Help my cat isn't getting any better...

[angel1437]

I have a cat that is about 3 years old...I'm not sure of her breed but that isn't important...We have been to two different vets having test ran on her at both..They have done what they say is every test they can and still can't find anything wrong with her...I even had both send the results to my emergency vet that I use when ours is closed...He even said everything is normal with her....We had them do a skin scraping at the last visit at each to rule out mites...She does scratch endlessly at her self and bite so that's what got me thinking it could be mites...Again it came back showing nothing...

She has lost a huge amount of weight...She has sores all over neck from the scratching...She has lost hair on her neck above her eyes the inside's of her hind legs the base of her tail and up her belly...

When she is standing her sides are sunk in you can see her hip bones and her shoulder bones....She isn't weak or anything...She still eats the same amount from the feeder every day plus her 1 can of wet food a day...I haven't changed anything in her diet or her daily routine to stress her out...We did last year in November get a ragdoll kitten he is now a year old and has been fixed...She adjusted to him quickly no stress there except for minor hissing and growling at him for a day or two...She was fixed before we got her I called the vet the other family used and verified it...

I know she does have fleas but I do the pills from the vet but I still see them moving on her....I can't use the spot on treatment because she loose's her hair around her neck and down her back...The vet said the pills were best because she is allergic to the drops...I have been looking for something to do here at home to help her...I came across Diatomaceous Earth I read that it can be put on her and in her food....I read after it's put on her I will have to give her a bath she would never let me do that...I did watch some videos of how to put it on her and the ones I watched never said anything about giving her a bath after just make sure she has plenty of water to drink and she does drink alot her and my other cat both do....

I'm sorry if this is long I'm trying to make sure I include everything...

Any advice or suggestions would be great...

Thank you....

 

[angel1437]

Also if anyone has any tips on feeding or applying the Diatomaceous Earth I greatly appreciate it thanks...

 

[denice]

I have never used it but I don't understand bathing her.  You need to get the food grade not the one that is sold for swimming pools.  I think the idea of feeding it is probably because of tapeworms which almost always come with fleas.  Have you given her oral deworming medicine?  If she doesn't have issues with that I would probably use it rather than depending on the DE for the worms.

You will also need to treat the house as well.  From what I understand you get some kind of poufer thing to apply a thin coat, let it sit for several hours and then vacuum.  You need to be careful with vacuuming, it is a powdery talc type substance which will burn up a vacuum cleaner if it gets clogged with it.  Change or clean filters often while vacuuming up the DE.

It could well be that all of your kitties issues are related to a severe flea allergy and having the tapeworm that often comes with fleas.

 

[talkingpeanut]

You should be combing both cats and vacuuming the house/washing everything fabric every day if she has fleas.  You can comb them with a fine metal comb dipped in dawn dish soap.  You can treat them orally again if the vet says it's safe, but it will only work if you clean up their environment too.

 

[bella 2710]

It does sound like she is allergic to the fleas.

Bathing her might be helpful to get rid of the fleas, and it might help sooth her sores to.
If you've never bathed her before i would clip her nails first so you dont get scratched.

Run the bath before taking her in there.

Take her favour toy to play with her just to knacker her out a bit before you start and shut the bathroom door so she doesn't try to escape.

Have a jug ready to wash the soap off of her handy as well as a couple of towels to dry her after.

Lower her into a luke warm bath, bum first. Put one hand underneath her bum and the other hand her arms. She is going to cry or at least make a lot of noise at first, just stay calm and talk to her quietly to reassure her everything is okay.

Wet all her fur, try not to get water or soap in her eyes or ears and then rub about two to three pea sized amounts of washing up liquid into her fur making sure you get her belly under her arms and her tail and then rinse her fur out using the jug, do this a few times making sure her fur has no soap left in it, because if there is any left in her fur it will also irritate her skin.

Take her out and dry her using the towels you have ready, i find swaddling and cuddling helps until she is settled enough to sit on your lap to finish drying.

Hoover the whole house and shake fine salt and baking powder into any carpet areas and leave for 48 hours then Hoover, this kills eggs and larvae.

You can also comb her with a flea comb, have a small throw away bowl ready with hot water and washing up liquid to dip the flea comb in.

Hope this helps

 

[Sarthur2]

It sounds to me like your cat could benefit from a shot of cortisone to get this itching under control. I'm surprised that neither vet has offered this treatment. They can also give you cortisone tablets that you give every other day to stop the itching.

She has dermatitis and needs prescription cream to treat it. She may also need an oral antibiotic to prevent infection.

You may want to change her food as she may be allergic to an ingredient in her food. While she is this skinny and having issues I would also give her additional protein in the form of cooked chicken or an extra can of wet food in which the first ingredient is poultry.

Please talk to a new vet about treating her dermatology issues with cortisone and skin cream. Your poor kitty needs help!

 

[angel1437]

I tried to give her a bath it didn't go that good...She cried and tried to get out the whole time finally my husband came in there and helped me get her finished up...I have an appointment today with another vet hopefully we can get some answers as to what is going on with her...I did increase her to 2 cans of food a day and she is eating as often as she wants from the feeder...I hope to get some answers today as what is going on with her...I will update as soon as we get home...Thanks everyone....

 

[stephanietx]

Poor thing!  I would ask for a cortisone shot to help stop the itching first off.  Secondly, can she take Capstar?  It's a tablet that you give that kills fleas.  Then, put a couple of drops of blue Dawn into a tall cup of water and comb her with it.  You only need one or two drops.  As you comb her with the Dawn water, that will kill the fleas.  Then, use the food grade DE to kill the fleas in your home/apt, or you can use Borax found in the laundry detergent aisle at the grocery store.  Confine your cat to a room or part of the house, sprinkle the DE or borax on your floors, leave overnight then vacuum in the morning.  Do this for each of the rooms in your house.  Be sure to vacuum furniture, under furniture, window sills and doorways.  If you live in a house, treat your yard for fleas.  Stopping them before they enter is key.  If you have any indoor/outdoor pets, make sure they are treated monthly for fleas. 

Also, you'll need to have her dewormed for tapeworms because if she's got fleas, she's got tape worms.  You might have to do a series of dewormings over a month or so period just to catch them all in the various stages.

Lastly, it could also be a food allergy.  Try eliminating grains and go to something like a duck & pea or chicken and/or turkey food. 

Has she always been like this or is the itching something new?  If it's new, have you changed food, litter, or carpet cleaners recently?

 

[mollyblue]

I agree with what has been said regarding being allergic to fleas, getting the cortisone shot, and a possible food allergy.  Been through it with my kitty.  Poor thing.  When the shelter got her, she was found out at the lake and they said she had mange really bad and had lost most of her fur.  That may or may not be what she had, and may or may not be the cause of her having such sensitive skin now, but boy she sure does.  Our vet suggested that she was allergic to fleas, and they can cause an issue, even if you are not seeing fleas... its just takes one to bite her, and she may get it off herself, but she will still have a reaction to the bite.  The cortisone shot helped immensely.  She has tummy issues, as well as her skin issues, and we have to be careful about what food we feed her.  Even on good days, she itches a bit, but at least her skin doesn't get this angry red bumpy rash and she doesn't pull her fur out trying to itch it.

We used to have a dog that was allergic to bermuda grass - so not sure if your cat is indoor only, or if she gets to go outside, if you have any different plants, grass or grass treatments going on from what she is used to.  If she is indoor only, have you changed any detergents or had the carpets cleaned?

Never tried the DE earth stuff, but keep meaning to... let me know if you try that and it works.

Good luck at the vet.  I never realized how hard it was to find a good vet until we moved and had to start looking!  But after going through it, I do know its worth it.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

So glad I found this thread!  I almost passed it by, but saw "allergies" on the newest post, and jumped in feet first.  I, too, have a cat madly scratching.  I've been treating her for fleas for the past 3 months with Frontline, so fleas aren't an issue.  I'm thinking either food allergies or an allergy to the Frontline itself.  She's lost about 20% of her fur, notably on her hindquarter and in steaks up her side.  I did change her food from Special Kitty to Pure Balance, thinking that I was doing something good for her.  If she's allergic to that or the Frontline, I'll be ridden with guilt.  I know she has flea allergies, but as she's been treated, and the house bombed (once a month for 3 months to make sure all the eggs were dead), so that's out.  She is also allergic to concrete, but hasn't had any exposure to bare concrete. 

Well...back to the vet, on the 18th when I have a check coming in.

Gads.

 

[zed xyzed]

 
So glad I found this thread!  I almost passed it by, but saw "allergies" on the newest post, and jumped in feet first.  I, too, have a cat madly scratching.  I've been treating her for fleas for the past 3 months with Frontline, so fleas aren't an issue.  I'm thinking either food allergies or an allergy to the Frontline itself.  She's lost about 20% of her fur, notably on her hindquarter and in steaks up her side.  I did change her food from Special Kitty to Pure Balance, thinking that I was doing something good for her.  If she's allergic to that or the Frontline, I'll be ridden with guilt.  I know she has flea allergies, but as she's been treated, and the house bombed (once a month for 3 months to make sure all the eggs were dead), so that's out.  She is also allergic to concrete, but hasn't had any exposure to bare concrete. 

Well...back to the vet, on the 18th when I have a check coming in.

Gads.

Did you change  litter brands recently? Some have strong perfumes that can cause an allergic reaction? I changed brands once and went with a product that was on sale. A few weeks later I notices scabs on Midi's (Midnight's) body and that he was scratching a lot. I suspected that there might be a correlation and bought his old brand of litter and the scratching stopped.  I hope you find out what is causing the scratching

 

[Mamanyt1953]

 
Did you change  litter brands recently? Some have strong perfumes that can cause an allergic reaction? I changed brands once and went with a product that was on sale. A few weeks later I notices scabs on Midi's (Midnight's) body and that he was scratching a lot. I suspected that there might be a correlation and bought his old brand of litter and the scratching stopped.  I hope you find out what is causing the scratching

Thanks for replying.  No, Hekitty is still using the same litter as she has for months.  I'm thinking food or the Frontline.

 

[ginny]

For what it's worth, my Oreo had an itchy problem and open sores on his back.  The vet only suggested prednisone shots once a month.  He got two shots and I didn't go back to that vet.  On it's own, his sores would go away at a certain time of year.  But when I switched my kitties to grain-free, his problem went away completely.  It's been more than a year now without any problems.  I'm not 100% grain-free yet but almost there.  

 

[angel1437]

Finally some answers....Turns out she she has Miliary Dermatitis he said it could be caused by stress from something here in the home or in her routine....Like I told him nothing has really changed except for my husband sister had moved in back in June...She moved out in August this has recently started....He did also say some cats just have a flair up sometimes....He gave her a shot some topical wormer and antibiotics to take twice a day...In a week if it isn't clearing up any then he is going to give me another round of antibiotics...Hopefully this takes care of it and she gets all better he said the weight loss is from the stress of scratching so much and possibly worms...I'm just happy to have her on the road to recovery now and that I didn't waste anymore money at the other 2 vets office's I will never again go to them or suggest them to anyone...Thanks again...

 

[stephanietx]

Try getting some Feliway diffusers and runnign them 24/7.  It's a calming agent.  It works wonders in my house, but it doesn't work on all cats.  Give it a good month or two to fully take effect, though you might see results sooner.

 

[cataan]

In case you are pulling out the stops, do NOT, do NOT, do NOT use Martin's flea treatment -- search online and you will find tons of info about it killing cats.  Maybe try a flea bomb to nuke the house while the cat is elsewhere (i.e. not in the house), then vacuum and clean the place really well, and bring kitty back a few days later after airing it out.

 

[dellawoods007]

I use revolution,,,,It helps with mites, flease and parasites...

If you put ANYTHING in your cats ears tell the vets because the tests  won't work...Once you put something in the ears the infection won't show up in the tests...Won't the vets give to anything to help the poor little cat??? OMG...The least they can do is give you a pill for allergies...

 

[mollyblue]

@Angel1437  Have you started seeing any improvements in your poor itchy kitty since starting the medications?

 

[rhondalee]

One of my cats has a food allergy and was going through the exact same thing as yours. She seems to be allergic to foods with grains, salmon, and any additives. I now have her on EVO turkey and chicken, and she is doing great. Her stools are also normal for the first time in 3 years. It was a long battle finding a food she could tolerate as it takes 6 to 8 weeks for any flare ups to clear. Also, anytime she would accidently get one of my other cats treats, she would flare up all over again. She did really well on fromm grain free foods for a while, but she always had very soft stools or diarrhea. Even if your kitty does get better after the shot and antibiotics, you should look into her food. My cat would always clear up after cortisone and or antibiotics, and start scratching as soon as the medicine wore off. I'm seriously thinking about feeding a raw diet. I thankfully have a vet that will help me along that road, if I choose to do it.

 

[monique o]

If all else fails, try Suzanne Vaughn ...Animal Communicator.I have used her services many times before and she is AMAZING!!! She is a telepathic communicator for pets and can pick up on what is possibly going on with kittie.