Urgent advice about my cat please

Dear All

I wonder if anybody can help. We rescued Lilly who came to us with a mite complaint she was treated for this and has ear drops and cream put near her ears and under her chin, but to our horror she now won't stop scratching and she is now bald under her chin and has made herself bleed, we are at our wits end because the vets have done a blood test told us that it's due to mites and thats it. Have given her treatment it has cleared up once but is now really bad. Please can someone advise us on what to do. We are in the UK.

Really she needs to go back to the vet to let them have another look and get to the bottom of the problem?. Is there a different vet in your area that you can get a second opinion on?

Will she let you clip her claws so she won't scratch herself?.

Hi

We have clipped her claws but still she scratches like mad. Have used drops in ears and cream on her neck, but still she scratches.

Have tried to go to another vet, but I would require the details from my vets to give to them and have already tried this which they disapproved of. Also said they wanted £100 up front to see her as not registered with them. Just want her better now, just wondered if she has an obsessive complusive dis-order now.

I've never heard of paying them £100 up front before because i've changed vets on 2-3 occasions, and my old vets have just faxed/e-mailed their details on. How many vets are in your area, because i would ring more than one.

Is she still being treated by your exisiting vet?. What exactly did they say, and did you have to spray the house as well?

There is a topical treatment for skin mites. In the U.S. it is called Revolution. I BELIEVE the European equivalent is Stronghold, but I'm not sure.

But there's something wrong with your current vet if they "disapprove" of providing you with your cat's records! And to tell you it's mites - but not provide further treatment?

Do you have any friends with pets, even if it's dogs? Can you ask around and find out if anyone highly recommends their vet? Or maybe you'll find several people using the same vet and they all like that vet? Because £100 sounds outrageous, quite frankly - registered or not (and I don't even know what the means). You mean they charge that much for an initial appointment? What does that include? If it includes a thorough exam, blood work, and other tests, it might not be a bad price.

You might try getting an Elizabethan collar (cone of shame) for her so she can't scratch it. Also, she could be allergic to something in her food. Be sure you're feeding her out of stainless steel or ceramic dishes. Also, her water should be out of a stainless steel bowl or ceramic bowl. No plastic.

Originally Posted by LDG

There is a topical treatment for skin mites. In the U.S. it is called Revolution. I BELIEVE the European equivalent is Stronghold, but I'm not sure.

But there's something wrong with your current vet if they "disapprove" of providing you with your cat's records! And to tell you it's mites - but not provide further treatment?

Do you have any friends with pets, even if it's dogs? Can you ask around and find out if anyone highly recommends their vet? Or maybe you'll find several people using the same vet and they all like that vet? Because £100 sounds outrageous, quite frankly - registered or not (and I don't even know what the means). You mean they charge that much for an initial appointment? What does that include? If it includes a thorough exam, blood work, and other tests, it might not be a bad price.

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I agree with LDG. Revolution in the U.S. will work for mites and mange but has to be given two weeks apart to kill mange. For mites once a month will work. But I would try three weeks apart.

I would get another vet if not only because of their disapproval of you getting a second opinion. You have a right to those medical records, you paid for the services and should get copies. I always get copies for my own records but my vet is totally understanding if I ever want a second opinion. So sorry your kitty is dealing with this.

Originally Posted by LDG

registered or not (and I don't even know what the means). You mean they charge that much for an initial appointment? What does that include? If it includes a thorough exam, blood work, and other tests, it might not be a bad price.

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Laurie, it's similar to a Doctors surgery when you register?. They take down all their history from you such as how long you've had the cat, if their indoor/outdoor, if their spayed/neutered, if they have any medical history such as allergies etc.., and any medications their taking.

Asking for £100 is really wrong, because at the end of the day you don't even need your cats history file really, you can start from scratch with the new vet. The only time their cautious of taking on another animal is if their still undergoing any treatment with the old vet.

Hi thanks for all your messages about Lilly. She has been taken back to the vets. The mites are all cleared up, she has had a steriod injection and now on tablets.

If she does not stop scratching and if the steriods don't work the vet informed there is only one other option and that would be to put her to sleep as the vet think she has got mental health issues.

We are gutted and extremely upset by this. If anybody can come up with anything we would be most grateful, as Lilly is living on borrowed time as the tablets we have only last a couple of weeks.

I know this is not quite the same thing but I'm gonna say it anyway, because the recommendation of putting her to sleep was mentioned. My cat has an extremely allergic reaction to fleas, she scratches all her fur off, I'd find tufts of her fur on the floor on the window sills, on the walls, everywhere, they gave her a steroid shot also and then told me there is nothing more they can do for her. In the meantime, she was all bald and sores on her body. She would shake and shiver because of all the cuts and hairloss. I really felt that she was dying. My last chance was to give her evening primrose gel tabs in her food. I read it in a cat health book. I gave her 1 tablet of 1,000 mg in the morning and at night in her wet food. I pricked the tablet and squeezed the liquid onto the food and mixed it in with Vitamin E. After a couple of weeks of that she stopped scratching and her fur grew in beautifully. I hope and Pray that the steroid will help.

I'm sorry, but if any vet even mentioned euthanasia in passing in regards to a healthy animal that has a scratching issue, I'd be gone. Another vet entirely.

Even if it is a mental issue, there are drugs that can be used short term until the habit is broken, and there is elizabethan collars and nail caps to prevent her from hurting herself.

Do yourself and your cat a favor and get another vet.

OMG that is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard coming from a vet. AW hun, you really should find another vet for you and your cat. This is a medical problem, not a behavioral problem. I am sure and I pray you can find the answer from another competent vet

By "mental problems" I wonder if they meant feline hyperesthesia syndrome and were intentionally being vague in their language because they don't think you'd understand? (face it, many doctors talk down to patients. Vets do it, too)
Otherwise it's likely allergies.

I suggest you read up on FHS. You can even use the search function on here to find out a little bit about it. This is not a death sentence for a cat. Shame on the vet for even suggesting you give up.
However, and this includes allergies too, you must make sure you keep your cat on a monthly flea topical or find another safe way to control fleas. Diet must also be managed carefully. Any other allergen, and this means ones found outside if kitty goes out, can be a problem for some cats.

Was the stuff from her ears, and I'm assuming they have some dark debris in them for anyone to think it was ear mites, ever cultured? If not, that really needs to be done before anyone gives up. Sometimes it can be a more resistant bacterial infection, other times it can be yeast which takes a different med to treat, and worse case scenario a poor cat gets a combination of both.

I'm currently dealing with one who has some mild allergies (we think it might be seasonal related) who quickly developed an ear infection in one ear.