Pleasehelp, I've spent $1000 no vet can help, anyone else know!!

Hi,

My cat Willow is a 7 year old female. After moving to Toronto 3 years ago she began to go bald on her tummy, then we moved and her tummy and inside of her hind legs went bald, we moved again and she continues to over lick and now lick so much she bleeds. She was given cat relalant as they thought is was pyschological, it didn't work, so then they tried 4 different diets in case of allergies, they have not worked. Has anyone had this experience with their cat?? I am begging for suggestions. Her tummy looks os painful. I keep a soft collar on to disable her from licking but she manages to get around it. PLease e-mail me at [email protected] as well as the forum.

I would suggest you pick up the book Dr. Pitcairnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs & Cats

He goes into great detail in there about skin allergies such as your cat seems to be facing-

Good luck!

Hissy and all...do you think Feliway would help? I haven't used it yet, but it might calm the cat down. I have an overlicker too.

Feliway works on some cats but not all. Usually this type of behavior is allergy related. It may not be food allergy, it could be airborn or chemically induced. It also could be dermatitis, or the wrong flea treatment being given? It is hard to say. It sounds to me like the poster has done everything medically possible for this cat and is just looking for relief. The book I mentioned gives several diet possibilities to relieve hot spots and over itching in cats. You can also look to the Bach Flower Remedies- crab apple, sweet chestnut, or aspen-

My sister had two cats that over groomed eachother... it was completely psychological. What kind of flea treatment do you use? You might switch it to something else, ever thought of a raw or homemade diet? Have you had any allergy tests done?

If you want to do some research, the term is "feline alopecia" -- you should be able to use Google to find some info online.

I have a very different take on this. Have you had any bloodwork done? I would look for evidence of hepatitis, ibd and/or pancreatitis. In the case of my Joshua, because all else seemed well with him, I let him be quite the baldy for a while - his tummy and up his back legs. I later found when he was diagnosed with ibd and as having had hepatitis and/or a pancreatitis that treatment for the ibd took care of the fur licking and pulling. He was doing it because his tummy hurt, and I missed it.

It is a lesson I will never forget. Please, if you have not done so already, have his liver values checked among other things, and his tum palpated to see what those intestines feel like (thick and ropey is one potential sign of ibd).

best wishes with figuring this out, skritches to your kitty,

Hi,

I have had bloodworld done but just the routine bloodwork. Nothing came back, should I request that they look for something specific???

Originally Posted by Punki

Hi,

I have had bloodworld done but just the routine bloodwork. Nothing came back, should I request that they look for something specific???

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If the bloodwork they did included checking liver enzymes (alt, ast, alp) that would rule out some of what I was concerned with I believe...but it never hurts to simply ask your vet, how did the intestines feel on physical exam of your cat - is there a chance there is ibd involved - was there an increase in some of the white blood cells - specifically the eosinophils and neutrophils, were there any signs of the liver enzymes being off, of any increase in amylase or lipase. Here is a site describing testing/tx and symptoms of pancreatitis click here

Anyhoo...I'm not a vet or a vet tech, just a person whose cat stripped itself of fur, due to the discomforts from these issues.

Originally Posted by Punki

Hi,

My cat Willow is a 7 year old female. After moving to Toronto 3 years ago she began to go bald on her tummy, then we moved and her tummy and inside of her hind legs went bald, we moved again and she continues to over lick and now lick so much she bleeds. She was given cat relalant as they thought is was pyschological, it didn't work, so then they tried 4 different diets in case of allergies, they have not worked. Has anyone had this experience with their cat?? I am begging for suggestions. Her tummy looks os painful. I keep a soft collar on to disable her from licking but she manages to get around it. PLease e-mail me at [email protected] as well as the forum.

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Is she an only cat? Do you leave her alone for long periods like going to work or school? She could have seperation anxiety. Maybe a pal would help her? just a suggestion.

Did they try any sort of medicine or shots for possible allergies?

My parents have a dog that would lick, chew, and scratch himself like that on his belly and legs to the point where he would draw blood, scab, or just generally look like he had mange. He was put on several different diets, was definitely kept flee-free, and bathed frequently. The only thing that stopped it was the allergy shot for him

Check for diabetes too.

Punki and Willow,

Me and my cat are going through the same thing and seem to have the same symptoms. I am taking her to the Vet again today because she is so itchy. I have an e-collar on her and had to buy two sizes in order to create one that kept her from her tummy. I am going to request blood tests today. I will keep you both in my thoughts. Please let us know how things go.

Originally Posted by Punki

Hi,

After moving to Toronto 3 years ago she began to go bald on her tummy, then we moved and her tummy and inside of her hind legs went bald, we moved again and she continues to over lick and now lick so much she bleeds.

Click to expand...

Could it be stress related with moving to 3 different places within 3 years?