- Joined
- May 20, 2018
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- 62
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Hi all,
I posted this a couple of weeks ago under Cat Behavior as I thought it was maybe stress related as one of the vets had suggested. I received some good advice on the thread, however the skin issues still have not subsided. A different vet had said it may be allergies. So I started searching posts on here and found some from others that were going through the same thing, however some of these posts are old and I have not heard back from anyone that I reached out to.
So I'm now posting this thread in hopes that someone can help me. I've been dealing with some issues with one of my cats for about a year now and I really need some advice, especially from anyone who has gone through this. I found a few posts suggesting the use of claritin/zyrtec and was wondering if anyone else has used these for their cats.
The issue is with my female cat who is grooming to the point of baldness and raw eczema like scabs on her belly, thighs, ears and ankles. I'm leaning towards seasonal allergies rather than food allergies, but I could be wrong? I'm suspecting seasonal allergies because I noticed from my timeline listed below that the flareups are around the same time as last year, around the fall and spring time and which are also when my allergies go into hyper-drive. If so, I would like know if Claritin or Zyrtec would actually work. If so how much should I give for a 10 lbs cat? Should I give the 24 hr. or the 12 hr.?
Little info about my cats.....I have two bengals, both my cats are young, female is 4 yrs old, male is 3 yrs old, I've had them since they were 10 weeks old. Both are indoor cats, the boy, I do take out onto the patio for some playtime once in a while, whilst the female wants nothing to do with the outside. Both are on Advantage Multi II and have no fleas, ticks or mites. I use a mixture of Smartcat Grass and LitterMaid Walnut litter for their 4 litter boxes, which are cleaned weekly. As for possible environmental triggers, I would be surprised as I am a neat freak and clean almost everyday. I don't use any harsh cleaning products, scented candles, air fresheners, etc. as I have allergies too.
I go out of my way to feed them the best food possible. My cats are and have been on 20% - Primal freeze dried rabbit & venison, 20% - Rawz can wet food (shredded variety chicken & duck) and 60% home cooked organic chicken, beef, turkey with Alnutrin Eggshell. Primal & Rawz are two of the most cleanest labels I could find. Both cats poop regularly, poop is firm, low in odor and semi-moist or dry (depending on can or freeze dried food). If my cat has allergies to food then I don't even know where to begin to eliminate. The only issue I can see is maybe the home cooked beef? Or is it the chicken?
The vet wants to put her on Royal Canin or Hills Science Hypoallergenic limited protein diet, but I looked at the labels on those and feel that the food I'm giving her is much more healthier (I can't believe the vets actually push this stuff!). When I told the vet that, she proceeded to give me a lecture about nutrition, so I have no intention in getting into it with her about anything food wise. I asked the vet what her course of treatment would be should it be seasonal allergies and she said that she would most likely give her more antibiotics and/or steroids for the flareups. But she insisted on first ruling out food allergies, so I don't know what to do. I'm so frustrated. And to top it off, due to Covid, I'm now unemployed so really can't spend anymore money on being the vet's guinea pig on finding a solution. Please advise as I'm having a very hard time with this as she is my baby and I only want what is best for her. Any help is greatly appreciated. Thank you!
So far the following has been done to come to the conclusion that it is allergies:
9/2019 - This all started after I went out of town for some weddings back to back. Shortly after my return, I found the cat started urinating outside the box and I noticed that her belly was balding with raw eczema like scabs. Took her to the vet, found out that she stressed herself so much with me being gone that she developed struvite crystals which resulted in a UTI. The vet said that the food had nothing to do with her condition and that she is just an overly sensitive cat and me being out of town just put her over the edge. The vet said baldness and scabs were probably due to the UTI as well. After a bill of $310 for ultrasound, antibiotics, steroid and ointment, she recovered.
4/2020 - The fur loss and scabs reappeared again. Took her to vet, was given antibiotics and steroid and charged $110. The vet said it was stress. Probably due to the change of everyone being home due to Covid? Who knows!
6/2020 - Took cat to different vet as the fur loss and scabs did not seem to disappear. Was told the same that she is stressed, was given antibiotics, Gabapentin (kitty Prozac) for as needed and different ointment. Was charged $100 for an exam, ointment and meds. Antibiotics and ointment helped clear scabs, but not completely.
9/2020 - Took cat back for recheck as the baldness and scabs did not subside, this time after charging me $80 for meds and ointment, the vet said to put her on Gabapentin (kitty Prozac) regularly as her condition is due to stress.
10/2020 - I wanted a second opinion before putting her on Gabapentin (kitty Prozac), so went to different vet, who after charging me $300 for a fungal culture, skin cytology (stain), antibiotics and steroids, she said that it's allergies and wants her on a hypo allergenic diet and suggested Royal Canin or Hills Science. The fungal culture & skin cytology were negative for ringworm.
I posted this a couple of weeks ago under Cat Behavior as I thought it was maybe stress related as one of the vets had suggested. I received some good advice on the thread, however the skin issues still have not subsided. A different vet had said it may be allergies. So I started searching posts on here and found some from others that were going through the same thing, however some of these posts are old and I have not heard back from anyone that I reached out to.
So I'm now posting this thread in hopes that someone can help me. I've been dealing with some issues with one of my cats for about a year now and I really need some advice, especially from anyone who has gone through this. I found a few posts suggesting the use of claritin/zyrtec and was wondering if anyone else has used these for their cats.
The issue is with my female cat who is grooming to the point of baldness and raw eczema like scabs on her belly, thighs, ears and ankles. I'm leaning towards seasonal allergies rather than food allergies, but I could be wrong? I'm suspecting seasonal allergies because I noticed from my timeline listed below that the flareups are around the same time as last year, around the fall and spring time and which are also when my allergies go into hyper-drive. If so, I would like know if Claritin or Zyrtec would actually work. If so how much should I give for a 10 lbs cat? Should I give the 24 hr. or the 12 hr.?
Little info about my cats.....I have two bengals, both my cats are young, female is 4 yrs old, male is 3 yrs old, I've had them since they were 10 weeks old. Both are indoor cats, the boy, I do take out onto the patio for some playtime once in a while, whilst the female wants nothing to do with the outside. Both are on Advantage Multi II and have no fleas, ticks or mites. I use a mixture of Smartcat Grass and LitterMaid Walnut litter for their 4 litter boxes, which are cleaned weekly. As for possible environmental triggers, I would be surprised as I am a neat freak and clean almost everyday. I don't use any harsh cleaning products, scented candles, air fresheners, etc. as I have allergies too.
I go out of my way to feed them the best food possible. My cats are and have been on 20% - Primal freeze dried rabbit & venison, 20% - Rawz can wet food (shredded variety chicken & duck) and 60% home cooked organic chicken, beef, turkey with Alnutrin Eggshell. Primal & Rawz are two of the most cleanest labels I could find. Both cats poop regularly, poop is firm, low in odor and semi-moist or dry (depending on can or freeze dried food). If my cat has allergies to food then I don't even know where to begin to eliminate. The only issue I can see is maybe the home cooked beef? Or is it the chicken?
The vet wants to put her on Royal Canin or Hills Science Hypoallergenic limited protein diet, but I looked at the labels on those and feel that the food I'm giving her is much more healthier (I can't believe the vets actually push this stuff!). When I told the vet that, she proceeded to give me a lecture about nutrition, so I have no intention in getting into it with her about anything food wise. I asked the vet what her course of treatment would be should it be seasonal allergies and she said that she would most likely give her more antibiotics and/or steroids for the flareups. But she insisted on first ruling out food allergies, so I don't know what to do. I'm so frustrated. And to top it off, due to Covid, I'm now unemployed so really can't spend anymore money on being the vet's guinea pig on finding a solution. Please advise as I'm having a very hard time with this as she is my baby and I only want what is best for her. Any help is greatly appreciated. Thank you!
So far the following has been done to come to the conclusion that it is allergies:
9/2019 - This all started after I went out of town for some weddings back to back. Shortly after my return, I found the cat started urinating outside the box and I noticed that her belly was balding with raw eczema like scabs. Took her to the vet, found out that she stressed herself so much with me being gone that she developed struvite crystals which resulted in a UTI. The vet said that the food had nothing to do with her condition and that she is just an overly sensitive cat and me being out of town just put her over the edge. The vet said baldness and scabs were probably due to the UTI as well. After a bill of $310 for ultrasound, antibiotics, steroid and ointment, she recovered.
4/2020 - The fur loss and scabs reappeared again. Took her to vet, was given antibiotics and steroid and charged $110. The vet said it was stress. Probably due to the change of everyone being home due to Covid? Who knows!
6/2020 - Took cat to different vet as the fur loss and scabs did not seem to disappear. Was told the same that she is stressed, was given antibiotics, Gabapentin (kitty Prozac) for as needed and different ointment. Was charged $100 for an exam, ointment and meds. Antibiotics and ointment helped clear scabs, but not completely.
9/2020 - Took cat back for recheck as the baldness and scabs did not subside, this time after charging me $80 for meds and ointment, the vet said to put her on Gabapentin (kitty Prozac) regularly as her condition is due to stress.
10/2020 - I wanted a second opinion before putting her on Gabapentin (kitty Prozac), so went to different vet, who after charging me $300 for a fungal culture, skin cytology (stain), antibiotics and steroids, she said that it's allergies and wants her on a hypo allergenic diet and suggested Royal Canin or Hills Science. The fungal culture & skin cytology were negative for ringworm.