Itchy Cat...serious scratching issues

[Like-Jane]

I took in a 10-year-old feral, Lola, a few years ago. When she was still outdoors I could pet her but she was covered in scabs. Thought it was due to possible fighting with other ferals in the area. But I realized once she came inside...she was scratching herself so hard that she caused the wounds all over her body. I have taken her to the vet twice since...for check ups and to discuss the issue but they are clueless and I have become very unhappy with their services lately and will not take her back. She has bonded with me but she is still very feral and does not like strangers and is terrified of the vet, that they have to sedate her when I bring her in. I don’t wish to do that to her at this stage of her 13 years...I’m just trying to keep her as healthy and comfortable with her remaining time.
I have tried 5mg of Zyrtec...have tried fish oil supplements...tried changing foods...taking out all seafood...even tried a natural supplement (sorry I don’t recall the name) and we have checked for flees and even put on flee control, though she stays indoors all the time. It’s not an indoor environment as she had the issue outdoors. I still think it’s allergies but I don’t know what to try next...and don’t want take her back to the vet...suggestions? Thank you.

 

[fromthevalley]

Could be mange, allergies, dry skin. I would try to find another vet to get a second opinion. Itching to the point of breaking skin is something to be taken seriously.

 

[Like-Jane]

I don't think it's mange and the vet never implied that it would be as she has no other symptoms than the itching. My main concern about taking her to any vet is if they want to sedate her. At her age it is a serious risk that she may not react well and I don't wish her death to be like that.

 

[fromthevalley]

I don't think it's mange and the vet never implied that it would be as she has no other symptoms than the itching. My main concern about taking her to any vet is if they want to sedate her. At her age it is a serious risk that she may not react well and I don't wish her death to be like that.

Mange can cause restlessness, intense itching and frantic scratching. But it could also be a number of other things.

And a vet doesn’t have to completely sedate her. If they are telling you to put her completely under without other options, that’s a warning flag - cats really don’t need to go under anaesthesia for a simple vet visit. But there are other forms of calming medications that can be safely used on older cats, or she might only need proper handling. What exactly happens when you take her to the vet?

 

[Like-Jane]

We have tried some medications that had no effect... neither of them liked to be picked up again as they never had as being feral...and the go a bit ballistic when you do...the younger one even bit through one of the vets finger and punctured it...

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. How about a small dose of Gabapentin for a vet visit? I would also find a vet that would be interested in doing a skin scraping to look at the cells and test for the most common allergens. If you have any family/friends/neighbors who have cats that could recommend a vet, that would be a good way to go.

 

[Like-Jane]

We have tried 2 different types of meds, though to be honest I don't remember what they were, but neither was effective. (And I had to put in the food...giving her a pill directly was not going happen...again feral). I am actually trying to avoid the vets at this juncture...I don't want to stress her out more at her age...I have made a call out to my community but most say sedation is usually they way their vets go as well..they just don't want the hassle. I am just looking for an over the counter solution or just other options to look into that I haven't tried.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Gabapentin will NOT knock out a cat WHEN given in a very small dose. In a small dose, it more like a calming agent than it is an actual sedative. A lot of people give their cats a small dose before a vet visit to merely help calm them. It can be gotten in liquid form, but I do believe you would need to find a vet who will prescribe it for you to use in advance of a visit, since this would be the most effective approach. If you can manage to get some, I would try the lowest dose possible and see if she responds well to that - if not, up the dosage incrementally.

Otherwise, do an internet search for 'cat calming products' to find some different options you could test on her in advance to see which one(s) is/are effective. Not all of them work on all cats, as you have already experienced, so you will likely have to try a few of them to find one that does.

 

[Like-Jane]

Again, I’m not sure if Gabapentin was tried or not, and the meds we did try were to calm her down but were ineffective. And again, I’m not looking to take her back to a vet at this point as I’m looking for other options to help her skin issues as in the past when she was at the vet, they were useless and provided no solutions to help her out. They did no skin test or allergy tests...so my faith in vets is not very good right now.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Here are a couple of articles on skin conditions, that might give you a small clue in terms of what you could be dealing with. But, as the articles suggest allergies could be an issue, but so could things like hormonal imbalances, and other health related issues. So, I am not sure what OTC products you can try if the issue is some underlying health problem.

When you are ready to take her to a vet, do you by chance have friends/family/neighbors/local rescue centers that you could ask for recommendations from? At least that way you would be working with a vet that someone else has faith in.

Cat Skin Conditions
Skin Problems in Cats Common Causes and Treatment - Catsfud