Cat hair loss and scabs on hair and neck? A few Ideas?

missraena

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My cat is a 1 and a half year old female calico tabby mix whom we got about a month ago. We took her to the vet and she had fleas and ear mites but within two weeks that cleared up. We wanted to start walking her on a leash to get her outside activity so we bought some treats and wet food as encouragement. We are thinking she may have an allergy to the wet food, is it common for female cats to have allergies to Fancy Feast? She likes it a lot but I think I'm going to stop giving her that kind. I bought another called Purina Beyond. She hasn't touched it yet.

She has been scratching herself which is making her wounds worse and worse.

I've been letting her outside since we got her on supervision so I don't think she is allergic to pollen.

She has been on the flea meds for a month so I don't think she would bee having a reaction now.

Thanks :)
 

puffinsparent

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I've been having a similar problem with my eight year old cat, Puffin, myself. She's always been extremely odd in comparison to other cats in that she only weighs about 2lbs at most, she doesn't like any treats (not even milk or tuna which I discourage ppl giving cats human food regardless) except for Temptations Cat Nip treats since they're hard and crunchy and she refuses to eat any moist or wet food whatsoever, she's always been skittish/anxious, and doesn't care for any human contact. I've had her since she was 8 weeks old and she's never really bonded with anyone which makes it hard to treat her if she does have anything wrong but she's always had a bit of an obsession with cleaning herself and scratching which leaves her covered in scabs and she hasn't had hair at the base of her tail for quite some time.
She's only ever been indoors her entire life so I don't think it's even possible for it to be a flea issue but from what I've been reading, cat allergies to wet food and regular store bought foods are fairly common and switching to a more raw or organic food can make a huge difference. In my case I know it can't be one particular type of food because I've changed her food numerous times to no avail. She's extremely sensitive to any topical medications and has become very sick in the past from just about every medicine I've given her but I've been researching more lately and since the food switch isn't working, I'm going to try regular benadryl.
All the vet websites of course say to consult with your vet first, but that a good starting dose would be .5-1mg of benadryl per pound. Its also normal for it to make the cat drowsy and they may even drool but the serious side effects are pretty much slim to none in comparison to other medications.
In your case I'd try to slowly incorporate hard food into the wet food for a couple of days to wean them off of it without upsetting their stomach. Some people will even take them to the vet where they'll completely make the cat fast for 3-4 days then start them on a strict raw food.
If the food switch doesn't work for your cat either, you can always give the benadryl a shot to help with the allergy until you can get them into the vet to have their skin/scabs scrapped and tested.
 

stephenq

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My cat is a 1 and a half year old female calico tabby mix whom we got about a month ago. We took her to the vet and she had fleas and ear mites but within two weeks that cleared up. We wanted to start walking her on a leash to get her outside activity so we bought some treats and wet food as encouragement. We are thinking she may have an allergy to the wet food, is it common for female cats to have allergies to Fancy Feast? She likes it a lot but I think I'm going to stop giving her that kind. I bought another called Purina Beyond. She hasn't touched it yet.

She has been scratching herself which is making her wounds worse and worse.

I've been letting her outside since we got her on supervision so I don't think she is allergic to pollen.

She has been on the flea meds for a month so I don't think she would bee having a reaction now.

Thanks :)
It could be an allergy that could have various causes and while antihistamines can be effective, please consult your vet before starting any OTC medication. 
 
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