Poor itchy kitty!

My almost 5 year old kitty Sneaky Pie, has skin problems. Every year we go to the vet for a cortisone shot b/c she's pulled all of the fur off of part of her upper legs, her skin is "itchy"

Well today I caught her pulling it out again. When I looked at the area she was pulling on- it had a red kind of oozing area. It kind of reminded me of excema (sp), I've had that.

I don't think it's a bite or a puncture wound. She doesn't go out and fight, the only other kitty she has "arguments" with is our other kitty Mistoflees. And even then they don't bite each other, they just swat at each other with their paws.

I know a vet trip is inevetable, I'm gonna watch it for the next few days (the vet's office is closed now-Monday), and I'll take her in next week.

My question is- anyones kitty ever had something like this?

I'd be changing the animals diet if it was that bad. Good quality food plus some essential fatty acids could certainly help.

Look through the ingredient list on whatever she is eating and keep an eye out for any dye or ingredients that you can't pronounce, as those things are often the culprits.

Is she getting any food treats? Look at them too.

Does she sleep or lay on anything possible allerginic? Is she maybe getting bathed and not rinsed properly? Have you a regular grooming schedule to prevent dead coat accumulating? Fleas? Is her coat dry or oily? How is her skin in other areas?

Is any carpet cleaning done seasonally in your home? Pest control products?

Does she seem to be calm and happy otherwise or is she neurotic and obsessive?

Sadly I have similar issue but I believe it contributed to the intrduction of a flea collar, happily I can report no fleas but Im not sure that the chemicals from the collar extending into her skins doesnt irritate her...Im giving her a week to get it together and then to the docs' we go. Ive also found that brushing her everyday is making her scratch a lil less!

-jatkind

I'd be changing the animals diet if it was that bad. Good quality food plus some essential fatty acids could certainly help.


I have considered that. I've wondered sometime if the "sensitive skin" food I've got the animals on is just compounding Sneaky's skin problems. But- I have a problem. I also have a 13 year old cat that has a sensitive tummy. He's had problems with food before, it's given him loose stools for 24 hours when I've given him a certain food which I have since stopped giving to him. So he'd have to stay with the same food he's currently on, since he does fine on it, and he hasn't gotten sick in quite some time.

Sneaky will eat anything and everything. When 1 bowl is finished, she checks out what's in the other bowl. So if I change foods, I need to figure out how to keep her away from the other kitty's food (and I'm not here all day either)

It's not a flea collar- I just don't use those at all. They never worked for me anyhow. We use Revolution. She's never had a reaction to that at all, not even any fur loss at the area I put the stuff on.

The only neurotic behavior she has is when she becomes "Hyper-kitty" and runs all over the house attacking feet. But I've come to figure out that that's just her playful personality.

I wouldn't be surprised if it were a food allergy, especially if you're feeding dry food, which tends to contain a lot of grains. Has your vet suggested switching both cats to a prescription food, and/or to canned? Jamie is allergic to soy and beet pulp, which are contained in a lot of dry foods. He doesn't really like canned food, but I have managed to get him to eat canned (meat and/or fish only, or with at most 1% rice) for one meal a day, and give him dry which doesn't have any soy, and no, or just a trace of, beet pulp. You can have allergy tests run on your cat, but it's a very expensive procedure.

Medicated baths help with itchy skin. My cat chews and itches from stress and I think the baths help alot.