Cat Licking Belly, No Fur, Little Scabs: Food Allergies? Or..?

[sweetblackpaws]

Silken Paw, absolutely! I did not mean to imply it was not possible. Poor Hebe. That is definitely worse than my girl with her bald legs. I hope he is doing well on the steroids?

 

[aprillee]

Thank you for that article! More I read up on it and talk with you guys, the more I feel like it is either stress/anxiety or environmental causes contributing. Maybe not so much the food allergy. I'll have to update in a few weeks after we move to let you know how she is doing!

 

[Daisy6]

A vet warned me prednisolone can cause diabetes and organ failure long-term but my cat's only side effect was sneezing when he received a high dose. After he had a lower-dose shot, the sneezing stopped. Eventually I was referred to a veterinary dermatologist because my cat was the worst case his regular vet had ever seen.

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

Hello,
My 1-year old cat Scout (female) started licking her belly a lot back when we first got her in November. When we first got her she was fine, full belly of fur, and no other issues. We noticed after a few months her belly was balding a little, but I didn't think much of it. At this point, we've noticed she licks her belly a lot and to the point of redness. ...
We actually haven't noticed any difference since switching the food. In fact her belly has gotten worse. It is now even more red, and she's licked to the point of scabs. I have been trying so hard to think of what might have caused it. I use an all natural laundry detergent and I am now stopping using the scented dryer sheets to see if that makes a difference.
She is completely find and totally herself in every other regard. ... Anyway, we're trying to avoid a vet visit if we can just find the cause and eliminate it. Suggestions would really be helpful.

One more sidenote: I seriously doubt it is fleas, since she rarely scratches herself. It's just the belly licking that occurs frequently.

Thank you!!

It could be a contact allergy, like you mention, with possibly detergent or dryer sheets. I'd recommend going through a few weeks of using no dryer sheets, with other factors the same, to see if you can rule that out. And don't forget that sometimes cats can get contact allergies to particular cat litters, so that could be the next "elimination thing" you could try.

Also, if she has been licking her belly even since the first days/weeks you brought her home in November, don't forget that there could be the possibility of some form of mites on her skin (on hot spots like the tummy and inner thighs, even elsewhere). Sometimes such things are "rampant" in shelters and rescues, even in fostering homes for kittens. Has your vet ever proposed this potential idea? Sometimes mites are hard to pinpoint when testing for them (wily teensy weensy little devils!) but a vet can do a skin scraping test of some really irritated areas on your kitty's tummy to see if any might show up. Then you can know if that is what you might be dealing with, and there could be some hope at the end of the tunnel. You'll still have to work with a kitty who has gotten used to licking and licking an area compulsively because of discomfort or itching, but if any meds might help her comfort level/itch control -- after a time, hopefully, the area will improve.

 

[LTS3]

How long has your cat been on a LID diet? It would help if both the dry and canned are LID to minimize potential food allergens. Grains and fillers aren't the only thing cats can be sensitive to. Chicken is often a culprit. You may want to try a novel protein LID food such as rabbit or venison.

Stick with a LID / food trial for at least a couple of weeks. It may take that long to see any improvement, assuming your cat is sensitive to something in food.

A trip to the vet is always best The vet can run blood work and do allergy testing.

A vet warned me prednisolone can cause diabetes and organ failure long-term

Long term steroid use can induce diabetes in some cats. A temporary course of steroids may just cause diabetes-like symptoms which do go away. My IBD cat is on prednisolone and he was showing diabetic-like symptoms for awhile on a fairly high dose. I kept track of his blood glucose levels and they were a little elevated but nothing too concerning.

 

[aprillee]

It could be a contact allergy, like you mention, with possibly detergent or dryer sheets. I'd recommend going through a few weeks of using no dryer sheets, with other factors the same, to see if you can rule that out. And don't forget that sometimes cats can get contact allergies to particular cat litters, so that could be the next "elimination thing" you could try.

Also, if she has been licking her belly even since the first days/weeks you brought her home in November, don't forget that there could be the possibility of some form of mites on her skin (on hot spots like the tummy and inner thighs, even elsewhere). Sometimes such things are "rampant" in shelters and rescues, even in fostering homes for kittens. Has your vet ever proposed this potential idea? Sometimes mites are hard to pinpoint when testing for them (wily teensy weensy little devils!) but a vet can do a skin scraping test of some really irritated areas on your kitty's tummy to see if any might show up. Then you can know if that is what you might be dealing with, and there could be some hope at the end of the tunnel. You'll still have to work with a kitty who has gotten used to licking and licking an area compulsively because of discomfort or itching, but if any meds might help her comfort level/itch control -- after a time, hopefully, the area will improve.

I'm hoping maybe the stop in use of dryer sheets will help, too. I just stopped this last week so we will wait and see. Same thing on the food... it has only been about 2 weeks on the food. I just bought a bunch of Tiki Cat thinking it would be safe for her -_- but maybe I'll stop that for a week and see how she does.

I'm really trying to avoid going to the vet because everytime I go I always feel like they try to mask the condition with a medication instead of trying to find the real source. So I'd like to try everything I can on my own to clear it up before taking her in (and also racking up a bill)!

Thank you for your advice

 

[aprillee]

Oh and after looking back on pictures of her, it seems it was maybe about a month after we got her that I noticed the fur disappearing. I'm skeptical that it could be mites... but I can't rule out anything at this point. I have to consider everything. If I try everything else, and nothing works, I'll take her in to the vet and we'll see if they can do a test for mites.
She lived at her foster home for several months, so it does seem odd that they would show up a month after coming to live with us in her forever home.

 

[aprillee]

How long has your cat been on a LID diet? It would help if both the dry and canned are LID to minimize potential food allergens. Grains and fillers aren't the only thing cats can be sensitive to. Chicken is often a culprit. You may want to try a novel protein LID food such as rabbit or venison.

Stick with a LID / food trial for at least a couple of weeks. It may take that long to see any improvement, assuming your cat is sensitive to something in food.

A trip to the vet is always best The vet can run blood work and do allergy testing.



Long term steroid use can induce diabetes in some cats. A temporary course of steroids may just cause diabetes-like symptoms which do go away. My IBD cat is on prednisolone and he was showing diabetic-like symptoms for awhile on a fairly high dose. I kept track of his blood glucose levels and they were a little elevated but nothing too concerning.

Thank you for the advice! Like I just mentioned in another comment, it has only been a few weeks. I will continue to watch her on it.
Unfortunately I just bought a bunch of Tiki Cat thinking it would be safe for her
-_- but maybe I'll stop that for a week and see how she does.
Tiki Cat is mostly fish-based but there are a few chicken. I was thinking grain-free but yeah, maybe it is the meat... who knows. I don't want to take her off wet food for too long and have her get dehydrated, but maybe just a week?

Worst comes to worst, and I can't find the cause of this on my own, I'll take her in. Just like I said I don't want to medicate her if I don't need to. I feel like many vets I've experienced don't want to "waste" their time on finding the cause of the issue and rather just mask the symptoms with meds, much like human doctors unfortunately. They get a lot of $ from the pharmaceutical companies that way. Of course this is just my opinion!

Thank you again!!

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

...
I'm really trying to avoid going to the vet because everytime I go I always feel like they try to mask the condition with a medication instead of trying to find the real source. So I'd like to try everything I can on my own to clear it up before taking her in (and also racking up a bill)! ...

I would do the same.

...
Worst comes to worst, and I can't find the cause of this on my own, I'll take her in. Just like I said I don't want to medicate her if I don't need to. I feel like many vets I've experienced don't want to "waste" their time on finding the cause of the issue and rather just mask the symptoms with meds, ...

Prednisolone will totally mask a ton of symptoms, throughout her whole body/system. So, again, I'd do just as you are doing with first trying discover possible sources for her licking and discomfort. You could keep notes, and if it soon comes to a vet visit, you'll be super prepared!

 

[aprillee]

I would do the same.



Prednisolone will totally mask a ton of symptoms, throughout her whole body/system. So, again, I'd do just as you are doing with first trying discover possible sources for her licking and discomfort. You could keep notes, and if it soon comes to a vet visit, you'll be super prepared!

Thank you so much for all of your advice!

 

[Daisy6]

Worst comes to worst, and I can't find the cause of this on my own, I'll take her in. Just like I said I don't want to medicate her if I don't need to. I feel like many vets I've experienced don't want to "waste" their time on finding the cause of the issue and rather just mask the symptoms with meds, much like human doctors unfortunately. They get a lot of $ from the pharmaceutical companies that way. Of course this is just my opinion!

This is a good point most people probably don't think about. I am sure vets do not want to make life miserable for cats and clients because if they did they would not even try to get in veterinary school. However, everyone needs to be aware money is another reason they want to be veterinarians because other jobs involving pets have lower annual salaries.

i cannot rule out the possibility many vets only treat the symptoms without trying to find the cause. Certainly that does happen. However, it is important to realize a diagnosis may not be possible and all they can do is treat symptoms. For example a cat who is not eligible for anesthesia may need an experimental operation to get a diagnosis.