2 Year Old Constantly Licks Until He's Losing Fur And Scabbed

[lutece]

I agree with those who have mentioned flea allergies as something to look into. It might not be fleas... but I once had a cat with severe flea allergies and it looked a lot like your pictures.

My family was given these flea drops to put on his nape area every month or so. As far as I know about them they're used to prevent fleas which is why I really doubt he has any fleas. Also, we've only brought them outside once ever into our front yard.

Flea products don't always work; cats can still have some fleas even if the products are being used on a regular schedule (and if you use them "every month or so," that may not be often enough, in any case).

Also, some cats can have terrible skin reactions to the spot-on flea products. That was the case with my flea allergy cat... he developed sores where the spot-on products touched his skin. He was much better after I switched to oral flea meds.

 

[Elyquint]

One of my cats, the dominant one, started over grooming when the other cat started going outside. The vet put her on Prozac which she refused. Took about 6 months but she stopped.

That said, when dealing with skin conditions try the grain free potato and duck food which I think is a Blue Buffalo product. We had a rescue with itchy skin scabs and the only way it would clear up was with the potato and duck food. I've used it for every cat we've brought in with skin issues and it's worked every time.

 

[Komodran]

Get a flea comb and look for the dirt in his fur. Also what flea treatment is he getting? It is SUPER important to stick to the name brands of flea products (from the vet) but if you do the same one for a long period of time they can become more immune to it. So it is a good idea to switch brands sometimes. Again, from the vet only not Walmart or some off label cheap product.

As for food, it is in their best interest, especially being boys, to get them on wet food much more often and drastically reduce the dry food. It is easier for them to not only over eat on free fed dry, but it dehydrates them, and being boys they are more likely to get a blocked urinary tract which is life threatening.

We were given Revolution - Selamectin Topical Solution from our vet. I believe we give it once a month on their nape. We were given it from our vet a while back.

I thought wet food is not good for cats due to the ingredients plus it also being bad for their teeth?

 

[Komodran]

I agree with those who have mentioned flea allergies as something to look into. It might not be fleas... but I once had a cat with severe flea allergies and it looked a lot like your pictures.

Flea products don't always work; cats can still have some fleas even if the products are being used on a regular schedule (and if you use them "every month or so," that may not be often enough, in any case).

Also, some cats can have terrible skin reactions to the spot-on flea products. That was the case with my flea allergy cat... he developed sores where the spot-on products touched his skin. He was much better after I switched to oral flea meds.

We've never tried the oral flea meds but we've been using Revolution - Selamectin Topical Solution from our vets and we use it once a month on their nape.

If this keeps up we might try to switch to oral flea meds as you have said, do you have any that you could recommend?

 

[jen]

We were given Revolution - Selamectin Topical Solution from our vet. I believe we give it once a month on their nape. We were given it from our vet a while back.

I thought wet food is not good for cats due to the ingredients plus it also being bad for their teeth?

No, dry food is bad for them for the extreme amount of carbs and calories. Carbs are not something a cat needs at all. Wet food is closer to their needed diet, higher in protein and fats. They need protein as obligate carnivores. Most dry food is too carb heavy leading to diabetes, kidney disease and dehydration.

 

[jen]

What specific ingredient in wet food would be bad for cats? Worse than grains and potato and pea and vegetables in dry? All foods are slightly different, some ingredients are better than others, but thats why there are so many varieties.

 

[Komodran]

One of my cats, the dominant one, started over grooming when the other cat started going outside. The vet put her on Prozac which she refused. Took about 6 months but she stopped.

That said, when dealing with skin conditions try the grain free potato and duck food which I think is a Blue Buffalo product. We had a rescue with itchy skin scabs and the only way it would clear up was with the potato and duck food. I've used it for every cat we've brought in with skin issues and it's worked every time.

Our vet had given us PREDNISOLONE to try help deal with the itchiness our cat was having. We gave it as the instructions said but it didn't seem to really help ever.

I'm not sure which vet but another one gave us meds for eczema? I believe it was a liquid type so we often mixed it in with food but soon after our cat started eating around it and it didn't seem to make a difference anyway? Do you think it could still be a possibility?

Lastly, we'll try the cat food the next time I see it when we go buy pet food! Thank you for your response!

 

[jen]

That said, when dealing with skin conditions try the grain free potato and duck food which I think is a Blue Buffalo product. We had a rescue with itchy skin scabs and the only way it would clear up was with the potato and duck food. I've used it for every cat we've brought in with skin issues and it's worked every time.

I would rather not have my cat eat starchy potatoes that don't belong in their diet in the first place.

 

[Komodran]

What specific ingredient in wet food would be bad for cats? Worse than grains and potato and pea and vegetables in dry? All foods are slightly different, some ingredients are better than others, but thats why there are so many varieties.

Could you recommend me a specific wet cat food? Also, you mean wet as in canned right?

 

[jen]

Yes. For canned food I follow catinfo.org and I look for the lowest carb possible that I can easily find. Right now I feed mine Fancy Feast or Friskies Classic pate as it is under 5% carbs. Go to that site and read through, you will be enlightened on cat food and how to feed them. There is also a PDF that breaks down hundreds of popular canned cat foods so you know their Protein, Carb, Fat and Phosphorus contents.

 

[Elyquint]

Our vet had given us PREDNISOLONE to try help deal with the itchiness our cat was having. We gave it as the instructions said but it didn't seem to really help ever.

I'm not sure which vet but another one gave us meds for eczema? I believe it was a liquid type so we often mixed it in with food but soon after our cat started eating around it and it didn't seem to make a difference anyway? Do you think it could still be a possibility?

Lastly, we'll try the cat food the next time I see it when we go buy pet food! Thank you for your response!

I wish I could say I knew. I only know that the potato and duck food worked. I see Jen feels very strongly about not feeding cats starch. She probably has a lot more scientific knowledge than I do. I'm not a vet or a chemist or a zoologist. I'm just an amateur with minimal experience that knows what has worked for me in the past. Duck for cats and rabbit for dogs. Nobody knows why. Country advice is all. I feel better about that than all these drugs and clearly so does my nuttybug.

If it's stress Feliway might help. It's expensive but cheaper than constant vet visits. Cats are sensitive to change so if it is stress look for some change as a trigger. In nuttybug's case it was her sister sneaking outside. I never would have considered that. But in her case it was overgrooming all over and not isolated to spots.
We had one cat that got hard kinda crusty patches that clearly irritated her. We used the duck and potato dry food and it went away entirely. BUT then I decided to go back to the grain free that I feed my fat cat (still a fat cat btw) and sure enough. Scabs again.

Best of luck!

 

[Elyquint]

I wish I could say I knew. I only know that the potato and duck food worked. I see Jen feels very strongly about not feeding cats starch. She probably has a lot more scientific knowledge than I do. I'm not a vet or a chemist or a zoologist. I'm just an amateur with minimal experience that knows what has worked for me in the past. Duck for cats and rabbit for dogs. Nobody knows why. Country advice is all. I feel better about that than all these drugs and clearly so does my nuttybug.

If it's stress Feliway might help. It's expensive but cheaper than constant vet visits. Cats are sensitive to change so if it is stress look for some change as a trigger. In nuttybug's case it was her sister sneaking outside. I never would have considered that. But in her case it was overgrooming all over and not isolated to spots.
We had one cat that got hard kinda crusty patches that clearly irritated her. We used the duck and potato dry food and it went away entirely. BUT then I decided to go back to the grain free that I feed my fat cat (still a fat cat btw) and sure enough. Scabs again.

Best of luck!

Hi again, if your cat is carb conscious you can get the green pea and duck dry food from natural balance.

 

[jen]

All cats should be carb conscious. They tend to love carbs. It is up to us not to feed them the carbs. Grains/starches = carbs = sugar = lots of health problems. That is why I hate seeing that in cat food

 

[Komodran]

Yes. For canned food I follow catinfo.org and I look for the lowest carb possible that I can easily find. Right now I feed mine Fancy Feast or Friskies Classic pate as it is under 5% carbs. Go to that site and read through, you will be enlightened on cat food and how to feed them. There is also a PDF that breaks down hundreds of popular canned cat foods so you know their Protein, Carb, Fat and Phosphorus contents.

Okay, thank you for your response! I'll check it out soon!

 

[nunnc84]

You did the
This is what I would do in this order
Bath
Flea treatment-pill, drop??
Isolate into a room with out stress
Vet trip
Antibiotic sab or oral antibiotic
Change food

Get tested for mange, isolate him until you know more if it’s helping his stress put the other cat with him. Protect your family from this skin disorder.