Stray/Feral with Skin/coat Problems

A stray/feral tomcat adopted me after 5 years of feeding him.  He always had patches of hair missing and dug, scratched, and chewed himself raw.  Last year he got into a fight and got an infection on his face and he was sick enough for me to get him into a carrier and to the vet.  i told the vet to address his wound, worm and neuter him and see what could be done about his skin/coat problem.  Vet did everything but tend to or even check the itching--he said the scabs were because the cat was a scrapper and once he was neutered  the itching and scabs would go away.  This was a one-shot deal--it took the vet and 3 asistants to get this cat back into the carrier at the office and I don't think I will ever get him back in it again.  Problem is--the skin problem still persists and gets worse during warm weather--he bites and scratches raw spots and scabs all over his body.  I have 2 other kitties who never "caught" or contracted this condition.  This guy is very affectionate and I can get near him but no one else can and he won't tolerate being picked up or held .  I don't know what to do if I can't get him back to a vet, and I'm not sure the vet I took him to gave his problem much consideration.  Guess I am asking for any advice that would help me to help this cat.  Thanks.

I would first take a look at what you're feeding him, before going back to the vet. In my experience, a better diet and elimination of any allergens is the most important factor in a cat's coat health. Vets don't always have the best nutrition education, so they might not know to recommend a dietary change. I'm always amused when vets are amazed. H my cats' coats - of course it feels amazing, I feed them the food they evolved to eat! (Or at least as close as I can get, being a squeamish vegetarian)

The itching could be due to dry skin or an allergen - one of my cats is allergic to chicken and poultry & her only symptom is licking the fur of her belly and inside her back legs until completely bald, and then licking the bare skin until it's scabby and infected. If you can go the raw food route, you'll probably see the best improvements. If not, a quality meat based, grain free wet food or dry food with water added would be best. I've heard using oil supplements can be especially beneficial for cats with dry itchy skin. If you still see issues with a dietary change, it's likely a food allergy, in which case eliminating the allergen is the only possible solution.

I would totally agree with the above poster, but also say that he could also have seasonal allergies, since you say it gets worse with warmer weather.  This might be helped with something as simply as Zyrtec or Benedryl, but I'l at least CALL my Vet and discuss it.  It's possible too, that he may need to be put on steroids to help ease make him more comfortable.  That's a double edged sword though, since steroids can cause other issues

I would definitely look at his food first though.