Cat keeps itching -- dont't know why

[janathony]

Hi everyone,

I'm hoping to receive a little bit of insight. I adopted a 2 month old kitten back in September of 2019. Starting around early December she started scratching/grooming obsessively to the point where she would scar herself and begin to lose hair. We've been to the vet SEVERAL times and ruled out things like ticks, fleas, mites, etc. Anti-histamines didn't do much for her when prescribed. The vet went on to prescribe hypoallergenic cat food as well as a steroid for short-term usage.

My cat finds great relief when on the steroid, but after completing the food trial (90 days) nothing has changed, ruling out a food allergy. We've discontinued use of the steroid since it's obviously not intended for long-term usage. For the past two weeks I've been using a hydrocortisone spray on her that does bring some relief, albeit not 100%. Hydrocortisone spray isn't intended for long-term usage eithter, so we're going to have to stop that soon.

Does anyone have any idea what could be causing my cat's itching when steroids/steroid creams seem to be the only thing that help? I've been to two different vets a total of six different times and none of them have seen to make any progress in diagnosing the issue. Begging for some advice -- my cat literally scratches non-stop when she isn't on a steroid and I want to help her be comfortable as soon as possible.

Thank you

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. Her issue still could be food related and the hypoallergenic food may even contain an ingredient that is causing the itchiness/scratching. Have you looked at all the ingredients in the different foods you have fed her as well as the hypoallergenic food? That is where I would start.

Has any of the vets suggested to perform an allergy test for the most common 'culprits'? That could also include testing for environmental allergens (dust, mold, etc.). How about litter allergies - any change in this aspect shortly before the itching began? New carpeting/furniture and the like that might have been introduced to your house at that time? How about lotions/perfumes/detergents, or, candles/aerosol sprays? Go through all of these items and whatever else comes to mind to see if you can make a connection.

Hopefully other members will come along soon with some suggestions as well!

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi!
Try Mamanyt1953 's advice;
OK...something to try for stress, and a LOT of members will be saying, "Here she goes again!" but it often works. Chamomile tea. Not only is it great for stress given internally, but swabbed on the hot spots will relieve itching and burning of the skin. Here how to do this.

Buy a box of chamomile tea bags in the coffee/tea aisle of the grocery store. Get PLAIN chamomile, no blends, which will be clearly marked. I recommend the commercial bags because they are all 100% German chamomile, which is medicinally active and safe for cats. The English variety which is popular in gardens is pretty useless medicinally, and TOXIC to cats. SO...brew a cup of the tea, and chill it in the fridge (it will keep in there for about 3 days). For internal, stress-related use, draw up 1-3 teaspoonfuls (1-3 TABLESPOONFULS for cats over 11 pounds) into a syringe or medicine dropper, put on body armor, and dose your cat up to three times a day. For external use, simply dip a cotton ball or clean, soft cloth in the tea, and swab it on the area. It's anti fungal, anti bacterial and will help ease the itch.

I like the chamomile because it is gently calming without actually sedating the cat. And a 20-count box (about 2 months worth) should cost you no more than 3-4 dollars.

 

[janathony]

Hi!
Try Mamanyt1953 's advice;
OK...something to try for stress, and a LOT of members will be saying, "Here she goes again!" but it often works. Chamomile tea. Not only is it great for stress given internally, but swabbed on the hot spots will relieve itching and burning of the skin. Here how to do this.

Buy a box of chamomile tea bags in the coffee/tea aisle of the grocery store. Get PLAIN chamomile, no blends, which will be clearly marked. I recommend the commercial bags because they are all 100% German chamomile, which is medicinally active and safe for cats. The English variety which is popular in gardens is pretty useless medicinally, and TOXIC to cats. SO...brew a cup of the tea, and chill it in the fridge (it will keep in there for about 3 days). For internal, stress-related use, draw up 1-3 teaspoonfuls (1-3 TABLESPOONFULS for cats over 11 pounds) into a syringe or medicine dropper, put on body armor, and dose your cat up to three times a day. For external use, simply dip a cotton ball or clean, soft cloth in the tea, and swab it on the area. It's anti fungal, anti bacterial and will help ease the itch.

I like the chamomile because it is gently calming without actually sedating the cat. And a 20-count box (about 2 months worth) should cost you no more than 3-4 dollars.

Thank you so much! I really hope this works. Everything else is normal in terms of eating, sleeping, energy, etc. If chamomile tea ends up helping then that'll be huge!

 

[janathony]

Hi. Her issue still could be food related and the hypoallergenic food may even contain an ingredient that is causing the itchiness/scratching. Have you looked at all the ingredients in the different foods you have fed her as well as the hypoallergenic food? That is where I would start.

Has any of the vets suggested to perform an allergy test for the most common 'culprits'? That could also include testing for environmental allergens (dust, mold, etc.). How about litter allergies - any change in this aspect shortly before the itching began? New carpeting/furniture and the like that might have been introduced to your house at that time? How about lotions/perfumes/detergents, or, candles/aerosol sprays? Go through all of these items and whatever else comes to mind to see if you can make a connection.

Hopefully other members will come along soon with some suggestions as well!

Hi, thank you for your quick reply.

We've been giving her Hills Prescription Diet z/d so I really don't think it's the food.

There was a change in litter around the time this started so I will look into that as well! An allergy test would be the next thing going forward, I've simply been holding off on it since I've already spent a great deal of $$ at the vet recently.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Keep us posted!!

 

[LTS3]

Hi. Her issue still could be food related and the hypoallergenic food may even contain an ingredient that is causing the itchiness/scratching. Have you looked at all the ingredients in the different foods you have fed her as well as the hypoallergenic food? That is where I would start.

We've been giving her Hills Prescription Diet z/d so I really don't think it's the food.

Even prescription food can cause reactions in some super sensitive cats. It's not always the protein that causes a reaction. Fillers and unnecessary ingredients can also cause reactions in some cats. Something like mussel oil in food or guar gum can cause a reaction.

Z/D is hydrolyzed chicken which is supposed to not cause a reaction but it can in some cats. I suggest trying a food with a different protein, maybe something like rabbit. Some cats are sensitive to all poultry and poultry products like eggs so it would be a good idea to feed any of those for now. There are limited ingredient diets you can buy at pet stores. Some people find a raw or home cooked diet helpful. There is a forum here on TCS with more info on raw and home cooked diets. You don't need the vet's permission to feed non-prescription food but it's a good idea to keep the vet in loop on any changes you do with diet, litter, etc and keep track of those changes to see if the cat's reaction is any worse or better from something.

 

[GraciesParent]

Hi! I realize this thread's been dormant for a while and I might not get an answer, but I wondered if the chamomile tea wound up working -- did it?

Gracie has allergies of some kind (she's been checked by the vet and doesn't have fleas, mites, etc.), which cause on-again/off-again bouts of itchy skin, so I was thinking of giving the tea a try.

 

[carebearbaby1]

Ask your vet about using Atopicia.
Elanco US

 

[Furballsmom]

I wondered if the chamomile tea wound up working -- did it?

The Original Poster hasn't been back on the site since April - you should give the tea a try

 

[GraciesParent]

^^ LOL. True enough. And I did!

Made the tea (strong) yesterday, chilled it and dabbed it on her ear -- which she'd scratched almost bald over the past week -- with a cotton ball several times since. So far, it seems to be helping! :-) Her ear is still a bit red and hairless, but I haven't seen her scratching it at all (whereas she would previously scratch it repeatedly). Paws crossed!

 

[Furballsmom]

I haven't seen her scratching it at all

This is terrific news!!

 

[Peachiekitty]

This is terrific news!!

So I see this post has been dormant for a

^^ LOL. True enough. And I did!

Made the tea (strong) yesterday, chilled it and dabbed it on her ear -- which she'd scratched almost bald over the past week -- with a cotton ball several times since. So far, it seems to be helping! :-) Her ear is still a bit red and hairless, but I haven't seen her scratching it at all (whereas she would previously scratch it repeatedly). Paws crossed!

Did the tea end up helping or did you have to see out other meds?

 

[GraciesParent]

Did the tea end up helping or did you have to see out other meds?

It totally worked! It took several days -- I applied it a few times a day -- but it stopped the irritation very quickly, her ear returned to its normal colour and she stopped scratching.

Every now and again, she over-scratches an ear and the tea is now my immediate go-to remedy.

 

[Furballsmom]

Mamanyt1953 here's another chamomile tea success story

 

[Peachiekitty]

It totally worked! It took several days -- I applied it a few times a day -- but it stopped the irritation very quickly, her ear returned to its normal colour and she stopped scratching.

Every now and again, she over-scratches an ear and the tea is now my immediate go-to remedy.

Good to know! I will need to get some and try it on my kitty’s belly rash.

 

[ATHiker95]

Good to know! I will need to get some and try it on my kitty’s belly rash.

Curious how the tea worked on your kitty's belly rash? My cat has a serious belly rash.

 

[fionasmom]

I don't think that the tea will hurt your cat, but it may not do anything if the rash is as severe as you describe.