Itching, irritated pink skin, and overgrooming -- food/litter allergy!?

[FeralHearts]

Good point!! Litter is first tonight and hopefully a different kind of food over the weekend. For now I am trying to give smaller portions over a more frequent period to limit his irritation/potential vomit. While I don't free feed he usually does graze when I put it down (I try not to take it away if I see he has some left he wants to come back to) and when he chooses to eat I feel like he's gobbling it up fast.

So far he is dry only but I've wanted to add in wet for moisture/fluid intake.



Funny enough the vet just called -- no sign of parasites, giardia, etc! Which definitely makes me feel so much better.

I actually just was able to get his anti-inflamm this morning but had to go right to work. I also have not administered the Revolution yet as he still has a few days before he's "due," but would you recommend waiting on that and trying the anti-inflamm first?

If you can do the wet, imho that's better. Charlie and his angels (3 girls) get three small wet food meals a day and at night a small amount of dry to munch on. It does help to ensure they are getting enough water and easier to find a variety with fewer things in it that Bowie might be allergic too or even sensitive to. Sometimes it's not even an allergy, simply a sensitivity that is bothersome to them.

YAY!!!! no signs of badness! *does the happy dance*

I'd follow your vet's advice (which was probably to give the revolution when it is "due"!).

Very important to follow the Doctors lead.

 

[FeralHearts]

btw - he's still a kitten so kittens (not sure up to what age tbh) eat as much as they want but I think with Bowie the smaller meals might help the tummy.

 

[merbunne]

Just another update!! No vomit today so far. Yesterday evening I gave him his Revolution as the vet suggested and also began the anti-inflammatory as I couldn't stand to see him itching and red anymore. He loves his compounded meds and took some again tonight. He'll be on this for about a week or so. As you all suggested I'm trying not to do too many things but I did switch his litter last night back to our old brand... thankfully he doesn't seem to mind and immediately hopped in the box to show me that he was cool with it, lol. Going to give it a few more days to see if it helps any, but I still have a sneaking suspicion that if it's an allergy, it's his food and not the litter.

 

[FeralHearts]

Just another update!! No vomit today so far. Yesterday evening I gave him his Revolution as the vet suggested and also began the anti-inflammatory as I couldn't stand to see him itching and red anymore.

YAY!!!

It is horrible to see them uncomfortable or in pain so I can't blame you.

He loves his compounded meds and took some again tonight. He'll be on this for about a week or so. As you all suggested I'm trying not to do too many things but I did switch his litter last night back to our old brand... thankfully he doesn't seem to mind and immediately hopped in the box to show me that he was cool with it, lol.

Good that he likes them! Small mercies!

lol @ cool with it. Awesomeness!

Yeah I know the feeling of wanting to do everything at once and get him sorted but at the same time it's better to find what the trigger is than to always be unsure of what exactly happened. This way you know what was what for anything future that comes up.

Going to give it a few more days to see if it helps any, but I still have a sneaking suspicion that if it's an allergy, it's his food and not the litter.

Sadly - I think you're probably right. Food is the most likely issue. Don't despair though - we are all here to help you get through that with your sanity intact!

xoxoox

 

[dixielittle]

Hi all!! Long time lurker and first time poster.

I am a new cat owner to my lovely siamese mix named Bowie. He is 7 months old and an amazing kitty! I adopted him about a month ago in perfect health and he is currently up to date on all vaccinations, fixed, the works. Unfortunately, we've since had a bit of a snag in his clean bill of health.

I woke up Monday morning to find Bowie had peed outside of his box, something he has never done before. He is usually VERY good about the box so I attributed it to maybe I forgot to scoop the night before and he was letting me know it was not up to his standards (y'know, cats, lol). I went to work as usual and visited him on my lunch break about 4 hours later. Still doing fine. I came home at the end of my shift another 4 hours later to find he had puked up some undigested food and started to go into a panic. I also noticed he had some distinct hair thinning just above his eyes and some irritated pink/reddish skin underneath -- basically the motion of a cat rubbing its face with its paw was the trail of hair loss/irritated skin. In addition, I noticed a lot of overgrooming while I was up with him before bed, mostly on his face and front paws but also still grooming elsewhere on his body. He was still eating, drinking, playing/friendly and using his box, however, so after a quick call to the vet we decided to wait until the morning to take him in.

I took him this morning and they've ruled out ear mites (she said his ears were great) and didn't see any signs of fleas. At this point we're at a bit of a loss and have narrowed it to two potential things: a food allergy (apparently common in Siamese breeds?) or a litter allergy. I was convinced to switch his litter a few weeks ago (from one Tidy Cats brand to a different Tidy Cats, oddly enough) and he's been eating the same kitten food (Hill's Science Diet Kitten Food) since before I adopted him. I was given a complimentary dose of Revolution just in case (he is due anyhow) and prescribed some anti-inflammatories to help with the itching/redness/his comfort level. The vet told me to watch him and start by switching back to his old litter (since he is also chewing on his paws) and see how that goes, but if it's food I think I'm in for a very long process of ruling out what could be bothering him. I'm a little nervous about having to do these "food trials" as I'm not really sure where to begin. I just don't want him to be so itchy, poor thing! I have attached a pic comparing his face a few days ago (left) and last night/currently (right). It's a little tough to see in the light but he has lost some hair and you can definitely see the pink even in the low-quality photo.

Have any of you dealt with food allergies, skin irritation, or really anything relatedI'm talking about? I am grateful for any and all advice! I'm such a nervous cat mom that I try to get as much information as possible, which only makes me more anxious sometimes! But hearing from those who are real cat owners always gives me peace of mind. Thank you in advance!

Just switch to hydrolecized protein food. Royal canin. Expensive but better than vet bills or meds

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi, D dixielittle this thread is fairly old and the original poster hasn't been here for a few months, so you likely won't get a response.