Cat loosing hair around neck... finally went to vet!

tibbsandnorman

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Hello! About a week ago, I asked for some advice about my cat itching, licking and obsessively cleaning himself, especially around the neck area. Fleas was a good suggestion. So I used advantix, on both Mr. Tibbs and Norman... but Norman kept itching. He's now loosing hair all over his face in small patches, especially above his eyes, and his neck is nearly completely bald. Poor thing.

So I finally took Norman to the vet today. This is the vet who last week, thought it was smart to put Tabasco sauce on his fur to deter him from licking... it just made him scratch, poor thing, it was itchy! I washed it off quickly. That was stupid.

The vet is suggesting allergies... he's not sure if it's food based or seasonal. He gave Norman a shot of cortisone... suppose to stop the itching. Does anyone know how long this usually takes to kick into the system? Just curious.

Can anyone recommend a particular diet for allergy sensitive cats? The vet said lamb and rice type dry food... any suggestions on brands? So at this point, the vet is certain it's allergies, just not sure it's food related or seasonal (i.e. pollen.) Any suggestions on a food for cats with allergies would be great! And if anyone knows how long a cortisone shot for cats usually takes to work, I'd like to know that as well! THANK YOU!
 

momofmany

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The cortisone shot should start showing relief within the first 24 hours. Its an anti-inflamatory and if he has hives from an allergy, it will shrink them and relieve the itch. The shot can provide relief for up to a month, depending on how severe it is and if it reoccurs.

If it is allergies, you will have to rule out things in his environment one by one to find the culprit. You can run allergy tests, but they are expensive and not always conclusive. The vet could do a skin scrape to make sure there aren't any parasites - there are many smaller than fleas that you can't see by the naked eye.

Can't recommend a food - have not had that type of allergy in my house.
 

sharky

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If you suspect food allergys the best one to start is z/d by science diet only avail at the vet ... it is $$ but after about 10-12 weeks youll know if it is food ... is the just starting>?? I have given baby benadryl but the cortizone should alleviate what that is used for
 
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