My cat is almost four years old, he is a happy, lovable indoor guy. However, over the past two years he has developed severely itchy skin that causes him to lick and scratch until he has removed his fur and given himself hotspots. I've taken him to the vet numerous times, we've had blood work done, came back normal. We've tried two steroid injections, which worked for a period of time but due to the possible effects I'm nervous to do another, especially because they don't solve anything long term anyways. I've switched his food to grain free, did nothing. On top of his already itchy skin the poor guy somehow ended up with fleas so I got him on advantage. I'm just at a loss with what to do next. The vet prescribed him with a liquid that I would put on his food that worked until it ran out. I'm just wondering what would cause this itchiness? My next step will be changing my laundry detergent. If this doesn't work I don't know what else to do but get the lil guy on meds for what seems will be the rest of his life. Suggestions? Help me out. Full time student putting myself through school with work full time, and coming home to stress about my lil guy itching himself bald and raw.
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My poor guy is so itchy, I don't know what to do anymore.
- Thread starter bryguy
- Start Date
Some cats have what is known as flea allergy - the flea bites cause itchy skin and when the cat scratches it, he'll get sores.
Get rid of those fleas and stay on top of that. Advantage is the start but you will also need to vacuum your entire house often. You can also use Diotomaceous Earth (DE), available on Amazon. Make sure you get food grade as you put it in his wet food and it goes through his digestive system, killing the tapeworms that have a symbiotic relationship with fleas
You can also sprinkle it on your carpets (lightly - it is very fine and is easy to inhale). DE is fossilized, microscopic seashells. The sharp edges shred the tapeworms and fleas. (I love that image!)
Good luck!
Get rid of those fleas and stay on top of that. Advantage is the start but you will also need to vacuum your entire house often. You can also use Diotomaceous Earth (DE), available on Amazon. Make sure you get food grade as you put it in his wet food and it goes through his digestive system, killing the tapeworms that have a symbiotic relationship with fleas
You can also sprinkle it on your carpets (lightly - it is very fine and is easy to inhale). DE is fossilized, microscopic seashells. The sharp edges shred the tapeworms and fleas. (I love that image!)
Good luck!
There are two times my cat itched like crazy, and you have addressed both of them.
One, he developed major hot spots all over his body, bald skin and oozing sores. He never goes outside, but fleas can come inside. I searched for over a month to find a flea and then there was one. Treated him with Advantage until the flea cycle was broken. It took a couple months beyond that before his skin and allergy finally resolved. Apparently, some cats have an allergy to flea saliva beyond the normal bite irritation and the allergy can become systemic (miliary dermatitis). To help him heal (beyond the Advantage) I tried a couple things, although I don't know if they really helped. I cut any remaining hair around the sores so they could dry/heal better with access to air. I also put a slippery elm salve on them, trying to soothe them a bit. He looked rather funny with pockets of hair gone and the salve was a bit messy, but he did heal with time. His coat is now luxurious. Your cat may have the systemic allergy and I would encourage you to stick with it. Vacuum your home often (floors and furniture).
This same cat developed a food allergy a year or so ago. At the time, he was eating grain free wet, but allergies can go beyond the grain. This was the start of our whole redo on cat food. I started looking at ingredients. The grain free food still had quite a few carbs - tapioca and gravies. I was also feeding him food that had fish as part of the protein. The big switch was to find canned foods that had no fish and preferably no chicken (since that is what he primarily ate). I bought unique proteins, duck, buffalo, rabbit... I also dropped all foods with carageenan. It took a lot of effort to find those canned foods and I ended up having to order online. The brands I went with were Nature's Logic, Hound and Gatos, and Addiction. After a month or two, the itching around the ears and constant licking went away. I don't know what he was allergic to. I now home prepare the cat food - raw and cooked - and he's back to eating chicken with no problems. I don't know if your grain free food is wet or dry, if dry, there is still lots of carbs in the food. That could be the problem. There is a site www.catinfo.org that includes a section that analyzes content of food - protein, fat, carbs. You can look there to see different food options. Best to feed less than 10% carbs, which will mean wet food. You can also look at the proteins you feed and then switch for something different. Fish is notoriously known to be allergic.
I know it's frustrating. Keep at it and hopefully you can find the solution even if you don't identify the actual problem food. Your cat will appreciate your efforts!
One, he developed major hot spots all over his body, bald skin and oozing sores. He never goes outside, but fleas can come inside. I searched for over a month to find a flea and then there was one. Treated him with Advantage until the flea cycle was broken. It took a couple months beyond that before his skin and allergy finally resolved. Apparently, some cats have an allergy to flea saliva beyond the normal bite irritation and the allergy can become systemic (miliary dermatitis). To help him heal (beyond the Advantage) I tried a couple things, although I don't know if they really helped. I cut any remaining hair around the sores so they could dry/heal better with access to air. I also put a slippery elm salve on them, trying to soothe them a bit. He looked rather funny with pockets of hair gone and the salve was a bit messy, but he did heal with time. His coat is now luxurious. Your cat may have the systemic allergy and I would encourage you to stick with it. Vacuum your home often (floors and furniture).
This same cat developed a food allergy a year or so ago. At the time, he was eating grain free wet, but allergies can go beyond the grain. This was the start of our whole redo on cat food. I started looking at ingredients. The grain free food still had quite a few carbs - tapioca and gravies. I was also feeding him food that had fish as part of the protein. The big switch was to find canned foods that had no fish and preferably no chicken (since that is what he primarily ate). I bought unique proteins, duck, buffalo, rabbit... I also dropped all foods with carageenan. It took a lot of effort to find those canned foods and I ended up having to order online. The brands I went with were Nature's Logic, Hound and Gatos, and Addiction. After a month or two, the itching around the ears and constant licking went away. I don't know what he was allergic to. I now home prepare the cat food - raw and cooked - and he's back to eating chicken with no problems. I don't know if your grain free food is wet or dry, if dry, there is still lots of carbs in the food. That could be the problem. There is a site www.catinfo.org that includes a section that analyzes content of food - protein, fat, carbs. You can look there to see different food options. Best to feed less than 10% carbs, which will mean wet food. You can also look at the proteins you feed and then switch for something different. Fish is notoriously known to be allergic.
I know it's frustrating. Keep at it and hopefully you can find the solution even if you don't identify the actual problem food. Your cat will appreciate your efforts!
I thought some more and wanted to add to my post above. IMO, allergies can be tied to the strength (or lack thereof) of the immune system, which can be tied to the health of the gut and digestive track. When I was trying to figure out which food ingredient my cat was allergic to, I also wondered if the problem was a leaky gut, which could also present as an allergy. In addition to the whole food change-up, I started giving him digestive enzymes and probiotics, which continue today.
I don't think it's necessarily a good thing to take over the whole digestive process, so I give less enzymes than is what is called for in the serving instructions. Since I also feed home prepared food, I figure less processing leaves more natural enzymes in the food. Also, some canned foods add in digestive enzymes and probiotics to their recipe. I give Nussentia Pet Digestive Enzymes. My cat eats about 5 ounces food, split into three meals. With two of the meals, he gets 1/32 tsp of the enzymes. In the third meal he gets his probiotics - 1/4 capsule of whatever I take, currently Mercola Complete.
There are lots of enzyme and probiotic options available - both pet and human. There are several recent threads (within last few months) in the Nutrition section that discuss the good and bad points and specific recommendations, if you are interested. I think it helps my cats, and I can't imagine it hurts. Anyway, something to think about as you work to resolve your kitty's itching problem.
I don't think it's necessarily a good thing to take over the whole digestive process, so I give less enzymes than is what is called for in the serving instructions. Since I also feed home prepared food, I figure less processing leaves more natural enzymes in the food. Also, some canned foods add in digestive enzymes and probiotics to their recipe. I give Nussentia Pet Digestive Enzymes. My cat eats about 5 ounces food, split into three meals. With two of the meals, he gets 1/32 tsp of the enzymes. In the third meal he gets his probiotics - 1/4 capsule of whatever I take, currently Mercola Complete.
There are lots of enzyme and probiotic options available - both pet and human. There are several recent threads (within last few months) in the Nutrition section that discuss the good and bad points and specific recommendations, if you are interested. I think it helps my cats, and I can't imagine it hurts. Anyway, something to think about as you work to resolve your kitty's itching problem.
