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- Apr 11, 2021
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I’ve had my 2yo cat Stella for about six months, and she has always had a severe overgrooming problem. She drinks plenty of water, and her poop is normal. The vet has approved her diet and flea medication. She is a skittish cat, but her environment is quiet and low-stress. We use all-natural cleaners in our house to be sensitive to our pets. I also don’t allow our dog to come inside my room, which is where Stella spends most of her time. During quarantine I’ve been home with her most of the time, so she gets plenty of attention. When she came home she was overgrooming and had minor hair loss. Now her fur is very poor quality and completely missing in patches. She’s been on several different allergy medications, and a steroid shot. The steroid shot worked for a couple weeks, but the vet and I are hesitant to give her any more because of the health risks. All the other medications had minimal effect.
The vet says her problem is likely a food allergy, which agrees with the research I've done on her symptoms/hair loss pattern. She is currently on a hypoallergenic diet, but it could be several more weeks before we see any changes. I wish I could do an allergy panel to be sure, but I don’t have the money for it. The vet also had her on Apoquel to help ease the transition, but it’s not very effective and quite expensive. She’s starting to get red spots and scabs in the places she itches the most, and I’m worried about her getting an infection. Should I put her in a cone until the new diet starts to work? I’m sure she won’t like the cone, but it feels like my only option to prevent her from self-mutilating over the next few weeks.
It’s been so hard to watch her struggle with this. I feel perpetually discouraged, and the cost of vet visits and medications is equally challenging. This is my first time as a cat parent, and I feel a bit helpless. Any advice would be welcome. I’ve attached a picture from a few weeks ago that shows her bald spots, but I don’t have any pictures of her irritated skin.
The vet says her problem is likely a food allergy, which agrees with the research I've done on her symptoms/hair loss pattern. She is currently on a hypoallergenic diet, but it could be several more weeks before we see any changes. I wish I could do an allergy panel to be sure, but I don’t have the money for it. The vet also had her on Apoquel to help ease the transition, but it’s not very effective and quite expensive. She’s starting to get red spots and scabs in the places she itches the most, and I’m worried about her getting an infection. Should I put her in a cone until the new diet starts to work? I’m sure she won’t like the cone, but it feels like my only option to prevent her from self-mutilating over the next few weeks.
It’s been so hard to watch her struggle with this. I feel perpetually discouraged, and the cost of vet visits and medications is equally challenging. This is my first time as a cat parent, and I feel a bit helpless. Any advice would be welcome. I’ve attached a picture from a few weeks ago that shows her bald spots, but I don’t have any pictures of her irritated skin.
