Dax is a 4 year old cat that I rescued as a kitten. For the last 6-8 mo, we have been trying to figure out why he scratches and grooms like crazy. He has created sores on his neck and base of tail so he's now sporting a "cone of shame". I've been to the vet 5(?) times. They have told me that it is fleas or food. None of their treatments have been successful. (And no one has ever found fleas either.) We have switched food 3 times, I think, even using limited ingredient allergy food. I have the same litter I've used for years and I use all perfume-free, sensitive skin everything. (My skin problems are as bad as his.) I'm exasperated. I want my boy healthy and I want that stupid cone off his head. But I'm almost out of ideas. Please help!
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Severe Overgrooming
- Thread starter nymarie
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Some cats over groom from stress ..... and some cats can have an allergic reaction from just 1 flea bite. I would ask another vet's opinion.
..... also I had one cat that was severely allergic to chicken..... which they put in everything!!! Anyhow the vet gave me allergy medicine to give to him when his lip started to swell (after his second prednisone shot.) It might be worth asking about
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Juniper is allergic to chicken, and we figured this out because she was overgrooming (scratching madly at the skin above her eyes). We had actually been giving her chicken baby food as a treat, and noticed the correlation between puffy eyes and the chicken, so we were lucky that it wasn't harder to diagnose. I think it's often much harder to figure out food allergies, and and necessary to go through multiple 'suspects' before figuring out a trigger food to avoid.
There are lots of good discussions about food allergies and food choices on the 'nutrition' board.
There are lots of good discussions about food allergies and food choices on the 'nutrition' board.
Actually it was Dante' s poultry allergies that brought me to this site. I started with a dry food the vet recommended (taste of the wild salmon/trout) and I eliminated plastic just in case he might be allergic. With fleas I had to kill the wee bastards with poison. So just because your cat is flea free, does not mean he is not being occasionally bitten. (Unless you fumigate your house and give all pets a flea bath ..... Then keep all pets inside.) Plus I heard the depressing news that flea eggs can be carried in on your shoes. If your vet thinks it is allergies it probably is. I would still ask about an allergy pill after you completely eliminate the top cat allergies (fleas, poultry and I believe wheat.) If all that fails I would look at the stress angle.
*I had to kill the fleas in the yard with poison.
I'd give LID food a try again. Stick with the food for at least 13 weeks or so to see if that helps. Don't feed anything else during the food trial. Try a novel protein LID food and read the label. As mentioned, chicken and fish (common allergens) can be hidden in a food that may be labeled as, say, rabbit.
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He is still on the pork and rabbit only diet. Limited ingredient food. We at first thought it was a chicken allergy so we cut everything out with chicken in it. now I am starting to think it might be something else, because it hasn't gotten better and it's been almost 3 months.
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I am also considering changing his litter because even though a few years ago everyone was singing praises of world's best, it looks like corn is a bad way to go and there's a possibility he could have developed an allergy to that
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I'm mostly frustrated because multiple vets have refused to even examine him and just claimed that it's fleas. Despite the fact that if there is zero evidence of fleas. I know the cats that overgrown or scratch like he does are often because of fleas, but the cats get monthly treatments, I have treated all of our carpet and bedding, and I'm severely allergic to fleas so I'm usually the first one to know if we have them.
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First thing I would try is changing his litter away from the corn-based one, if that's what you use.
In the photo you provide, it looks like he overgrooms his underside/ tummy and inner leg areas? That could also be a key pointing to the type of litter you use. Don't forget too that corn litters can have a higher incidence of attracting possible bacteria or "pests" that could find a home on your kitty's legs and tummy. Has your vet taken any skin scraping samples of your poor kitty's skin near his abdomen, leg areas (where he is overgrooming or has irritation) to test if there are bacteria, mites, some kind of parasite? Even a yeast infection is a possibility. That can be tested for too.
Remember, cats can develop an intolerance or an allergy to things at any time, even (or perhaps, especially) if you've used it for years.
Another thing to make sure of, since he seems to be overgrooming his tummy in that photo, is to rule out any bladder or urinary issues for him.
Sending healing thoughts to your poor kit!
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I just read all that about the corn, so I was like lemme change that even if he isn't allergic. I bought some of Dr. Elsey's or however you spell it and scrubbed the litter box and floors around it before changing it out. I plan on deep cleaning that bathroom this weekend.
See, I was kinda hoping the most recent vet would check his skin and do some kind of skin test, but if they refuse, I can't do much besides pitch a fit. (Which I feel I'm well within my rights! This is my poor itchy baby!! And as a momma with horrible skin, I really really feel for him!!)
He did have a UTI last year. But it seemed like as soon as he got it, he just popped up on my bed and peed on me. Which was...wonderful. But I immediately knew something was wrong. That vet said we caught it early and put him on antibiotics and a special prescription urinary diet. His urine tests all came back great after that. That was the first food change and several months before the scratching and chewing started.
So, he doesn't sit still long enough for better pictures, but he has chewed all the fur off his back legs and stomach and the base of his tail. He also has two sores, one on his belly and one on his back leg. Not sure if it's what is causing him to scratch though or if it's from him scratching. There are scabs all down his spine, but mostly concentrated on the tail. Most of them have healed and fallen off since we put on the cone. I noticed last night that the smart little jerk has figured out how to scratch WITH THE CONE. He's managed to move his head back and forth to scratch his legs and belly. He's too smart for his own good...
See, I was kinda hoping the most recent vet would check his skin and do some kind of skin test, but if they refuse, I can't do much besides pitch a fit. (Which I feel I'm well within my rights! This is my poor itchy baby!! And as a momma with horrible skin, I really really feel for him!!)
He did have a UTI last year. But it seemed like as soon as he got it, he just popped up on my bed and peed on me. Which was...wonderful. But I immediately knew something was wrong. That vet said we caught it early and put him on antibiotics and a special prescription urinary diet. His urine tests all came back great after that. That was the first food change and several months before the scratching and chewing started.
So, he doesn't sit still long enough for better pictures, but he has chewed all the fur off his back legs and stomach and the base of his tail. He also has two sores, one on his belly and one on his back leg. Not sure if it's what is causing him to scratch though or if it's from him scratching. There are scabs all down his spine, but mostly concentrated on the tail. Most of them have healed and fallen off since we put on the cone. I noticed last night that the smart little jerk has figured out how to scratch WITH THE CONE. He's managed to move his head back and forth to scratch his legs and belly. He's too smart for his own good...
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You're going to croak, as I think you just got finished cleaning everything out -- but sometimes it takes a little transitioning when you are switching types of litter for a cat. Did you perchance save maybe a cup or two from his last litterbox of corn litter, to mix in with the Dr. Elsey's? It might help the transition, as he will be able to smell traces of his pee in the old corn litter and will "recognize" it in the new litter... and maybe that will help him adjust better or quicker to the new litter. (By the way, I use Dr. Elsey's respiratory relief clay litter, just as an FYI.)
I am not sure where you live. Have you tried to see several vets, maybe at different locations in your city? I'd really recommend trying to find a vet who will work with you much better than your current vet(s). Do you think a vet specializing in felines is accessible to you? If you are in the USA, you can try to find a feline vet near you.
AAFP | American Association of Feline Practitioners
I really like this TheCatSite article, too
How To Choose The Best Veterinarian For My Cat?
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Oh, my cats are super easy. They'll eat anything and use any litter, as long as it's not scented. I still have the bag of corn just in case, but I doubt it'll be an issue. I have such weird cats.
Definitely switching to a new vet. I was digging through Yelp reviews earlier to find a good one. I kept going back to this one because they had Dax's records. But each time, I got a different vet (it's a big clinic) and they didn't seem to want to move forward in figuring out this skin issue.
I definitely will look into those two links for my next vet! Thanks so much!
Definitely switching to a new vet. I was digging through Yelp reviews earlier to find a good one. I kept going back to this one because they had Dax's records. But each time, I got a different vet (it's a big clinic) and they didn't seem to want to move forward in figuring out this skin issue.
I definitely will look into those two links for my next vet! Thanks so much!
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You are welcome!
My Dante is going through the same thing. It's been an issue for years now, and I've been slowly eliminating different things. I've switched apartments, bedding, detergent, litter (clay to wheat to grass), food (hypoallergenic to limited ingredient poultry free). He's been tested for fleas, dust mites, has had blood work done, etc. I eventually did have to find a dermatologist. Had a (very expensive) allergy panel done, and he has been getting vaccinations for allergens (in his case: pollens and molds) since January. No change yet, but it can take months to see results. Thankfully, his reactions scores to fleas and dust mites were almost non-existent.
Next time you go to the vet, you can ask them to try and do a skin scraping to test for dust mites. I recommend seeing a dermatologist, but it is not cheap at all. My initial visit+tests+vacine cost nearly one grand.
I wish you good luck in your quest for an answer. I still don't really have one on my end, so I'll be watching your thread too
Next time you go to the vet, you can ask them to try and do a skin scraping to test for dust mites. I recommend seeing a dermatologist, but it is not cheap at all. My initial visit+tests+vacine cost nearly one grand.
I wish you good luck in your quest for an answer. I still don't really have one on my end, so I'll be watching your thread too
Hi! In the meantime, can you get some chamomile tea ( from the little bags, not loose leaf). Brew it, cool it and apply it to his itchy areas. It's anti fungal, anti bacterial, will help ease the itch and if he ingests any, it's safe.
