Really worried, and don't know what to do.

My two year old tabby male, Howie, started itching about a month and a half ago. He will be going along just fine, even sleeping, and suddenly he will jump up like something has bitten him and start licking and biting his haunches frantically.

Now, full disclosure, I work in a special needs classroom, and at about the same time that Howie started itching, we had a scabies outbreak. Unfortunately, I was one of the victims.... They say that scabies are supposed to be easy to get rid of, but I guess it was drug resistant. It took an aggressive treatment to completely be cured. That being said, I am cured, and neither my kids or my husband caught it.

At first I called the vet, and told her our tale of woe. She assured me that cats cannot get human scabies and that it was probably just an allergy. She suggested Benadryl. Giving Howie Benadryl was a miserable failure. To say he doesn't like the taste is a gross understatement.

So, I took Howie in. The vet looked over him thoroughly and didn't see any evidence of anything that could be causing his itch. She gave him a shot of Cortisone and prescribed 3 doses of Revolution over six weeks.

It has been two weeks, and I see no relief from the itching. However, he did get an upper respiratory infection from the vet's office. [emoji]128545[/emoji]

Today he suddenly started pooping all over the house. This is NOT like him! He has never ever done that before. His box is clean and assessable. He's a very good boy.

I called the vet again, and they want to try him on an allergy diet, but he has been on the same food for over a year. I just don't think that is it. The poor baby is miserable though. Does anybody have any ideas? I'm really worried about him.

FYI, he is 100% indoor, and the only animal in the house.

It's possible that the food manufacturer has changed the formula of their food and/or changed suppliers and he's reacting to that.  I would put him on a grain-free diet, chicken or turkey, and see if that helps or a limited ingredient food such as duck & pea.

Have you changed litter brands?

Where is he chewing? If it's right above his tail on his lower back, that tends to be flea related. We have to flea treat every 2 to 3 weeks where I live because they are impossible to control.

Did the cortisone shot help at all? Food allergy often doesn't respond to steroid treatment if my reading is correct.

Yes, it could be the food still. Cats more often develop an allergy to something they've been fed for a long time than to something new. Maybe try a food with a different protein source if you can (I know this can be hard. I live in Australia and have been trying to find fish free chicken free food and it's impossible).

Have you changed ANYTHING at all? Litter, washing powder, cleaning products?

cg33 said:

My two year old tabby male, Howie, started itching about a month and a half ago. He will be going along just fine, even sleeping, and suddenly he will jump up like something has bitten him and start licking and biting his haunches frantically.

Now, full disclosure, I work in a special needs classroom, and at about the same time that Howie started itching, we had a scabies outbreak. Unfortunately, I was one of the victims.... They say that scabies are supposed to be easy to get rid of, but I guess it was drug resistant. It took an aggressive treatment to completely be cured. That being said, I am cured, and neither my kids or my husband caught it.

At first I called the vet, and told her our tale of woe. She assured me that cats cannot get human scabies and that it was probably just an allergy. She suggested Benadryl. Giving Howie Benadryl was a miserable failure. To say he doesn't like the taste is a gross understatement.

So, I took Howie in. The vet looked over him thoroughly and didn't see any evidence of anything that could be causing his itch. She gave him a shot of Cortisone and prescribed 3 doses of Revolution over six weeks.

It has been two weeks, and I see no relief from the itching. However, he did get an upper respiratory infection from the vet's office. [emoji]128545[/emoji]

Today he suddenly started pooping all over the house. This is NOT like him! He has never ever done that before. His box is clean and assessable. He's a very good boy.

I called the vet again, and they want to try him on an allergy diet, but he has been on the same food for over a year. I just don't think that is it. The poor baby is miserable though. Does anybody have any ideas? I'm really worried about him.

FYI, he is 100% indoor, and the only animal in the house.

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it sounds like it could be Feline hyperesthesia syndrome (FHS)

The itching does seem to be around the tail, but there isn't any evidence of fleas. Plus, we started the revolution, and it didn't seem to make a difference. I am going to try a food allergy diet for him in hopes of figuring this out. I must admit that I am skeptical, but the cortisone didn't help at all....so maybe that's a clue!

I had heard of FHS before, but hadn't even considered it! I just did a little reading about it, and I see that is most prevalent in Asian breeds. Howie is a mutt, but I have reason to believe that he is 1/2 Siamese. He is very Siamese like as well (very very vocal, smart, Siamese body type). However, it also says that cats who are a bit more aggressive are prone to it. That is not him. He's as submissive as they come. He's a 15 lb cat, and when the neighbor kid brought over his 6 week old kitten, Howie cowered in fear.... He wouldn't come out for an hour after the kitten left...

Wow, I just watched some videos of FHS and that looks EXACTLY like what he is doing.

hello .. did you ever get help with your Howie ? I am experiencing the same issue with the pooping all over the house

mermaidsblue said:

hello .. did you ever get help with your Howie ? I am experiencing the same issue with the pooping all over the house

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M mermaidsblue this thread is seven years old and so you're unlikely to get a response.
We've locked this one, but perhaps you may like to describe the problem in a new thread of your own?