bumps??

[mking11231]

 hi my 3 year old cat has been scratching at her neck lately... I looked at her neck and there are what feel like bumps but at a closer look you see that they are scabs. she has very long fur so its hard to see them but they are scabs. I called the vet and she said it maybe an allergy so we changed her food. she still has scabs and she continued to itch and scratch please if you know anything tell me

 

[franksmom]

Hi there and welcome to the cat site!

First please refer to the forum rules:

No online advice can replace direct veterinary intervention. If you suspect that your cat may be ill, please contact your vet immediately. You are welcome to look for advice in the health forum while waiting for that appointment, but never delay proper veterinary care waiting for Internet advice. Remember that cats, and especially kittens, are very adept in keeping pain to themselves and delaying treatment may cause irreversible damage.

It sounds like your vet did not examine your cat so I would advise you actually bring your cat in. There are various things that could cause this type of skin reaction. Does your cat go outside? She could have fleas or mites. Mites in particular cause a skin disease called mange, but it is rare in cats. Here is some information on mange that you could look at (http://www.nationalpetpharmacy.com/landing/CatMange.aspx).

Your vet is right it could be a skin allergy to food. What do you feed your cat? Cats are obligate carnivores and do the best on a diet of mainly meat. For cats that have allergies what is often recommended is to find a novel protein and eliminate corn from their diet. Here is a good article on allergies in cats written by a vet (http://www.littlebigcat.com/health/food-allergies-in-cats/). Nature's variety has a line of limited ingredient food and I have had success feeding my IBS cat their pride lamb and duck food. I personally think that dry food contributes to a lot of skin allergies and while my cats have not had skin problems I was able to fix my dog's skin issues by taking her off dry food. You can take a look at the nutrition thread on here and this is a very helpful site on feline nutrition (www.catinfo.org)

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

When a cat has food allergies, changing food takes awhile to actually slow the itching.  I've heard it can actually take several weeks.  Plus, your cat could still be allergic to the NEW food! 

What were you feeding before, and did you switch to?  (also, not just brand and flavor,but kibble or wet?)

 

[mking11231]

It was a reaction to her food I was feeding her dry kibble from fancy feast and now she has dry kibble from blue and she has stopped itching and her bumps are gone thanks for your help

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

I'm so glad she is doing better

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