"Spastic" Margo

Margo's a very dear, and very weird, kitty! She's very "spastic".

When Margo's happy, she licks herself. When Margo's sad, she licks herself. When Margo's excited, she licks herself. Beginning to see a pattern here?

Margo also has food "issues". Due to an overbite, she cannot eat anything but pate wet food. She also gets "itchy" when she's not eating grain free. But if she eats strictly grain free she gets a UTI. Oh yeah, and the wet food is a must to keep UTIs at bay also.

I mix dry foods for my kitties given a variety of needs. I go heavy on the grain free for Margo....the base food is TOTW.

Margo has licked a big/nasty/open/sore into the elbow on her front leg twice now before. Tonight I was petting her & it's back! This time it's huge - it's actually two spots almost large enough to join together.

Previously the vet has given her a depo shot to stop itching & she gets panalog ointment 2x/day. The vet is out until Monday, but I shaved her elbow & applied panalog tonight.

We've discussed anti-anxiety meds, but Margo is quite impossible to pill. Rescue Remedy doesn't deal w/ this issue. And Feliway is iffy as to if it benefits her or not (it is also not feasible to cover her entire living space w/ diffusers as it would run about $200-300/month!).

I guess I'm looking for ideas I've overlooked or that I/my vet may not have thought of?

Animax ointment, maybe. It's good stuff, I use it for Jennie when she licks sores on herself. Usually she just keeps the area bare, but sometimes a sore will start, then I use the animax for 10 days. She leaves the area alone completely for a long time after a course of animax.

The Feliway diffuser has no affect on Jennie's licking pattern that I have ever been able to discern.

One other idea....if your vet wants you to try an anti-anxiety (usually amitriptyline) you can get it compounded into a transdermal medicine that is rubbed into the inside of the upper part of the ear.

There is also cyclosporin (atopica), an autoimmune medication that has actually been very successful treating these kinds of disorders, I don't know if that could be made into a transdermal, but worth looking into.

Panalog = animax.....they are essentially the same thing. I think the tube I have is actually animax, I'm just so used to it being panalog!

I used atopica w/ Izzy, my small dog, and was un-impressed. That was a few years ago when it was new on the market (I think). When I talked to him about it last (again a few years ago) he was not impressed w/ the general results he'd seen vs. the price.

I'll have to ask again about a transdermal gel for meds....I know they have Lola's Pheno made into liquid form.

Ah, I didn't know they were the same thing. I did think Margo's problem might go beyond animax but thought it worth mentioning.

The atopica may not have been successful for your dog, but Margo is a different case and it may be worth trying, if only as a last resort. I know a cat who chews his nipples off and he is doing really well on the cyclosporin.

On the other hand amitriptyline would also benefit her FLUTD issues, but will cause some sedation and possibly weight gain, and could be compounded into the transdermal, I think.

What about the peas in the TOTW? That's an allergen for some cats.

Any chance that you could also add a UTI supplement to her diet? (per vet supervision).

And is there any chance that dry winter air could be worsening her licking?

Originally Posted by otto

Ah, I didn't know they were the same thing. I did think Margo's problem might go beyond animax but thought it worth mentioning.

The atopica may not have been successful for your dog, but Margo is a different case and it may be worth trying, if only as a last resort. I know a cat who chews his nipples off and he is doing really well on the cyclosporin.

On the other hand amitriptyline would also benefit her FLUTD issues, but will cause some sedation and possibly weight gain, and could be compounded into the transdermal, I think.

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They told me right away they were about the same thing - they recently switched, unsure why? But in the past year or so they've been using animax, just so used to it being panalog that I think of it as that. Will discuss the atopica w/ the vet again, not sure if it would help or not. As for the Amitrip - we've talked about it before, but she's such a sedentary cat - we call her "the blob" as she's this grey blob that lays around. She's already "fluffy" & we don't want her to gain more weight.

Originally Posted by strange_wings

What about the peas in the TOTW? That's an allergen for some cats.

Any chance that you could also add a UTI supplement to her diet? (per vet supervision).

And is there any chance that dry winter air could be worsening her licking?

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All good points - when strictly on TOTW for 3+ months she had no allergy issues, so I'm fairly sure it's the other foods mixed in (recently added Wellness back into the rotation, as everyone else does great on it - suspect it's a major issue w/ Margo so have been giving it supervised to other cats only).

Not sure on the UTI supplement, I've always been leery as it means getting something else into her. She's had hairball issues in the past & we tried every hairball option (med, treats, etc) known to man to no avail - she wouldn't ingest any of them in any form (pill pockets & butter are a no - can't hide it in canned food or she won't touch the can - can't get powder into her - the list goes on & on!). For a cat who loves to eat she's picky, but I think it mostly comes down to what she can eat easily - some shapes w/ her overbite she has difficulty picking up.

Can you tell I *hate* try try to get meds in her? They can't get her pilled @ the vet clinic either, they've tried countless times. They call her "Jaws of Fort Knox" because if you can get her mouth open she's either biting you or trying to shred you with her claws.

I do run a humidifier for my dry skin, but I never considered it being a factor for her. I wonder about a salmon oil supplement for her?