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- Nov 23, 2013
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Hello!
I've been dealing with an allergic cat since February and I am so unbelievably frustrated! We just can't seem to get to the bottom of this quickly enough.
Initially, my 3 year old cat, Cezare, was taken to the vet to be seen for a bald spot on his shoulder/back area that he kept licking a lot. It was raw and would bleed when he licked it.
Doctor's said it wasn't ringworm and that it was allergic dermatitis. Apparently, most cat allergies are due to fleas, so they tried to nip it in the bud with 2 different kinds of flea meds, after he got a steroid and antibiotic shot. A few weeks later, we were back at the vet, and the wound was bigger. Another shot of antibiotics and steroids, and 2 weeks later, it was worse again.
In the meantime, I decided to put a baby onesie on poor Cezare to keep him from licking so much. He got used to it pretty well, and it serves a purpose
We also tried chlorpheniramine (antihistimine) at the recommendation of the vet to control his itch, and it just makes him so dopey I hate it.
My vet suggested a cat dermatologist, and he determined it is not a flea allergy. After changing to a prescription Royal Canin rabbit diet to test for food allergies, his itching cleared up most dramatically after 2 days on the new diet.
After 2 months, dr recommended introducing his old diet back in to test for allergens and within 2 days of eating chicken, he started itchy like mad again.
So, problem solved, right? Cezare's allergic to chicken.
No. Not so easy.
We switched him back to the prescription diet and everything was much better. However, allergens are in the air outside right now, and mine have been going nuts along with so many other people. And, my cat Cezare has started itching again. Coincidence, I wonder.
Also, even though he's on Revolution for fleas every 3 weeks, he and his brother play outside with a feral cat, so there are definitely instances when I'll find a flea on them.
Well, since this last unknown flare up, he is just completely over wearing baby onesies, and has begun licking them in the itchy spots until he is soaking wet, along with somehow being able to pull tufts of fur out through them. He's also decided he's not going to stay in them and has gotten himself so twisted up trying to pull his head, leg, or whatever out.
Two nights ago, we finally broke down and decided to put him in a cone, as there seems to be no other alternative. The first night, he bumped into everything, sulked, and stared at the wall all day. The second night he seemed like he was getting used to it, and now today, he wants to hide under the bed or do this:
Problem with going under the bed is that he gets stuck. he was able to rip the cone off this morning while stuck under the bed. Now I'm afraid of him getting stuck under the bed when no one is home, or getting the cone off and licking his wounds and undoing all his healing.
Our next appointment with the dermatologist isn't for another month, and when I emailed him, he said to just try to keep him indoors for a week or so and see if that helped. That was before everything got so extreme and we coned him. Dr said it's possible he has a food allergy, envirronmental allergies as well, and perhaps the fleas just exascerbate the whole thing. We are going to discuss the option of Atopica at our next appointment.
Does anyone have any suggestions at all, or has anyone been through anything like this before? I'm just so sad he's going through this and can't imagine how uncomfortable and itchy he is. I'm at my wit's end, as it seems there's just nothing that is working.
I just want my happy go lucky, playful, non-itchy cat back.
Any suggestions are so very appreciated!
I've been dealing with an allergic cat since February and I am so unbelievably frustrated! We just can't seem to get to the bottom of this quickly enough.
Initially, my 3 year old cat, Cezare, was taken to the vet to be seen for a bald spot on his shoulder/back area that he kept licking a lot. It was raw and would bleed when he licked it.
Doctor's said it wasn't ringworm and that it was allergic dermatitis. Apparently, most cat allergies are due to fleas, so they tried to nip it in the bud with 2 different kinds of flea meds, after he got a steroid and antibiotic shot. A few weeks later, we were back at the vet, and the wound was bigger. Another shot of antibiotics and steroids, and 2 weeks later, it was worse again.
In the meantime, I decided to put a baby onesie on poor Cezare to keep him from licking so much. He got used to it pretty well, and it serves a purpose
We also tried chlorpheniramine (antihistimine) at the recommendation of the vet to control his itch, and it just makes him so dopey I hate it.
My vet suggested a cat dermatologist, and he determined it is not a flea allergy. After changing to a prescription Royal Canin rabbit diet to test for food allergies, his itching cleared up most dramatically after 2 days on the new diet.
After 2 months, dr recommended introducing his old diet back in to test for allergens and within 2 days of eating chicken, he started itchy like mad again.
So, problem solved, right? Cezare's allergic to chicken.
No. Not so easy.
We switched him back to the prescription diet and everything was much better. However, allergens are in the air outside right now, and mine have been going nuts along with so many other people. And, my cat Cezare has started itching again. Coincidence, I wonder.
Also, even though he's on Revolution for fleas every 3 weeks, he and his brother play outside with a feral cat, so there are definitely instances when I'll find a flea on them.
Well, since this last unknown flare up, he is just completely over wearing baby onesies, and has begun licking them in the itchy spots until he is soaking wet, along with somehow being able to pull tufts of fur out through them. He's also decided he's not going to stay in them and has gotten himself so twisted up trying to pull his head, leg, or whatever out.
Two nights ago, we finally broke down and decided to put him in a cone, as there seems to be no other alternative. The first night, he bumped into everything, sulked, and stared at the wall all day. The second night he seemed like he was getting used to it, and now today, he wants to hide under the bed or do this:
Problem with going under the bed is that he gets stuck. he was able to rip the cone off this morning while stuck under the bed. Now I'm afraid of him getting stuck under the bed when no one is home, or getting the cone off and licking his wounds and undoing all his healing.
Our next appointment with the dermatologist isn't for another month, and when I emailed him, he said to just try to keep him indoors for a week or so and see if that helped. That was before everything got so extreme and we coned him. Dr said it's possible he has a food allergy, envirronmental allergies as well, and perhaps the fleas just exascerbate the whole thing. We are going to discuss the option of Atopica at our next appointment.
Does anyone have any suggestions at all, or has anyone been through anything like this before? I'm just so sad he's going through this and can't imagine how uncomfortable and itchy he is. I'm at my wit's end, as it seems there's just nothing that is working.
I just want my happy go lucky, playful, non-itchy cat back.
Any suggestions are so very appreciated!
