS Member
Thread starter
Alpha Cat
Joined
Oct 30, 2007
Messages
377
Purraise
1
Location
Gold Coast, Queensland
Hello all, I havent been on here for far too long as my laptop died
But Im back now and need some help as vets seem to be incompetent!

Its kind of a long story so I'll make it as brief as possible:
At about 6 months Murfie developed a rash on her neck (there was another kitten in my home at the time and she used to scratch her in play so im fairly certain it started from there). After trying some home remedies suggested by my breeder as it wasnt that bad at the time I ended up taking her to the vet. I was then told he was 98% sure she is allergic to fish so to change her food immediately (she was on fresh mince and royal canon kitten food). I did as he said and he also gave her an injection as it was mildly infected.
About 3 days later (on a sunday) I came home and one side of her face was puffed up and her eye was nearly closed. As my usual vet was closed I rusher her to the nearest emergency vet. After spending an hour consulting with me the vet gave her another injection for infection (her temperature was so high she wanted to keep her in on a drip), some tablets which I cant remember the name of and some neotopical cream. All 3 seemed to do the job and after a day or so I noticed a huge improvement.
After about a week after her medicine was finished the rash came back (she likes to rub herself on the cat post). Being a late developing devon she didnt have much hair at the time and now it has grown patchy. Ever since then she gets the rash, it scabs over then she rubs it off on the cat post or carpet and the cycle starts all over again. My home is free from fleas as one of my dogs is allergic and she doesnt have worms as she is wormed regularily.
Can anyone tell me what to do? I know its terrible but I cant afford to keep going to vets who are only going to give me a short term remedy.
I have also tried changing her diet but as she will pretty much only eat dry food now it leaves me limited as most brands have fish...I have found Eagle Pack to be quite good though.
Any suggestions welcome
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #3

murfie

TCS Member
Thread starter
Alpha Cat
Joined
Oct 30, 2007
Messages
377
Purraise
1
Location
Gold Coast, Queensland
that's what the breeder thought but she has been checked with that special light and there is nothing, plus she is wormed regularily
 

fifi1puss

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Jan 2, 2007
Messages
2,150
Purraise
13
It sounds like what the scond vet gave her worked? Did you get an explanation of what 'it' was. Maybe you need to get rid of the cat posts and clean every surface. Whatever Murfie is allergic too is evidently still present in the house. Go back to the vet and tell what is going on. Than come home and get rid of posts and launder in hot water whatever can be laundered and vacuum furnishings. It can either be a reintroduction of whatever is causing the allergic reaction by the environement in the home or if the vet think the meds didn't work and wants to move onto step 2 it needs to be done.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #5

murfie

TCS Member
Thread starter
Alpha Cat
Joined
Oct 30, 2007
Messages
377
Purraise
1
Location
Gold Coast, Queensland
The medication she was given the 2nd time was for infection and it came back quickly. I have gotten rid of all but one post, is there anyway to sanitise it as it was a couple of hundred dollars so id rather not throw it out!
 

the_food_lady

TCS Member
Super Cat
Joined
Nov 11, 2008
Messages
716
Purraise
14
Location
Calgary, Alberta, CANADA
Originally Posted by Murfie

The medication she was given the 2nd time was for infection and it came back quickly. I have gotten rid of all but one post, is there anyway to sanitise it as it was a couple of hundred dollars so id rather not throw it out!
hard to safely advise without it being conclusively confirmed what your kitty had/has. Different things can live on inanimate objects for varying periods. Some don't live that long, some can live for months (ringworm can live for months, I do believe). Until you can find out for sure what's going on, I'd remove the post from your home.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #7

murfie

TCS Member
Thread starter
Alpha Cat
Joined
Oct 30, 2007
Messages
377
Purraise
1
Location
Gold Coast, Queensland
yeah i think im going to have to. i will be taking her to the vet again soon i just thought some people on here might be able to offer advice, thanks to those for taking the time to read and reply
 

the_food_lady

TCS Member
Super Cat
Joined
Nov 11, 2008
Messages
716
Purraise
14
Location
Calgary, Alberta, CANADA
Hello,

What did the Vet base upon, his assertion that kitty was allergic to fish for goodness sakes?

But still, it could be a food allergy.........so have you considered trying a hypo-allergenic diet? one that doesn't contain chicken? Do a search in this forum for "allergy" and you should get some good info on specific diets ....I've heard some recommend ones with "venison and green pea" or "duck and green pea".......Natural Balance maybe? You could always start a new thread, asking for suggestions on a hypo-allergenic cat food (dry and canned). Then try making a slow switch over to the new food (doing it too fast can cause upset tummy and diarrhea).

I wonder if kitty rubs her neck/face against something in particular? - you know how cats like to rub their faces up against things (I think they do this to leave their scent).....so maybe she's coming into contact with something that's causing a contact dermatitis/allergic reaction?

A particular laundry soap? fabric softener? did you recently have your couch/sofa/furniture cleaned with any chemicals? what about your carpets?

Are you sure it's an antibiotic shot the Vet gives or is it a steroid shot?

how is she doing now?

Have you made any diet changes since getting her? Sometimes food allergies can occur over time.

I know you've been to many Vets and with no real diagnosis.........is there such a thing as a "cat clinic" there? One that treats only cats, where the vets there specialize in feline veterinary medicine? I find these are best, truly....... In all honesty, a lot of regular Vets know a lot of general stuff about various animal health but sometimes when it comes to the unusual or rare, they're really only guessing.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #9

murfie

TCS Member
Thread starter
Alpha Cat
Joined
Oct 30, 2007
Messages
377
Purraise
1
Location
Gold Coast, Queensland
The vet said he is 99% sure Murfie is allergic to fish but I assumed he was just guessing as he asked lots of questions and she seemed to fit the bill. I switched her food slowly and have tried Eagle Pack, Science Diet, Royal Canin and the likes. I think I will start another thread about food suggestions though


She loves rubbing her neck on the scratch post (which has now been put in the spare room, the only carpet is in the bedrooms and I only use environmentally friendly stuff on the floors or cleaning vinegar.

The 1st injection she got was definitely antibiotic but Im unsure of the 2nd time (she was confusing me a bit lol)

As far as Im aware there are no cat clinics here.

I was looking at Murfie today and most of the scratches she has on her look like innocent scratches and they seem to heal quickly so Im not concerned about that. I think the one on her neck just never gets a chance to heal cos she always knocks the scab off it....so very frustrating. I still have some neotopical cream that I can apply which seems to help a bit when she isnt trying to rub it off!
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #10

murfie

TCS Member
Thread starter
Alpha Cat
Joined
Oct 30, 2007
Messages
377
Purraise
1
Location
Gold Coast, Queensland
Murfie is going back to the vet AGAIN today, everyone wish me luck and hopefully this time I'll find out whats actually wrong with the poor baby
 

twokatz

TCS Member
Alpha Cat
Joined
Jun 26, 2008
Messages
477
Purraise
3
Location
Utah
Originally Posted by Murfie

that's what the breeder thought but she has been checked with that special light and there is nothing, plus she is wormed regularily
Not all ringworm will show up under a blacklight and worming will not help ringworm as it is a fungus, not a worm. I had a Cocker with food allergy that had sores/scabs like this and it was because her immune system was so stressed from the allergies. When she rubbed the itchy skin she would cause the sores and scabs and they got staph infection in them. She was on Cephalexin off and on most of her life, the scabby areas should be scraped and tested. Diet changes only offered temporary relief. Good luck and keep us posted.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #13

murfie

TCS Member
Thread starter
Alpha Cat
Joined
Oct 30, 2007
Messages
377
Purraise
1
Location
Gold Coast, Queensland
The vet said he is sure she has a food allergy so he has placed her on Hills prescribed biscuits, he didnt charge for the consult or the food as he knows I have spent lots of money trying different things. I found out that the clinic where I go there is a cat "specialist" and a dog "specialist" so Im fairly confident he knows what he's talking about. He said she doesnt have ring worm, all her symptoms point to food allergy but it will take approx 6 weeks to notice a difference so I guess I'll have to wait and see *sigh*
 
Top