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- Dec 13, 2022
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My cat (female, 7 years old) recently started over-grooming her lower belly area, something she's never done before. I noticed a hotspot a few days ago and took her to the emergency vet where they shaved her belly to reveal really irritated and red skin and two of her nipples were also irritated. She's now wearing the dreaded cone and I'm keeping the area clean with an antimicrobial spray. I am worried though that she'll continue to lick the area even after it's healed. Today she spent a really long time licking her cone (she has one of those inflatable donut shaped cones), as if she was trying really hard to clean herself. I tried to scratch her body all over gently and give her a little gentle shake incase she was itchy but she just kept licking her cone.
I started her on a new food about a month ago, that has been the only recent change I can think of. Last year she had some GI problems (persistent diarrhea) which were resolved by switching her diet from kibble/wet food to a raw food diet. She was on Stella & Chewy's for almost a year but she was never really that excited about it. About a month ago I discovered Viva Raw and it was a big hit, it's been great seeing her get excited about food again. However I don't know if she is allergic to something in it? The emergency vet said if it was a food allergy it would present in other ways not just skin irritation alone. Also if I'm remembering correctly most cats who have a food allergy have an allergy to proteins and it's usually not a random ingredient in the food right? My cat has had all the proteins she's currently eating with Viva Raw.
I have suspected in the past that she might have hyperesthesia as her back will get twitchy and she'll suddenly scratch herself. I just don't know if it's related? Does anyone have an experience with this? She has an appointment with her regular vet in a week, I just want to get clear idea of what to expect or what it could possibly be. It's currently winter where I'm at and it's been a lot drier than usual, I'm just not sure if something like that would affect her in this way. If it helps I have a photo of her belly and what the irritation looks like in case that helps.
I started her on a new food about a month ago, that has been the only recent change I can think of. Last year she had some GI problems (persistent diarrhea) which were resolved by switching her diet from kibble/wet food to a raw food diet. She was on Stella & Chewy's for almost a year but she was never really that excited about it. About a month ago I discovered Viva Raw and it was a big hit, it's been great seeing her get excited about food again. However I don't know if she is allergic to something in it? The emergency vet said if it was a food allergy it would present in other ways not just skin irritation alone. Also if I'm remembering correctly most cats who have a food allergy have an allergy to proteins and it's usually not a random ingredient in the food right? My cat has had all the proteins she's currently eating with Viva Raw.
I have suspected in the past that she might have hyperesthesia as her back will get twitchy and she'll suddenly scratch herself. I just don't know if it's related? Does anyone have an experience with this? She has an appointment with her regular vet in a week, I just want to get clear idea of what to expect or what it could possibly be. It's currently winter where I'm at and it's been a lot drier than usual, I'm just not sure if something like that would affect her in this way. If it helps I have a photo of her belly and what the irritation looks like in case that helps.