Medicated bath tips?

[Susanna72]

Hi all. My mom's cat has a severe skin allergy that is just awful. He's pulling fur, scratching, generally unhappy. This morning, the vet gave us lots of meds and instructed us to bathe him very three days with some medicated shampoo. She gave us some tips, but I was wondering if the cat experts here have any tips. He was an outside barn cat for most of his life, but in recent years has retired to the become a house cat. He's never had a bath, but he's a very sweet cat. I'm hoping he finds it soothing to his skin.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi
This might be helpful;
How To Safely Bathe A Cat: The Complete Guide - TheCatSite

Something else you could try, if there are specific hot spots, would be chamomile tea (store bought unflavored as garden grown is unsafe for cats), or raw coconut oil. Both are anti fungal, anti microbial, will help ease discomfort and are safe if ingested.

Have you looked into food sensitivities/allergies? Often chicken is a trigger. There's a food you might try called Mouser, one or two of their varieties are without chicken if I remember correctly, and there are others.

 

[iPappy]

Hi! Make sure you have a helper the first time you give him a bath, just in case he is afraid. Never tie him in the tub, but you can use a thin hand towel wrapped long ways to use as a holder around his chest area if need be. Do you have a sprayer to rinse him or are you going to use a cup to pour the water onto him little at a time?

 

[Susanna72]

My mom and sister are doing it this morning and I sent them the article link. Thank you Furballsmom

They are going to use a large cup to gently pour water on him.

 

[Furballsmom]

Let us know how things went

 

[Susanna72]

Bandit did pretty good, considering. He didn't like it, but he's a good boy and didn't scratch or bite. He tried to get out, but responded to a gentle push on his scruff. He's such a sweetie, I hate to see him suffering. He looks SO much better after this bath, though. He gets this medicated shampoo every three days. The medicated mousse is every 24 hours. The vet thinks is food and not environmental, so she gave us some options for special food. She said chicken is most often the culprit, so avoid that flavor.

Thanks to everyone for the tips! The article really helped. Never thought to put cotton in his ears. They are infected, too, so don't want to aggravate them.

 

[Susanna72]

Bandit is my mom’s cat, although I’ve been pushing for me to take him home for years because she’s not really a cat person. I feel like this condition was allowed to really escalate before I made the vet appointment for her and I’m really frustrated. The vet is suggesting new food because she thinks it’s an allergy but Mom is pushing back. “He’s been eating that food for 16 years.” I don’t know how to convince her. It’s bad enough the vet said if it doesn’t clear up, it’s a quality of life issue!

 

[Furballsmom]

See if she'd be willing to give something different a temporary try, sometimes an approach of a small change might be easier for her to handle

 

[iPappy]

Bandit is my mom’s cat, although I’ve been pushing for me to take him home for years because she’s not really a cat person. I feel like this condition was allowed to really escalate before I made the vet appointment for her and I’m really frustrated. The vet is suggesting new food because she thinks it’s an allergy but Mom is pushing back. “He’s been eating that food for 16 years.” I don’t know how to convince her. It’s bad enough the vet said if it doesn’t clear up, it’s a quality of life issue!

Sometimes allergies can just pop up out of the blue. New food would be MUCH cheaper than vet visits!

 

[Susanna72]

I got the Hills z/d today and we are going to try that. If it’s a food allergy do we have to do the “half and half” gradual switch?

 

[Furballsmom]

If the ingredients aren't very similar to what he's been eating and he's finicky or has a sensitive stomach, you'll want to transition gradually. If he's a little more like my Captain who seems to have a stomach like a billy goat, will eat darn near anything and rarely has any tummy upset, you probably don't have to be so careful.

 

[Susanna72]

Bandit is going back to the vet this morning. His legs are really stiff for some reason. Arthritis? We are seeing the other vet so I'll be interested to hear what he thinks.