Itchy Cat

valentine319

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My cat has seasonal and food allergies. My allergies this season are horrible. Narrowing food causes is a long road. Ask your vet about Zyrtec in the meantime. Many food allergies can be chicken, seafood, additives, mites on dry food and a lot more. There is allergy testing were an area of the pet is shaved and like with humans a stick allergy test is done. I would estimate a year to narrow down food allergies then a year seeing also seasonal allergies. If you do any food changes slow and steady. It can be a slow road but rule 1 is kitty must eat. The more limited food isn’t always easy to get them to eat. No matter how good the food they must eat. Changing food does not clear allergies overnight. In the meantime there are meds if this is allergies. I use generic Zyrtec. Clear it with the vet and the dose they recommend.
 

valentine319

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My cat is allergic to chicken, turkey and seafood. The seafood is the toughest. I chose to go with natures instinct limited ingredient to begin with And changed from there. The first thing I pulled was treats. If it’s just chicken Then soft food without chicken could be an answer but do not change food over in one step. Slow and steady changing or you get tummy issues.
 
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William_Chin

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My cat has seasonal and food allergies. My allergies this season are horrible. Narrowing food causes is a long road. Ask your vet about Zyrtec in the meantime. Many food allergies can be chicken, seafood, additives, mites on dry food and a lot more. There is allergy testing were an area of the pet is shaved and like with humans a stick allergy test is done. I would estimate a year to narrow down food allergies then a year seeing also seasonal allergies. If you do any food changes slow and steady. It can be a slow road but rule 1 is kitty must eat. The more limited food isn’t always easy to get them to eat. No matter how good the food they must eat. Changing food does not clear allergies overnight. In the meantime there are meds if this is allergies. I use generic Zyrtec. Clear it with the vet and the dose they recommend.
My allergies here (NYS) have been horrible as well this year! I've switched her food from the costco maintenance cat (which had chicken in it) to an LID food with salmon around the time I started this thread. I've also heard horror stories about people giving pets human allergy medicine so I kind of want to stay away from that!
 

valentine319

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Zyrtec is only if your vet gives you the go ahead. I’m not saying grab some and give to the cat. Your vet needs to approve it. It tends to be really safe but like a dr your vet knows what’s up with your cat and dosage. CM (another antihistamine) or Zyrtec needs to be approved by the vet just if it’s to be sure there’s no organ issues and dosage is approved of accordingly. Your higher end allergic reaction meds are more along the lines of apoquel. I’m a firm believer of researching medications for pets before giving and human alike. Yes I’m aware when they’re ripping hair and might have an infection they do injections. We make decisions for their health to get them better. I’m a believer any long term meds for human and pet alike should be approved and do your own research before hand. I have a dog on apoquel. It was not a first line medication. Many other things were tried first. It was a very long decision and after years. It’s not the same as Zyrtec. They are different categories. Your vet could give you recommendations for antihistamines (they might give you a couple options) that can help kitty out. Juliette only gets Zyrtec seasonally now. I was mentioning so you could discuss with the vet. There are safe antihistamines for cats even if it’s just to get kitty through the season.vet approved and prescribed of course.
 
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William_Chin

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Zyrtec is only if your vet gives you the go ahead. I’m not saying grab some and give to the cat. Your vet needs to approve it. It tends to be really safe but like a dr your vet knows what’s up with your cat and dosage. CM (another antihistamine) or Zyrtec needs to be approved by the vet just if it’s to be sure there’s no organ issues and dosage is approved of accordingly. Your higher end allergic reaction meds are more along the lines of apoquel. I’m a firm believer of researching medications for pets before giving and human alike. Yes I’m aware when they’re ripping hair and might have an infection they do injections. We make decisions for their health to get them better. I’m a believer any long term meds for human and pet alike should be approved and do your own research before hand. I have a dog on apoquel. It was not a first line medication. Many other things were tried first. It was a very long decision and after years. It’s not the same as Zyrtec. They are different categories. Your vet could give you recommendations for antihistamines (they might give you a couple options) that can help kitty out. Juliette only gets Zyrtec seasonally now. I was mentioning so you could discuss with the vet. There are safe antihistamines for cats even if it’s just to get kitty through the season.vet approved and prescribed of course.
Yep I get you, the vet did hint at possible allergies but did not specify what they might be. I'd also like to save some money with the Benadryl/antihistamines rather then giving her costly and potential dangerous (in the long term) steroid shots
 

valentine319

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I completely understand. I only did steroids when we had a bad incident that usually involved scratching until bleeding and infection. Oh yeah if you need to get a surgical suit. They are on amazon. It looks like baby pjs. It can shield areas they over groom. Juliette gets her neck so she didn’t get a full suit. So for her I bought tshirts. Pet Sleepwear Shirt Dog Pajamas Soft Puppy Cat Clothes Dogs Clothing Pet Outfits with Lapel and Button Design (L) Amazon.com: Pet Sleepwear Shirt Dog Pajamas Soft Puppy Cat Clothes Dogs Clothing Pet Outfits with Lapel and Button Design (L): Kitchen & Dining this is a surgical suit not a recommendation but an example. Due Felice Cat Professional Surgical Recovery Suit for Abdominal Wounds Skin Diseases, After Surgery Wear, E-Collar Alternative for Cats Dogs, Home Indoor Pets Clothing Pink Star L https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0891W5XF1/?tag=thecatsite Sometimes putting them in something can help them heal and you sleep at night.
 
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William_Chin

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I think its allergies and the vet hypothesized it but apparently the areas where she's licking herself the most (right hind leg, right side tail) apparently aren't consistent with food/enviromental allergies
 

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Fortunately she's not down to bare skin...I apologise if it's been mentioned already, but is this an allergic reaction to fleas?
Cat Fleas
 
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William_Chin

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Fortunately she's not down to bare skin...I apologise if it's been mentioned already, but is this an allergic reaction to fleas?
Cat Fleas
She's a mostly indoor cat (with exception of going out to the patio to play/explore)
The vet we saw said it was most likely just behavioral or allergies and our other cat who's also mostly indoor hasn't been going crazy with his grooming
 
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William_Chin

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Side note but Mamanyt1953 Mamanyt1953 what would the best way be to apply the chamomile without her trying to lick it off?
 

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Are you using calming products if it's behavioral? What other type of allergies does your vet have in mind?
 
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William_Chin

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Are you using calming products if it's behavioral?
Something tells me it isn't behavioral as the only thing since she started itching that has changed was quarantine
What other type of allergies does your vet have in mind?
He didn't really specify but I think it was a chicken allergy and my cousins boyfriend who is in vet school hypothesized it was dry skin or something irritating the area
 
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Furballsmom

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By the way, Mamanyt1953 Mamanyt1953 has suggested in other threads that I've read to dab on the tea several times daily, and if your cat ingests it, it is safe as well as additionally having calming properties :)
 
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William_Chin

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By the way, Mamanyt1953 Mamanyt1953 has suggested in other threads that I've read to dab on the tea several times daily, and if your cat ingests it, it is safe as well as additionally having calming properties :)
Im fine with her accidentally digesting it since it calms her down but I dont want her to lick it off before it has the chance to work! 🤣
 
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William_Chin

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Also, has anybody here have any luck with the HomeoPet skin/itch? I don't usually rely on traditional medicine but I'm desperate at this point 🤣
 
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William_Chin

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have you had a chance to try it yet? Just dab it on as many times as necessary, --I apologize that I don't remember but did you say you'd used a cone?
My mother has recently been applying the tea on her as I'm on home on the weekends but she just tries to lick it of
 
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