Itchy cat - how help?

b-roc

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Sparkle has food allergies to chicken, turkey and quail that we know of.  If we just cook or boil chicken and get it in the air, she goes crazy scratching so we know she is very sensitive to what bothers her.  She is also one who, 2 hours either side of her meals, regularly jumps into the kitchen sink to lick up any scraps that may be in the drain if we aren't paying constant attention to her


Recently she has been going crazy scratching again around her mouth and grooming her bib. Then she usually licks her bum.  She had urinary infections when we first adopted her 3 years ago.  She has no sign of a urinary infection today other than the licking when it seems like her skin is on fire. Sometimes her back will twitch before she starts licking or bolts from the room.

She had multiple illness visits to the vet in November and is an indoor cat so I know its not parasites and I think its either her food allergies bothering her again (counter top cruising) or itchy skin.  Not looking to rush back to the vet at this time.

She is on a NV frozen raw food diet with a tablespoons of pumpkin each day to keep her stools regular.  She has been on NV since May.  Pumpkin was added a week ago.  The itching began before the pumpkin.

Does anyone have any suggestions on home remedies to help with itchy skin?  We have a specialized shampoo from the vet from last January when a similar occurrence occurred.

Should I be giving her Omega 3, fish oil, olive oil or anything else I can add to her diet to help her with itchy skin?

She has no dandruff and drinks and pees a ton so I think her skin is more itchy than dry.  We were at the vet with her last January for the same symptoms with no diagnosis.  Through the process of elimination we determined the food allergies.
 
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cprcheetah

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Do you have fleas where you live?  could that be an issue?  Does she have environmental allergies as well?  Fish Oil is supposed to help with itchiness.  Krill Oil is actually the best if you can get it.  Where on her body does she itch the most?
 
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b-roc

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I live in MA so there are fleas but my guess is not so much right now as its winter and she definitely did not have them in November when she was last at the vet and while we could bring them in the house, I really don't think that is the problem as that was the vets thought last January when the same symptoms presented and no diagnosis was found.

The problem primarily occurs at night and usually within a few hours of when she is about to eat or has eaten.  The itching occurs at the corners of her mouth, top of head, bib and bum.

The house is not super dry but more dry than it is during the summer.

It could be food allergies because of all the time she spends trying to steal scraps that aren't properly discarded but it could just as easily be something else and I just want to help soothe her itch until we can isolate the problem.
 

fleabags mom

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I don't know if it helps, but the itching and twitching/ rippling happened with my cat when he had a UTI and the same with fleas. This went on for about a week before he went downhill fast and I took him to the vet - he had no other symptoms before this.  I don't know why, I guess the pain gets too much?
Does she lick her bum mainly after a piddle? Just a thought.

Hope you find some answers soon, for both of you!
 
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b-roc

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The licking doesn't seem to be related to litter box use but she always tends to groom that area when done so hard to say. I would say she she hasn't changed her grooming habits after she pees but does lick that area more.
 

barbb

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It does sound like your cat has allergies, as the base of the tail and around the neck and ears are where allergies usually manifest in cats. They are mostly due to fleas but food is right after that.

I used these on my cat when he had allergies. They are homeopathic capsules with anti-inflammatory medications in them. Plus they have vitamin c which is good for your cat.

http://www.pawsitivityforpets.com/allergy-defense

My cat Curly got an itching allergy after his vaccines. He developed a food allergy. It must have been what they used in the vaccine, my guess is an ovum or something. It took him over a year or so, but he finally grew out of his allergies and is fine now. In the case of my cat, he had to get a few steroid shots and I gave him these along with the shots. PLUS I kept him on a strict diet similar to what you are doing. After a few months, he took the pills only, and then slowly I weaned him off the pills and was able to adjust his diet and he did not react.  I love that you are using pumpkin too as that is just the best for a cat's intestinal tract and overall very good for them :-)

I have seen another cat have this same problem, food allergies, and outgrow them slowly and over time. So there is hope for your kitty.

Cats can be allergic to fleas AND flea debris, i.e. flea dirt caused by fleas that used to be in the area. So it is important to make sure there is no flea debris anywhere.

Also cats can get allergies and pick on themselves just out of stress, like being caged for example.

If it is a food allergy, it is extremely important that she not be allowed even one bite of any food that she is allergic to, as this will trigger the inflammatory response.

You should look for a food she has never eaten, like natural balance venison and green pea, or wild calling buffalo/rabbit etc. Also make sure that any other food is not part of the content in the label.

I fed my allergy boy merrick turkey pate. It had nothing else in it but turkey. That worked for him, but every cat is different. My cat seemed to react most of all to chicken also, which is unfortunate because that is in almost everything. But nowadays companies are more careful about that. Merrick was the only company where I could find food without some chicken in it. I think Natural Balance limited ingredient foods are good too - duck/green pea, etc.
 
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b-roc

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Thanks Barb for the Allergy Defense link.  I was thinking of Benadryl but may try that instead.
 

madmanwithabox

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Stormy, my 13 month old male, has been battling allergies since we got him 10 months ago. We originally thought it was feline acne, but the itchiness progressed to his face and ears. He has had 2 depo shots and a round of antibiotics, which work wonders, but only for six weeks. He has been taking Benadryl twice daily and I have been applying relifor once daily. He also has nail caps on his rear class to prevent mutilating himself. Nothing seems to be working. I started giving him Omega 3 on Saturday. The pics above were taken just prior to the first dose. I am really hopeful we will see improvement in the next month. I do not want to continue with depo shots because of the possible side effects.

Before you ask, he did have a skin scraping (sat perfectly still for it, must have felt great) and no mites or parasites were found. Stormy's twin sister, Alfie, has perfect skin and fur.

If anyone has other ideas, please let me know. I am desperate to stop his itching.
 
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