Cutaneous asthenia (Ehlers-Danlos syndrome)

So.... apparently my 11 and a half year old cat has this and we're just finding out about it now... From the research I've been doing it seems like it should have been something that was debilitating from a young age, but he's been a somewhat normal cat up until a few months ago when he started loosing muscle tone and developed some odd alopecia. He (thank heavens) doesn't have the typical splitting wounds.

We haven't been able to afford biopsies yet, but he has a skin extensibility index of at least 23%. (At that point he was well past the 19% needed to declare the disease and it wasn't worth pushing him to the point of pain.) So yeah, it's basically a done deal. He looks like he's wearing a baggy grey sweatshirt all the time. 

Does anyone here have any first hand experience with this disorder? I keep being told it's "really rare", but I'm not sure that what means exactly.

What I am also having trouble finding is anything about older cats with this disease, and how it may progress.

He's always been abnormally saggy (he had a hanging throat waddle from when I first got him when he was a year and a half old), but he's never had a problem with wounds or with his joints as far as I can tell. (Although he has always been a whiny little you know what at times, and that may have been from joint discomfort.) He's also a very large male cat, and he's always been slightly overweight. Once we learned about this disease and started doing research, there's been other little things that spring to attention in his past that makes me wonder how long he's been slightly symptomatic. I remember once he somehow pulled a big chunk of hair/skin out of his side and he had a gaping wound, and the vet grilled me about if I had burned him because the wound didn't look natural. (I was ticked. Loved the vet even more afterwards, but still, ticked that he though I would have been that kind of a person.) Now I'm coming to find out that this disorder leads to wounds that behave in just that manner. 

Anyway, since there's no treatment or cure besides euthanasia (seriously, I've been reading the medical papers on this disorder and that's what they all say), we're basically on a watch and wait. Either he stays steady where he's at (and he is still okay), or he gets worse and... yeah. In the meantime this kitty mama needs to learn as much as she can! It's going to be the only way I'll calm down about this whole ordeal.

(Also, I hope I'm not the only one who has seen more then their fair share of "rare" diseases in cats. This is number.... 6? 7? I've lost count. Doesn't make me think very highly of veterinary medicine if we keep finding these cats over and over and over again that have disorders that are so "rare"!) 

I'm so sorry your baby has this condition. 

I have no experience with this, but did do some reading after finding your post. Cats with this can live a normal life span and the biggest concern is the avoidance of injuries to the skin. I read a couple of articles that stated giving vitamin C may help lessen his skin fragility. The recommended dose for cats is 50mg/day. I would ask your vet if he thinks this might help.

My cat, Fidel has this. We found out when he was less than one. He kept cutting himself all the time. First get couldn't figure it out, told me to put baby socks on him to stop him scratching. You ever tried putting baby socks on a kitten? Not a good idea.

Then we took him to the vets attached to the university in Liverpool and they diagnosed feline cutaneous asthenia. There is no cure, de clawing is illegal in the UK and even if it wasn't I don't think I could do that to him.

However Fidel is ten and a half now and is well and happy. He has to wear an Elizabethan collar all the time as the skin around his neck and ears is really thin and he rips it open without the collar. He can't go outside and we make sure he has regular flea treatments but he's okay, the condition is manageable.

Hope your cat is okay x

I run a cat rescue in Columbia, SC and have had two cutaneous asthenia brother kitties from the time they were kittens.  I lost Cutie at about one year of age to a massive intestinal hernia (hernias can be part of the syndrome in some people with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome), and lost Gus to complications of renal failure at age 12.  Gus also suffered a hernia when he was a kitten, but his was umbilical and able to be repaired.  Cutie's C.A. was considerably more severe than Gus's - his skin ripped much more easily.  Both wore clothes.  Their story with pictures can be found under "Notes" on our Facebook page (Carolina Cats - Gus - a black kitty in clothes - is our profile picture).  There are also a number of other pictures of Gus in the pictures and albums section of our Facebook page.  I would be glad to correspond with anyone who has a C.A. kitty who needs help or advice, either through our Facebook page or by e-mail to [email protected]

Thanks Carocats. I think I found your page on FB - Carolina Cats? Fidel does not have to wear clothes at this point and I am hoping that he won't need it (he is ten now) but I was told that the condition is degenerative.

He's recently getting under the collar and cutting round his ears, I try to keep the area clean and the cuts generally heal. In the past he has had to take steroids when the cuts have been really bad. I am worried about clipping his claws though as he fights really badly when we have done this previously and I don't want to hurt him.

I check online journals and forums from time to time hoping there will be a cure or new treatment but nothing so far.

Hi, I also have a cat with this syndrome & he is now 8 years old, however, you say declawing is illegal in the UK, my cat has had his back claws removed as he was causing horrendous injuries with them. I think for medical reasons it can be done. It is the best thing we ever have done as it has literally saved his life. No collar needed either, just a tshirt to avoid the awful bruises when he knocks himself.

Geordie Jayne said:

My cat, Fidel has this. We found out when he was less than one. He kept cutting himself all the time. First get couldn't figure it out, told me to put baby socks on him to stop him scratching. You ever tried putting baby socks on a kitten? Not a good idea.

Then we took him to the vets attached to the university in Liverpool and they diagnosed feline cutaneous asthenia. There is no cure, de clawing is illegal in the UK and even if it wasn't I don't think I could do that to him.

However Fidel is ten and a half now and is well and happy. He has to wear an Elizabethan collar all the time as the skin around his neck and ears is really thin and he rips it open without the collar. He can't go outside and we make sure he has regular flea treatments but he's okay, the condition is manageable.

Hope your cat is okay x

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Hi Crash,

I did not find it necessary to even think about declawing Gus, my CA kitty who lived 12+ years, but perhaps if his brother Cutie, who had a more severe case of CA, had lived longer, perhaps I might have ultimately decided to dispense with his back claws, even though I am otherwise vehemently against declawing (I am actually from England originally, although I have lived in the US since 1972). However, I would have been concerned about his paws' ability to heal properly, so in the end I probably wouldn't have chosen to do it although I understand someone doing it in the case of a cat severely affected by CA.  When Gus had to have a very inflamed canine tooth removed when he was about 10 years old, our vet did remark that it was more difficult to suture his gum than with a normal cat (CA kitties don't hold sutures very well).  However, when he had to have several long, curly polyps removed from his ears, all went well and there was no problem with suturing - he had a complete cure from the infection and irritation they caused him (which of course made him scratch and wound his ears constanty).  The polyps were fortunately in the outer ear pinnae, not deep in the ear canal.

i think it is great that you and Geordie Jayne have CA cats who have reached 8 and 10 years (well, I guess Geordie Jayne's Fidel is now 11+ since her message was posted a year ago - hopefully he is still with her and doing well.  When I first got Cutie and then Gus, I searched the internet for other people with kitties with this affliction and found only three - one had not lived long, and the owner of the other, who was very severe, had elected to put her to sleep as she was convinced her kitty was suffering. The third was cared for by a veterinarian, who gave me good advice about caring for Cutie and Gus and even sent me one of the custom suits she had paid a seamstress to make specially for her kitty. He was still alive at about 13+ a year or so ago when I last heard from her. Not all CA kitties have all the various symptoms/signs of the disease, so each case is probably different.  Those with the more severe version may not live as long, especially if they suffer major hernias like Cutie.  Cutie and Gus didn't wear e-collars either.  They did need their bodies protected by clothing, especially the neck area - I made sure their suits had turtle-neck type collars or hoodies, etc.  I did laugh at Geordie Jayne's remark about putting socks on cats though - obviously if you just put them on they will have them off in a heartbeat, but both Cutie and Gus did wear socks and they stayed on because I taped them to the legs of their suits with vet-wrap.  CA does not progress - in fact, the skin is actually strengthened or reinforced by the scar tissue that builds up after wounds heal, so the kitties usually do better as they grow older.  In his later years Gus could wear hoodies without having to have his legs covered, and he no longer needed the socks.  I used baby socks with the grippers on the bottom back when they did need them.  The blond kitty in the pix is Cutie; the black one is Gus. Cutie is in his baby onesies with cuffs that turned down over his front paws.  You can see Gus's red socks in the two pix of him in the cat tree.  The picture of him in the blue and white hoodie was taken the night before I had to put him to sleep - his renal failure was quite well managed for about 18 months, but towards the end he dropped a lot of weight in a short time despite medications and sub-cutaneous fluids and care from his internist, so we think perhaps his Inflammatory bowel disease may have morphed to lymphoma.  In the picture where Gus is eating and he's wearing his camouflage suit, you may be able to see his very unusual tail.  Gus had a complete corkscrew tail that sat close to his back, with about 5 inches of regular tail coming out of the corkscrew.  Have seen a few kitties with corkscrew bobtails, but never one like Gus's.  He also had an overbite and his front toe joints would often luxate - I would have to pop his "knuckles" back for him sometimes. 

Over the years I have heard from several people who have CA kitties - there was a new one just this week that I just corresponded with.  There is a young lady in Seattle who has two CA kitties - she's had one for a year or so, but he was only definitively diagnosed after she adopted another kitty recently called Tucker from a rescue organization.  I had read about Tucker when the organization was trying to find her a home.  They knew she had an unusual condition but they did not really know what it was.  I could tell from their description it was CA, and wrote to them and the eventual adopter about it, which helped both kitties get diagnosed.  Tucker reminds me a lot of Gus - she is a tabby, not black like Gus, but her facial expressions, "poppy" eyes and sometimes a sort f droopiness of the eyelids remind so much of him.  Tucker has her own Facebook page - "Tucker the World's Saddest Kitty."

Hi Carocats,

It is an awful condition & it is only with very careful management that we have managed to get Fatty to this age as his injuries have been quite severe & he has had to be sutured numerous times & the bruises he gets are horrendous & require immediate antibiotics or they turn into hard scabs which in turn, if knocked lead to a huge hole which requires suturing. He has a number of bald patches where his fur will not grow back! Declawing his back feet was literally the only way he could survive as the injuries he was causing were enormous & it is not a decision we took lightly nor was it easily made. It is not something I would ever consider under any other circumstances.  He had the most amazing baggy skin & looks as though he has a huge belly due to sagging skin! Fatty also has HCM which they are not sure if it is linked to his CA. It began to deteriorate last year so we are now on 6 monthly heart scans.

It seems a cruel name, but he was named at birth because he was you biggest of 3 kittens! Mum & the other two are all fine thank goodness.

We recently had to have a lump removed from Fatty's leg which turned out to be a slow growing cancer of the soft tissue so that's something we have to check for regularly now also. He came through the surgery ok but healing took a long time.

Oddly enough I have a colleague at work whose son has EDS type 4 which is an unpleasant coincidence.

Good to find others with the same problem!

Anne

My cat cash (domestic short hair) was diagnosed at 2 months with the disorder. Besides the cuts from rough play with his sister, my fiancé and I have been able to keep the "fish mouth" cuts down. Initially, we were spending $400-$600 per major cut, but e-collars, sweater, regular nail clipping, and soft paws do the trick. Still kittens, they do get rough. I have kept him intact which has produced sturdier and larger muscles for base layer protection. The testosterone also helps with healing and general health. besides from the extra skin, thin spots over his eye from where his sister used to kick him in the face, and a cumbersome collar, he doesn't seem to realize he's not a normal cat. I keep him in doors to keep his skin safe and to keep him from spreading his genes; I'm sure we'll neuter him once his development is complete or he decides to spray (which ever comes first.) His joints appear to be more flexible and he does seem more lethargic than his sister, but he's pretty active once it comes to play time. The excess skin does fold over his right eye occasionally, giving him the appearance of having a lazy eye. He is turning 1 year old this weekend (Presidents' Day 2016) and as long as we keep his rear paws from his neck, he'll hopefully be fine. Our vetenarian dermatologist warned me against vitamin c, citing that cats produce it naturally, and excess amounts are hard on the kidneys. Humans and chinchillas are the only mammals that don't naturally produce vitamin c. I was also shocked to learn that there are vetenarian dermatologists. I'm hoping to keep my little guy alive at least another 19 years; undaunted by any disease.

Well, Fatty looks like he is in great shape for a cutaneous asthenia cat - you must be doing something right.  

Hi, cash1june, your little fellow reminds me a bit of Gus.  Glad you seem to have figured out pretty well how to care for him.  Interesting regarding keeping him intact so far - Gus had already been neutered by someone else when I got him; Cutie was neutered at about 5 months (but I had to spend about an hour repairing all the small tears on him afterwards, even though the vet team had tried to be very careful in handling him). You will probably have to get the neuter eventually as that urine odor gets pretty hard to tolerate eventually! Vitamin E is probably a better vitamin to consider to help the skin.  So long as your little guy does not have a really severe case of CE, he could quite easily live into his teens.  The website for people with Ehlers Danlos syndrome (the name for the condition in humans) is helpful for information, and perhaps any updates in the way the condition is treated.  Keep an eye on the condition of teeth and gums, as well as intestinal issues and any possible herniation (which can be part of the syndrome in both cats and people).  Oh yes, there are veterinary dermatologists, oncologists, neurologists, internists, cardiologists - I run a rescue for special needs kitties, Carolina Cats (we are on Facebook), and we've seen all these types of specialists as many of our long-term residents have aged.  My little Gus was probably one of my most favorite kitties (and I've had many special ones).  He had loads of purrsonality, and I still miss him a lot even though I still have many kitties to take care of.  Are you in the US (if so, which state?) or out of the country?  I am originally from England, but have lived in SC since 1972.  There is a vet in Wisconsin, Susan Krebsbach, who had a CA kitty, Angel, and helped me initially with a lot of advice on how to care for Cutie and Gus.  She has a behavioral consulting practice and is also very involved with feral cat spay/neuter for Dane County Ferals in her area.  I have a friend whose daughter, Karen, is also a veterinarian who lives in that area, too, and participates in those spay/neuterathons and knows Susan, and as of a couple of years ago her Angel was still with her at about 14 years of age.  I must ask Karen to find out if Angel is still hanging in there.  Back when I had Cutie and Gus there wasn't much available in the way of clothing for pets.  Now that it is all the rage, even for cats, there are some people who specialize in making custom outfits, and even little helmets with holes for the ears - you can probably find some of them by googling, plus the Cerebellar Cats and Kittens FB page and Cats with Paralysis and Mobility Problems FB page have members who either make such things or know where to get them as wobbly kitties and other cats with mobility problems tend to fall and may hit their heads, thus needing protection.  Good luck with Cash - may you have many happy years together, and feel free to contact me through the Carolina Cats FB page or at [email protected] should you have any questions I might be able to help with.

Good Afternoon,

My name is Cyndi and I’m posting this regarding my 11 month old kitten Erlewynn who has been diagnosed with Cutaneous Asthenia disease. She was born with “twisted leg” syndrome as well. I have her mother & littermates. From the day she was born, I performed at home physical therapy to correct her legs after consulting with the primary vet. I refused to euthanize her. Her legs are now normal, with just a slight bend. She can walk, run & play like a normal kitten. A few months ago, she had to get some dental surgery because her upper and lower jaw is not aligned properly, and she was having difficulty eating. Her lower fangs were making small holes in the roof of her mouth, so the dentist filed down her teeth, filled and capped them. Dental procedure went well, except this is when we discovered she had the skin disorder. While being “scruffed” for surgery prep, her skin tore around her neck. So bad they had to use sutures. The dentist that performed her surgery is also a professor at the University of Pennsylvania, and he reached out to fellow genetic specialists at the university and she was then diagnosed. I notice she tends to get easily get scratched around her neck area, behind her ears. While these can be deep scratches, they can be treated at home with witch hazel & neosporin. I was instructed by the veterinary hospital to do this. So far, I had to get her front paw sutured, and 5 weeks later, her back paw sutured. She seems to be getting severe lacerations on the top of her paws easily. Two weeks ago, she had a large wound on the side of her body, which required 20 sutures, and then before leaving the hospital, the skin on the side of the sutures tore. She had to have an orthopedic surgeon stitch her up the next day, and she is currently wearing a large bandage that resembles a cast around her body to protect the sutures. I have zero experience with this skin disorder, so I’m just looking for some advice or recommendations. I believe she doesn’t feel much discomfort or pain when she gets these lacerations, because she will still be running around and playing when I discovered both wounds. I assume that’s because of the lack of collagen in the skin. I am willing to do anything I can for Erlewynn, she is my special needs baby. The surgeon recommended applying "soft paw" caps to her nails, but this cat cannot be restrained for more than 30 seconds, so I can't believe that's going to work out having to apply them every 2 months. My other option is laser declawing all four paws, which makes me sick thinking about it. I have 16 indoor cats and would never declaw any of them, but I understand this is  for medical purposes.  I appreciate any information, suggestions, tips anyone can possibly provide. Thank you so very much!

Sincerely,

Cyndi

I have no experience of this disorder, but I would think applying Softpaws claw covers would be quite doable. If she accepts claw clipping, there shouldn't be an issue - each claw cover only takes a few seconds to fit. Just like claw clipping, there's no need to do them all in one go. Fit a couple, or a whole paws worth if she'll let you, then let her go. Just keep repeating until every claw is capped. It might take a couple of days, but far better that than the surgery option So long as you stay calm (and have plenty of treats on hand for after ) she should stay calm too.

Hi Columbine, and thanks for the advice! It's definitely worth a shot, she might surprise me and be very tolerable of me applying them. I also have a fear that she's going to freak out and try to bite them off, causing her a trip to the emergency hospital. She has a follow up appointment Friday, if I cannot apply all of them by then, I might just take them with me and see if the vet can help me out. 

Cindy,

First, let me congratulate you on becoming the owner of an expensive pet.  As a fellow cat owner of the same disorder, I can tell you the little guy tears equally at my heart strings as he does my wallet.  That being said, I'm such a sucker for his furry antics, I'd probably mortgage my house to find a cure for cat cancer if he had it.

1.) Neck Scratches: I've found that these are caused predominantly by the hind legs.  The three fold fix my fiancee and I use is to clip the hind talons, cap them with soft paws, and force him into a sadly life long affinity for high victorian collars.  I've been doing all three since he was diagnosed at 8 weeks, so he's very used to it by now.  I buy EZ Collars that are clear and have a fabric liner for comfort off of Amazon.  I let him out of it once or twice a day under supervision to clean himself, and honestly he doesn't seem to mind it.  His sister wears one as well because she likes to bite him during play, and she definitely minds wearing it (orange tabby).  We let her out of it a little more often, and make sure to put it back on when she starts bitting.  Though cats are intelligent creatures, she doesn't seem to see the correlation yet.

2.) Soft Paws: Absolutely put these talon caps on.  The alternative is declawing, a procedure more difficult to recover from with a genetic disorder.  Recently, our little Cash man (the cat's name) tore a soft paw off, and took some collagen deficient skin with it.  We would have let it heal on it's own, but my germaphobe and physician fiancee decided that exposure to kitty litter may cause infection.  The professional suture job was not cheap, and we have since been more careful in avoiding adhering the plastic to the skin.  That being said, if your little tyke doesn't like the procedure, make a cat taco of her with a beach towel, speak sweet nothings into her ear, and supportively feed her treats after every few soft paws are applied.  My life partner and I have gotten so good at this that the cat actually comes over to us when he see the clippers and soft paws, and literally lays down and flips on his back as if to say he's ready for his mani/pedi.  Again, June, his sister, would lead me to believe I'm torturing her with every clip.  Be sure to avoid the "quick" or the tiny capillaries in the claws.  This trick is tougher on the hind paws.

3.) Body Scratches: Sweaters are the answer.  This is actually not that bad.  Cash alternates sweaters with the seasons.  He's a pumpkin for Halloween, Argyle mess for Christmas, and not getting pinched green starting on the first day of March.  I've also got "thug life," "Mo $, Mo problems," and "Playa H8tr" prints.  Strangely, if my fiancee comes home first, he's no longer wearing any of those sweaters.  The best place to buy cat sweaters is from an online designer who makes them for those adorable naked cats from the Austin Powers movies.  They are more expensive, but fit way better and are better quality.  The name of the store is called "Sphinx Cat Clothes."

4.) Sensation: According to my Veterinarian Dermatologist (probably right up there with animal therapist in terms of take home pay), cats afflicted with this genetic disorder have reduced sensation which is why your little kitty may act like she doesn't feel a thing.  There are a few scholarly articles I found using a cursory google search if you want to find out more about the affliction.  The corollary in humans is called "Ehlers Danlos Syndrome" (EDS) or colloquially "Rubber Man Syndrome."  It's the same genetic disorder that affects the Guinness World Record guy with stretchiest skin and the old circus side show guys.  Typically, the individuals appear normal, but can stretch his or her skin out fairly far, bend their arms the opposite direction, and make their eyes appear to bulge out.  Though a great party trick, depending on the type and severity of the disorder, more than your collagen matrix can be out of whack, to include internal organs, namely the intestines.  I met a very nice lady in her late 30's with the disorder that had been recently hospitalized due to intestinal issues resulting from complications related to EDS.  

All this being said, the number one priority for kitty is PREVENTION, PREVENTION, PREVENTION.  Tape off sharp corners, dawn the protective gear, and make sure the 15 other little fur balls in the house know to play nice (should be as easy as herding cats.)  As you've seen from the all the other posts on this thread, cats with this disorder can live long lives.  There's a vet in Wisconsin that specializes in this sort of disorder that I'm sure a guy from PENN can find and get in touch with.  I had his card at one time, but I've definitely misplaced it.  There's also a vet on the west coast that'll take e-mails named Dr. Stokking at the Sorrento Valley Veterinarian Hospital.  Stay with it, and I'm sure Erlewynn will bring you years of purring companionship.

Cheers,

Ari

Hello fellow CA animal lovers.

I have a question for you - have any of you had problems getting flea treatments to work on your kitties? What has worked for you? My Lily (a dog) has CA and I've have not had luck with the several pills/drops I've tried and with her delicate skin it's a serious problem.  I suspect the mechanism might be hampered by the low collagen. Hope you don't mind me crashing your kitty thread with a dog question (I haven't found an equivalent canine forum).

Thank you! 

Hi, I don't recall ever really having a problem with Gus, my cutaneous asthenia kitty (I lost him to renal failure about 4 years ago now, but he was 13+ when I lost him). I primarily used Advantage and the later version, Advantage II for him and my rescue's other cats when I absolutely had to as I felt it was the lesser of all evils in the way of topical chemical products. However, have you considered Capstar or equivalent?  It's a pill. Kills fleas for only 24 hours, but it is considered gentle enough in comparison w/ chemicals in other products that you can give it several times, even on consecutive days if needed.  If you have to have ongoing protection, perhaps Lufenuron might work - I can't recall the brand name now but it came out before Advantage and Revolution but quickly lost out to them because it has to be give by mouth.  Some people swear by diatomaceous earth (has to be food-grade).  I didn't find it worked very well for kitties and was concerned about them ingesting it when grooming - it is a very fine dust made up of ground-up seashells - sharp enough to cut up fleas, but supposedly not harmful to kitty innards, but I question that - not sure it could be entirely safe for intestines, and having a lot of kitties with IBD I was wary about using it.  But most dogs have bigger bodies, larger intestines - and don't usually groom themselves, so maybe no a problem for dogs.  Then there's the newer Seresto collars by Bayer that give protection for 8 months - but I'm nervous about collars, especially ones that release chemicals for that length o time - the older-type flea collars everyone used to use have in studies been implicated as a cause for oral squamous cell carcinoma.

I have had success treating my abyssinian mix cats with Cutaneous asthenia, using a collegen/vitamin c supplement from makondo pets. I've been treating her for an impailing injury that entered in the flank area and tried to exit out above her pelvis. The vet I've been working with was hesitant to believe in the supplement. She did not receive the supplement for 3 days after which the newest healed tissue fell apart (dehissed). She became injured in may, had 3 surgeries to debrid the wound, she became severly infected twice and now I start all over again, I have also added lysine to her supplements to help support collegen.

Everything I've read about vitamin C, which naturally occurs in every species but our own and chinchillas, is that supplementation in cats leads to kidney stones.  Kidney stones lead to renal failure.  I haven't read enough about the collagen supplements or the lysine.  I did look into buying tenascin X synthetic, but I'm not really sure what the dosage would be or how it would affect the cat.

Since my last post, we've had to declaw both cats, deal with impacted stool in the rectum on three occasions, and numerous lacerations.  Cash is only two, so I'm relieved we still have a life time of vet bills together!  In gain, the cat pulls at both my heart strings and wallet simultaneously.  He's also grown more lethargic with age, where his sister is just as much if not more energetic.

Because of the fleas, Cash has to live in a cone, otherwise, he'd scratch himself senseless.  I've tried everything from flea bombing the house to daily vacuuming and the crushed sea shells.  Sadly, no joy.  I'm always open for any advice.

Wow! I had no idea this thread was still going. I do feel blessed that Merlin has never had the super easily broken skin symptoms. He's just a very very saggy old boy with thinning hair and no teeth. I think it's finally starting to affect his joints as he doesn't get around as well as he used to, but honestly that could also be arthritis at his age. We take him into a new vet on Saturday to see if there's anything more we can be doing.

And yes, fleas have always been a HUGE problem for him. His skin just does not do what it's supposed to with the topicals, and of course since his skin is odd he gets sores from the bites and scratching. We're looking into the new Seresto collars for this summer for him and a couple of our "normal" cats who get bad flea dermatitis to see if a slow release method might work.