How to relieve a cat with itchy allergies??

[hannahgirl]

I take my cat to the Vet again on Monday. The Vet thinks she is just obsessed with licking, but I think she is also actually itchy. Does anyone have any suggestions what I can do in the meantime to relieve her itching? I might have to do meds because she is really itching unbearably. I tried an oatmeal bath but she only stayed in about a minute, then gave me my own scratches to deal with. ha. Thanks.

 

[sandie]

I have not found any over the counter oral meds that help with itching. The only thing that seems to be effective in cats is prednisone.

 

[moggiegirl]

Originally Posted by Sandie

I have not found any over the counter oral meds that help with itching. The only thing that seems to be effective in cats is prednisone.

Try to avoid predisone for skin allergies. There are more natural ways to deal with the problem. First you'll need to change your cat's diet. There is something in your cat's food that is causing the allergy. Try an allergy diet such as venizon and pea or rabbit and pea. You can also order supplements for the skin and coat from this website. www.drsfostersmith.com Vitacaps have omega 3 fatty acids and vitamins that are good for the skin and coat and it's reccommended for cats with itchy skin allergies.

 

[moggiegirl]

Prednisone should only be given to cats with serious medical conditions that have no other alternative for treatment. Over time Prednisone increases the risk of diabetis and weakens the immune system. If you don't have to give this to your cat then please don't.

 

[hannahgirl]

Thanks so much for any ideas on "natural" ways to help her symptoms. I feel so bad for her because she is obviously uncomfortable. Her sores were tested by a dermatologist - if they were food-related, would that have shown up?

I was disheartened because this testing didn't provide any answers.

The Vet thinks it's OCD but once when she was given prednisone, she stopped licking...so I feel she MUST be itchy, and not merely obsessed with licking. However, as you've mentioned, I want to avoid anymore use of prednisone if there are other ways to relieve her itchiness.

Thanks again for any further advice.

 

[hissy]

Originally Posted by moggiegirl

Prednisone should only be given to cats with serious medical conditions that have no other alternative for treatment. Over time Prednisone increases the risk of diabetis and weakens the immune system. If you don't have to give this to your cat then please don't.

First of all, this is untrue. Sandie is a qualified and respected vet tech. Prednisone is widely used for all sorts of afflictions of cats including asthma, hives and itching. It is also used in cats with auto immune diseases. When the vet dispenses the medication, he does so with the proper instructions and warnings that go along with any medicines used.

The danger lies when people suddenly stop giving it for whatever reason. An animal has to weaned off it slowly if not, then trouble will start.

 

[moggiegirl]

Originally Posted by hannahgirl

Thanks so much for any ideas on "natural" ways to help her symptoms. I feel so bad for her because she is obviously uncomfortable. Her sores were tested by a dermatologist - if they were food-related, would that have shown up?

I was disheartened because this testing didn't provide any answers.

The Vet thinks it's OCD but once when she was given prednisone, she stopped licking...so I feel she MUST be itchy, and not merely obsessed with licking. However, as you've mentioned, I want to avoid anymore use of prednisone, but relieve her itchiness!!!

Thanks again for any further advice.

Hard to say. Maybe it's environmental.

Hissy, I'm sorry. I didn't know that Sandi is a veterinary technician. I'm just not comfortable giving prednisone to my cat and I have successfully weaned my cat Spotty off prednisone and I like the idea of more natural alternatives if they are possible because I have a lot of concerns about the health risks involved. I would never tell anyone to go against the advice of their vet.

 

[hissy]

Ok thanks for clearing that up.

Unless you can see the cat for yourself, the best advice you can give to someone fighting skin allergies (because there are so many reasons why they occur) is to consult a conventional vet as well as a holistic vet about how to best deal with the problem. What works for one cat does not always work for the next. And if used unwisely or unsafely, prednisone does have disadvantages, but used correctly, its advantages far outweigh the risks.

And yes, Sandie is a respected and qualified vet tech who I turn to quite often during crisis. She is responsible for saving several litters of kittens over here when the momcat was having problem birthing them. I totally respect and admire her and Traci (another member) and would follow their advice always in any situation concerning health- compromised cats and kittens.

 

[sandie]

The question at hand was weather or not there was something to stop the itching while the vet is working on a solution. There is only 2 ways to stop the itching in cats that I have seen work....Prednisone, or solve the problem. Not only do I deal with it often, I have had to deal with allergies in one of my own cats. I have tried supplimenting with omega 3 and 6 fatty acids, as well as many of the shampoos and rinses, none of which worked. Prednisone was used while we were working on finding the cause of the allergy and eliminating it.

 

[hannahgirl]

Sandie, have you ever dealt with cats that are obsessed with licking? I realize that I haven't played with my cat as much as I used to, and I have remedied that over the past few weeks, hoping that if she is bored and stressed, this will help...

I am wondering what is more common - cats with OCD or cats with actual allergies.

I have been putting omega acids in her food for the past week, as well.

 

[hissy]

I do know of one case where this woman's cat was going crazy licking herself everytime after a big petting session. Come to find out the cat was allergic to the woman's hand lotion! It took some time to figure it out, but the woman stopped putting lotion on her hands and went to completely natural soaps and the cat's problem went away.

 

[hannahgirl]

You know, Hissy, my Vet actually asked me if I use hand lotions and how often! That's interesting!

 

[yosemite]

I've actually stopped wearing perfume every day and now only when I'm going out someplace special as both cats hate it. Bijou is also very sensitive to certain body lotions and won't sleep near me if I wear some of them.

 

[sandie]

To be honest, I don't know what the percentage would be on behavioral vs allergy. In the cases I have seen in the last 5 years, they were all an allergy of sorts. My cat happened to be allergic to several things in his food. We did a blood test for food, enviromental, etc. Once I eliminated the foods from his diet, all the hair came back and no more licking it out.
Where is your kitty loosing hair?

 

[sharky]

My Zoey had that issue .. hers was as simple as a wheat allergy...

 

[hannahgirl]

I am not surprised that the majority of cases involve allergy. I really feel she has an allergy. The Vet suggested blood tests to check her kidneys, etc, and make sure they are all alright. Would that be a different test than testing for food allergy? I am forming a list of questions for my Vet appt. to make sure I ask them all.

My cat used to eat Science Diet, then I switched to Natural Balance. However, I realize now that if, for instance, she is allergic to chicken - this change would not be sufficient, as both contain chicken. The dermatologist felt the cause was "chronic irritation" but that really didn't tell me anything.

My kitty was losing hair on her inner thigh area and then around to the back of her back legs. It has cleared up on one leg but is only healing slowly on the other. This is only because she can't get to it, wearing a ecollar. I take it off to let her eat and do her "normal" cleaning. However, today she started a brand new hot spot on her front paw, a new spot. This suggests to me that she must be itching everywhere.

I thought maybe she was bored or stressed. We have a Feliway plug-in now. I try to play with her with the ecollar off, but she suddenly realizes she is free to lick herself and quickly loses interest in playing.

 

[sharky]

Nautral balence makes an excellent no chn food the venison and green pea... if you supplement with extra omega 6 and 3 ( it is a bit low) for two months that would tell you if chn is the culprit..

 

[sandie]

The area of hair loss sounds like an allergy to me....the blood test for kidneys etc is not the same. I dont know which lab might do the blood tests in your area, but the lab I sent mine to is BioMedical services. You may be able to google them and see what it's all about.
I went through the food trial for 2 months, then decided that the test was going to be the quickest way to go. Although I changed the chicken to venison....turns out he's allergic to venison as well as alot of the fillers

 

[sharky]

Originally Posted by Sandie

The area of hair loss sounds like an allergy to me....the blood test for kidneys etc is not the same. I dont know which lab might do the blood tests in your area, but the lab I sent mine to is BioMedical services. You may be able to google them and see what it's all about.
I went through the food trial for 2 months, then decided that the test was going to be the quickest way to go. Although I changed the chicken to venison....turns out he's allergic to venison as well as alot of the fillers

Ohh I feel for you ./... and the kitty ... I have met many dogs like that... there parents bring me the list ...

I did tests with my dog it helped but as with humans they arent perfect..