My cat and Hot Spots

Hello all. I hope this topic hasn't been chatted about recently. I did look but couldn't find anything.

My female, spayed, about 8 yr old cat has developed Hot Spots. She had one, it weeped, and it healed. Then just as it disappeared another one appeared. It's weepy too. She's still eating and seems the same. I went to the pet store to ask about something to put on it. I had previously applied Polysporin to her first one. She licked it off, but the spot did heal without repurcussions.

So, the store gave me a product..Earthbath Totally Natural Pet Care....Hot Spot & Itch Relief.   In the information it does say that it's not for cats because they will lick it off and will render the spray useless. The product contains colloidial oatmeal, Tea Tree Oil, aloe vera, Vitamin E and water.  There are no dyes, preservatives, phosphates, enzymes etc.

Would you recommend that I spray this on the Hot Spot, even if she will lick it off. Perhaps if I stay with her for 30 minutes, it might soak in before she tries to lick it off.  Is there anything that looks harmful to you for a cat?

Short of taking her to a Vet and causing hundreds of $$ in tests (cause that's what my Vet likes to do)....I can't think of what else to do. I have been giving her more tuna food to eat. The fish oil is supposed to be good for her and she likes it.

Any help would so gratefully appreciated....thank you so much!!

Tea tree oil is toxic to cats! Please don't use this.

Although a high quality fish oil can be beneficial, tuna itself can cause issues because of the toxins in large fish if fed in large amounts.

I'm not sure what hot spots are, but hopefully some other members will come along with some advice for you.

Okay, I won't use it. I'll return it for a refund. Thank you for that information.

I guess when this hot spot heals, and if another shows up, I'll have no choice but to take her to a Vet.

I'm not feeding her huge amounts of tuna....just little bits. She wasn't eating much of her chicken food and I wanted her to eat something. I try not to feed my cats any fish at all, I know it can harm their kidneys.

Thank you again!
 

I looked up hot spots, and I saw some recommended home treatments, more to help healing and reduce discomfort than a cure. I think the issue is figuring out what's causing these to begin with. There could be many possible causes - fleas, insect bites, allergies, etc. Since they seem to be recurring, I would try to rule them out, one by one. The vetinfo site recommended shaving the area and using cold compresses to reduce inflammation and applying an e collar to prevent her from bothering it more. I'm not sure how easy that will be with any cat though.

Thank you for looking it up. I did too. I think in her case it could be stress. She's a stray that I brought into the house in Dec 2011 when it turned bitterly cold. I already had two male cats, 3 years old. One of them was normal in his reaction and the other was ferocious. He has not calmed down about it either. She is terrified of him. He hasn't hurt her, but severley intimidates her if she's out of her room. Unfortunately I have to put her by herself in a room, with all the comforts, so she stays alone while I work or do other things. I will lock up the boys and let her out...which works well for 2-3 hours until they start howling and tearing up the carpet.

I am constantly looking to re-home her. She's a very sweet, loving cat who would be an asset in anyone's home. But now, I think she'd have to be the only cat. She's very afraid of seeing even my calm cat.

I believe these hot spots are coming from the stress of being alone so much, and being so afraid of maybe having a run-in with my male. It's such a shame, I would love to keep her, but it's ruining her health and causing me stress to see her like that.
 

I have a hope. My nephew is moving out on his own. He's developmentally challenged, but works, and has had animals at his parent's home all his life. His dog cannot go with him due to the barking. I'm hoping that Venus may go with him...even just to help him transition from home with people and pets to home alone. I won't thrust her at him of course....but will weigh all the pros and cons of the situation and see what he thinks.  I would totally supervise the situation too. If anything, he may love her too much...

But, these hot spots...gotta get them under control. This one is going the same way as the first one. So it should be healed in a few days. Let's hope another one doesn't appear.  Keep your fingers crossed.