HELP!! Kitten skin issues!

I am so desperate for help, and not really a cat person so I am in over my head here!

Long story:

In May we adopted a kitten, approximately sevenish weeks old, from a local rescue shelter. We didn't have any issues with him at all (okay he's a little weird, but that's okay).

Fast forward to mid-Julyish. He gets this sore thing on the side of his neck. It started as sort of a bump, then he lost his hair and then was this raw nasty sore. He then got another one on the back of his neck. He started to get a third one slightly under this one (and possibly a fourth, but I only felt a small bump, didn't escalate and #3 never did much either).

We tried a couple recommended home remedies some friends suggested (neosporin and a wound spray). Didn't work. Took him to a vet.

Round 1 at vet 1 - they gave him an antibacterial shot and a cortisone shot. Scrap the wound to check it for a bacterial infection, came back negative. We far as he noticed, there wasn't a "cause". No fleas, and we've never applied any flea or tick medicine. So he sent us home with an ointment to apply x3 a day.

At some point, all the other spots have healed except the one on the back of his neck.

Round 2 Vet 1 - we take him back in for a follow up. The back of the neck isn't better, so he adds amoxicillin and says to continue the ointment. Recommends we fully declaw cat (I assume he assumed the cat was scratching this: side note, as bad as this is you'd think he scratched 24/7 and we hardly see that).

This sent us into *** mode -- a vet that's recommending we totally declaw a cat?!?

I called the shelter we got him from hoping they could help (even with like a second opinion, anything, and this is getting expensive!), they basically said yeah you should get another opinion but we can't help you at all with anything because it's passed two weeks.

Ok, so we go to another vet. This vet actually explained what he thinks is happening. He thinks the sore is a symptom of an issue and we need to figure out the issue and fix that to fix the sore. Sigh. Ok. He changed the cats pills to something else and gives us a more intense cream.

We've been doing this for probably two weeks. We decided over the weekend to try covering the sore to maybe stop him scratching it (he's now messing with it....), it was looking a little better until I came home from work -- he wasn't covered and the sore looks just horrible (I'm sure because he was scratching at it).

Does anyone have any idea or tips or what we could or should be asking the vet?!

I'm attaching a picture of the sore as of today. Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

Holy smokes!  Poor thing!  Have you tried a food with limited ingredients to see if it's a food allergy?  Have you tried switching to a natural litter (World's Best or Blue Natural Walnut) to see if it's litter allergy?

We have switched his food. Forgot that - the second vet suggested that. So he's on the natural balance LID. I didn't even consider the litter. I will have to look into that.

You didn't apply any sort of Advantage or Revolution or any of that type of thing did you.  (where you apply it directly to the skin in that general vicinity?)  Just a thought.

You changed his food, but it takes a little while for that to take effect.  How long ago did you do that?  AND you don't give him any treats or ANYTHING else, do you?  If so, that could be doing it. 

Additinally, it could be caused from allergies to other things, other than food.  Sometimes, just an OTC allergy pill can help.  Something like Zyrtec, but not a whole one.  For a 9 month old kitten, you would need to ask your Vet how much to give.

  In the meantime, too, you need to be sure to treat that open wound.  Are you doing that?  The wound spray and neosporin might do the trick, might not, but it's better than nothing.  I would also get some "soft claws" on him so he cannot scratch it.  If the neosporin doesn't help, try Colloidal Silver, it might help.  Here's a thread on it  http://www.thecatsite.com/t/240011/colloidal-silver-usage-for-cats-health-in-some-occasions

I would recommend that you try to find a veterinary dermatologist to see your kitten. They specialize in skin conditions of animals and can generally help identify the cause of this condition in your kitten and treat it. Check out acvd.org to find one in your area. Good Luck!

My cat had the same problem. I adopted him when he was 3 months old and he's had the same problems since he was about 6 months. He's now 8 and randomly gets them. I've tried changing food, changing his plastic bowl to metal, cortisone shots, anything you can think of. The shots seemed to help him for awhile but that got expensive. Any vet I see is baffled to what it is, all they say it's that he's allergic to something. The last couple years I've given him a small dose of children's liquid benadryl and actual tried putting Neosporin on him but I have to then bandage him up as best as I can so he doesn't try licking it off. Poor thing looks like he just came back from war . This seems to do the trick.

Recently my vet said to put fish oil on their wet food to help with dry skin and it seems to help a bit. But in the end nothing works 100%I just try to stop it when it gets bad and the last couple of years I've only given him benadryl a couple of times. I want his body to fight it off on its own but I don't want him to suffer so I do it when I have to.

It's hard to watch them go thru this but you have to be strong for them.I hope this helps.