No Relief For Itchy Cat, Please Help

[phrygianskittles]

For a while now my cat has suffered from extremely itchy skin on her belly, paws, and mostly on her face. Her head lightly shakes from time to time (not like a normal shake, but more like a subtle twitching)
She constantly scratches her face so it has become raw, bloody, and full of scabs. Sometimes the condition seems to go away, only to come back worse.
It's on her nose, above her ears, a little around her ears, and really bad on her chin/neck.
She's constantly grooming when she's awake.
We do have dogs but she's been around them since she was a kitten, so I'm not sure if it's stress from them.

I have taken her to a vet and will take her again soon.
-The first test for mites was negative, but I know these can sometimes be false negatives.
-They gave her a steroid shot. idk how much it helped. It seemed to go away but it came back worse, which I've noticed happens even without medicine.
-I've changed her diet a few times and used high quality food. there has been no noticeable change
-I've tried giving her benadryl, but only had the small tablet version, not the liquid version (so she wouldn't even eat half a tablet. I even crushed it up and gave it to her with a bit of lunch meet, but I guess she hated the taste so she didn't eat it.)

If it's an allergy to her environment, I'm not sure where to start addressing that. We haven't really changed anything around the house since the symptoms began showing up.

I don't know what else to do for her to help give her relief and all I can do is stop her from scratching herself to the point of bleeding.

 

[tabbytom]

f it's an allergy to her environment, I'm not sure where to start addressing that. We haven't really changed anything around the house since the symptoms began showing up.

I don't know what else to do for her to help give her relief and all I can do is stop her from scratching herself to the point of bleeding.

and welcome to TCS!

So sorry to see that your kitty is going through this condition.

If she is not allergic to food and to your dogs, she could be allergic to other allergens that could be dust, hairspray, perfume or essential oils and maybe some plants or flowers and pollens. Does she get to go outdoors? She may have caught something from outside. Thees are just my usual suspect if a cat has an allergy. There could be more stuffs than this but it's hard to pin point what triggers her allergy.

Maybe you could start vacuuming up the place to reduce the dust or supervise her if she goes out and take care when using hairspray or perfume and etc while she's around you.

Also ask your vet if she can have an antihistamine jab to relieve the condition. In the meanwhile, Mamanyt1953 may have a tip to soothe the itch on your cat.

Here's an article for you to read :-
skin-conditions-in-cats.31683

 

[Norachan]

Hi P phrygianskittles welcome to TCS.

Your poor girl, that itching must drive her nuts!

Finding out exactly what a cat is allergic to can take a long time. I have one cat that scratches herself raw every summer and two that suffer from hay fever, so I know how upsetting it can be to see them suffer.

The cat that gets summer allergies was given several skin scrapes, but the vet couldn't find what was making her itch. It can be a combination of things. If they get one flea or mosquito bite that sets them off they become even more sensitive to things like dust, grass, pollen etc.

The two that suffer from hay fever were given Zyrtec and it stopped their sneezing and itching.

Why I Love Zyrtec for Cats | petMD

Does your vet think it's a food allergy or something in her environment?

Do you have any plans to check for food allergies? We have some people on TCS who have had a lot of experience at doing that. They could probably give you some advice.

Did your vet suggest the benadryl? Liquid meds are usually a lot easier to give than the tablet forms. If he thinks an oral antihistamine would work you need to give it regularly before you see any improvement. Ask you vet if they can give you the liquid form.

What is she being fed? Are you using plastic, steel or ceramic bowls?

 

[di and bob]

There are many soothing antiitch creams at farm supply stores, like Tractor Supply or orschelns, you might get a couple to try to help her. Or research what other people have tried on the internet. It is strange that it is mostly just around her face and mouth, it almost has to be something she is rubbing on or eating. You might follow her around and see if she rubs on something every day.
It could be stress related. There are calming herbal meds on Amazon you might ask your vet about, I only give like a 4th of what they say and they work very well for vet visits. It wouldn't hurt to try. Bach's Rescue Remedy works well too.
That is horrible! I can't imagine that it isn't driving her nuts. Definitely keep up with the steroid injections, those can be given like twice a year, no more or they cause internal damage.
My heart goes out to her, i'll pray you find a solution!

 

[LTS3]

I'd try diet again. Give diet at least 13 weeks or so to have any effect. What are you currently feeding? Chicken and fillers are common culprits of food sensitivities. There are limited ingredient diets you can try. One that is novel protein is a good place to start. Something like turkey or rabbit or venison.

Single Novel Protein Grain Free Wet (not Raw) Food? Help!
Your favorite brands of "novel protein" canned cat food

BLUE Basics® Limited Ingredient Cat Food | Blue Buffalo
Limited Ingredient Diet - Grain Free Cat | Merrick Pet Care
Cat Food - Limited Ingredient Diet - Kohapet
Limited Ingredients | Natural Balance Pet Foods
Instinct Limited Ingredient Diet | Instinct Pet Food

I would take the cat to another vet for a second opinion, too. A veterinary dermatologist may be more helpful than a regular vet.

Steroids can provide temporary relief while the vet gets to the bottom of the issue. Use Pill Pockets to give pills more easily. I would not use OTC medicine like Benadryl unless a vet has specifically told you to and the correct dosage.

 

[basschick]

did your vet check for bacterial, fungal and yeast infections on the skin? maybe do a smear and culture?

 

[stephanietx]

Have you changed her litter to something that's all natural with no scent or dyes? That could be the issue.

 

[phrygianskittles]

and welcome to TCS!

So sorry to see that your kitty is going through this condition.

If she is not allergic to food and to your dogs, she could be allergic to other allergens that could be dust, hairspray, perfume or essential oils and maybe some plants or flowers and pollens. Does she get to go outdoors? She may have caught something from outside. Thees are just my usual suspect if a cat has an allergy. There could be more stuffs than this but it's hard to pin point what triggers her allergy.

Maybe you could start vacuuming up the place to reduce the dust or supervise her if she goes out and take care when using hairspray or perfume and etc while she's around you.

Also ask your vet if she can have an antihistamine jab to relieve the condition. In the meanwhile, Mamanyt1953 may have a tip to soothe the itch on your cat.

Here's an article for you to read :-
skin-conditions-in-cats.31683

Thank you for the response. She is an indoor/outdoor cat. We don't really use essential oils and all the plants in the back yard have been there since she was a kitten. We've even put up a fence around the shed area so she can't get into the storage. (She only goes in the backyard. She's too plump to scale the wall!) in case it is a newly developed allergy to pollen or something, are there wipes that are effect and gentle enough to wipe her down with when she comes back inside? We vacuum frequently because of the 3 pets at have and I don't wear cologne often and I don't use hairspray. I'll definitely ask the vet about that jab thing!

 

[phrygianskittles]

Have you changed her litter to something that's all natural with no scent or dyes? That could be the issue.

She doesn't use a litter box anymore. She started going outside more when we got dogs and she just kinda got over it over time. I've set one up about a year ago and she never really used it so we have it stored in the shed

 

[phrygianskittles]

did your vet check for bacterial, fungal and yeast infections on the skin? maybe do a smear and culture?

I think so but it may have only been to check for mites, now that I think about it

 

[phrygianskittles]

I'd try diet again. Give diet at least 13 weeks or so to have any effect. What are you currently feeding? Chicken and fillers are common culprits of food sensitivities. There are limited ingredient diets you can try. One that is novel protein is a good place to start. Something like turkey or rabbit or venison.

Single Novel Protein Grain Free Wet (not Raw) Food? Help!
Your favorite brands of "novel protein" canned cat food

BLUE Basics® Limited Ingredient Cat Food | Blue Buffalo
Limited Ingredient Diet - Grain Free Cat | Merrick Pet Care
Cat Food - Limited Ingredient Diet - Kohapet
Limited Ingredients | Natural Balance Pet Foods
Instinct Limited Ingredient Diet | Instinct Pet Food

I would take the cat to another vet for a second opinion, too. A veterinary dermatologist may be more helpful than a regular vet.

Steroids can provide temporary relief while the vet gets to the bottom of the issue. Use Pill Pockets to give pills more easily. I would not use OTC medicine like Benadryl unless a vet has specifically told you to and the correct dosage.

I'll have to get back to you on that! I know it isn't chicken since that was the first thing I eliminated from her diet. I think it's some kind of fish and pea without a bunch of fillers. I'll have to go to the pet shop to find the brand again since I don't have the bag.

 

[phrygianskittles]

There are many soothing antiitch creams at farm supply stores, like Tractor Supply or orschelns, you might get a couple to try to help her. Or research what other people have tried on the internet. It is strange that it is mostly just around her face and mouth, it almost has to be something she is rubbing on or eating. You might follow her around and see if she rubs on something every day.
It could be stress related. There are calming herbal meds on Amazon you might ask your vet about, I only give like a 4th of what they say and they work very well for vet visits. It wouldn't hurt to try. Bach's Rescue Remedy works well too.
That is horrible! I can't imagine that it isn't driving her nuts. Definitely keep up with the steroid injections, those can be given like twice a year, no more or they cause internal damage.
My heart goes out to her, i'll pray you find a solution!

I was thinking about getting her some CBD cat stuff but I didn't know enough about it to just purchase it. I'll look into the creams

 

[phrygianskittles]

Hi P phrygianskittles welcome to TCS.

Your poor girl, that itching must drive her nuts!

Finding out exactly what a cat is allergic to can take a long time. I have one cat that scratches herself raw every summer and two that suffer from hay fever, so I know how upsetting it can be to see them suffer.

The cat that gets summer allergies was given several skin scrapes, but the vet couldn't find what was making her itch. It can be a combination of things. If they get one flea or mosquito bite that sets them off they become even more sensitive to things like dust, grass, pollen etc.

The two that suffer from hay fever were given Zyrtec and it stopped their sneezing and itching.

Why I Love Zyrtec for Cats | petMD

Does your vet think it's a food allergy or something in her environment?

Do you have any plans to check for food allergies? We have some people on TCS who have had a lot of experience at doing that. They could probably give you some advice.

Did your vet suggest the benadryl? Liquid meds are usually a lot easier to give than the tablet forms. If he thinks an oral antihistamine would work you need to give it regularly before you see any improvement. Ask you vet if they can give you the liquid form.

What is she being fed? Are you using plastic, steel or ceramic bowls?

I'll ask about zyrtec if a liquid benadryl option doesn't work. I'm planning on making an appointment for her tomorrow. Before she was eating from a steel bowl but now she eats from a ceramic bowl

 

[basschick]

I think so but it may have only been to check for mites, now that I think about it

why don't you call and ask? all the allergy medication in the world won't help your poor kitty if the problem is a skin infection.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Sorry it took me a minute to see my tag. Here's something that you can try, without prescription, and very inexpensively. Buy a box of chamomile tea bags at the grocery store. They'll be in the coffee/tea aisle, generally about $5. Just make sure that it is ONLY chamomile, not a blend. Brew a cup, and chill it in the fridge. Use the tea as a wash on the itchy areas. It is almost aways VERY soothing to any skin "ouchies," on man or beast! I've personally used it on cats, dogs, horses, rats, myself, and my kids, with excellent results. And since German chamomile (the type ALWAYS used in the tea bags) is safe for cats, even internally as a calming agent, it won't matter if she grooms it off!

The tea can be kept in the fridge for up to three days. OR, you can soak several bits of lint-free cloth in the tea and freeze them, taking them out of the freezer and thawing as needed. They take no time flat to thaw, just a few minutes.

 

[Peachiekitty]

View attachment 280137 View attachment 280138 For a while now my cat has suffered from extremely itchy skin on her belly, paws, and mostly on her face. Her head lightly shakes from time to time (not like a normal shake, but more like a subtle twitching)
She constantly scratches her face so it has become raw, bloody, and full of scabs. Sometimes the condition seems to go away, only to come back worse.
It's on her nose, above her ears, a little around her ears, and really bad on her chin/neck.
She's constantly grooming when she's awake.
We do have dogs but she's been around them since she was a kitten, so I'm not sure if it's stress from them.

I have taken her to a vet and will take her again soon.
-The first test for mites was negative, but I know these can sometimes be false negatives.
-They gave her a steroid shot. idk how much it helped. It seemed to go away but it came back worse, which I've noticed happens even without medicine.
-I've changed her diet a few times and used high quality food. there has been no noticeable change
-I've tried giving her benadryl, but only had the small tablet version, not the liquid version (so she wouldn't even eat half a tablet. I even crushed it up and gave it to her with a bit of lunch meet, but I guess she hated the taste so she didn't eat it.)

If it's an allergy to her environment, I'm not sure where to start addressing that. We haven't really changed anything around the house since the symptoms began showing up.

I don't know what else to do for her to help give her relief and all I can do is stop her from scratching herself to the point of bleeding.View attachment 280135

Hi were you able to resolve this for your sweet kitty?