Itchy Kitty

[kpc1024]

Hello,
My 8 month old kitty keeps licking and nibbling mostly on his legs. He also sometimes sticks out his necks and seems to be exhaling as to clear his throat. I tried claritin and steroids. I do not know what he is allergic to. He is otherwise a healthy kitty and has been checked out by my vet. He isn't gashing himself up and breaking skin but I sure want him to feel comfortable. Not sure what to do next. Thanks in advance for replies.

 

[LTS3]

A trip to a different vet is a good idea. Sometimes what one vet can't figure out, another vet can. Bring copies of your cat's medical records with you. If you can get those brought over to the vet ahead of time (faxed, etc), that gives the vet time to review ahead of the appointment.

Common causes of itching are environmental allergies, food allergies / intolerances, skin conditions, parasites, and stress.

Skin Conditions In Cats

The neck thing could indicate a respiratory issue of some sort. If you can, take a video of it to show the vet.

 

[FeebysOwner]

He also sometimes sticks out his necks and seems to be exhaling as to clear his throat.

This description almost sounds like trying to cough up a hairball. Not to say it isn't respiratory related, but since he is licking so much he might be ingesting a lot of hair. Do you feed him anything for hairballs? A bit of butter or margarine sometimes is all that is needed a few times a week to keep hairballs passing through the digestive tract.

As far as the licking and nibbling on the legs, I agree with LTS3 about getting a second vet opinion. At a minimum, the vet probably should have considered a skin scraping to look at the skin cells and see if anything could be identified that way. If nothing shows up from that, then a vet should be looking at a list of tests/items to check off until the issue is identified and then treated.

It is good that he isn't breaking skin, which could cause an infection, though!!

In the meantime, you could try using a chamomile tea bag (no additives), brew it, cool the liquid, and then dab it on with a cotton ball. The tea has both soothing and healing properties.

 

[kpc1024]

This description almost sounds like trying to cough up a hairball. Not to say it isn't respiratory related, but since he is licking so much he might be ingesting a lot of hair. Do you feed him anything for hairballs? A bit of butter or margarine sometimes is all that is needed a few times a week to keep hairballs passing through the digestive tract.

As far as the licking and nibbling on the legs, I agree with LTS3 about getting a second vet opinion. At a minimum, the vet probably should have considered a skin scraping to look at the skin cells and see if anything could be identified that way. If nothing shows up from that, then a vet should be looking at a list of tests/items to check off until the issue is identified and then treated.

It is good that he isn't breaking skin, which could cause an infection, though!!

In the meantime, you could try using a chamomile tea bag (no additives), brew it, cool the liquid, and then dab it on with a cotton ball. The tea has both soothing and healing properties.

Good ideas! Thanks you.