Please help :(

[Radar_Thai_22]

Hi Everyone!

I need diagnostic advice. And yes, my cats are under the care of a wonderful vet who I adore, but he isn’t sure what’s going on right now either. My two cats (and I) have been itching and losing hair for almost a year. At one point I saw a vet who said it was ringworm and so we all went on ringworm medication, I threw out tons of my belongings, bathed just about everything in Rescue or bleach... we even moved! And I keep a really clean house anyway. No resolution.

So now we’ve moved on to a food trial (not helping) and I’m getting light therapy (also not helping) and I’m losing my mind I’m so desperate for answers and relief. Does anyone have extensive experience with feline hair and skin disorders and/or environmental issues that could cause humans and animals to become sick? We’ve also tried Bravecto and they’re on flea and tick prevention. Atopica was a no go, no matter what I tried to put it in.

I can’t stress this enough—everything is covered in tiny, wispy cat hairs, no matter how much I clean. I also find patches here and there where they’ve shed one hair, but there’s a flake of skin a little way up on the shaft and lots of hair in the flake (if that makes any sense—sorry for no photo yet). I find jagged, bent hairs too (like the one shown). Maybe we’re drowning in lint from my desperate attempts to “decontaminate”? Maybe we’re all so stressed, we’re losing our hair and our minds Does anyone have advice?
Thank you in advance!

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi! Just throwing out the possibility of arid/dry conditions in your home - you could try a humidifier or two and see if that helps any. Dry skin would be the most likely issue given it is affecting both you and the cats.

Other things to consider, even if it does seem weird that any of them would affect all of you the same way: If you treated your new home with Rescue or bleach, one or both could be part of the problem as well. Or, your vacuum could be blowing out extra dust/hair, so you might consider taking it in to a shop to be looked at or look into purchasing another type. It is possible that if you use a vacuum with bags and those bags contain 'air freshener' that could be another potential culprit. Speaking of air fresheners - those as well as candles, scented sprays, etc. are another possibility.

Has the vet taken any hair samples, or performed a skin scraping, to look for potential issues? You could have that done for yourself as well via a dermatologist. There are also vets who specialize in dermatology too.

 

[DreamerRose]

The dandruff you mention says to me that you and the cats have dry skin. For the cats, add some fish oil, a half teaspoon or so, to their food. For you, put some skin lotion daily on your arms and wherever else you itch. I have to do this every time I shower during the winter because my skin is dry.

Welcome to the Cat Site! There is lots of information in the articles, too.

 

[Radar_Thai_22]

Thank you both!

I haven’t tried a humidifier at my new home yet. The house we moved from actually had humidity/air circulation problems (we were in GA and it rained almost every day last summer). I’m using Miele C3 Cat and Dog with a hepa filter, but no vacuum is perfect. Maybe somehow it *is* contributing to the problem... ? I’ve tried almost every moisturizer under the sun (most rated by the National eczema association), I try to be really careful with fragrance and dyes. I’m just lost

No one has done a skin scraping, even though that seems really logical to me. Let’s use science to try to nail this thing down! I could demand one, I guess, but I don’t know how to convince doctors (feline or human) to do tests that they don’t think are necessary I took my boys to see a dermatologist, but he wasn’t very thorough (“oh I didn’t look at their feet...” ). Then he charged me $300. Fun times!

Could dry conditions be causing frizzy eyebrows and fur? The ends of all of Radar’s eyebrows have gotten zig-zagged and frazzled, much like some of the shed fur I’ve noticing.

It’s hard to even describe the itching—it’s like a crawling, prickling, stinging that’s just pure hell. Maybe the boys don’t have the same sensation that I do and are just itchy for reasons that aren’t connected to mine. I just don’t know I feel so ashamed that I can’t figure this out.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Try the fish oil (Omega 3 is probably best) for your cats - you can use a similar human product for yourself. The fish oil also helps with dry/frizzled hair as well. One of the primary benefits of this oil is for healthy skin and hair, reducing dandruff and adding silkiness to the hair (helping to offset the frizzy-ness). And, do try the humidifier.

If the vets have no ideas, then I cannot imagine why they wouldn't want to try the hair samples/skin scrapings - ditto for a dermatologist for you as well. I would hope the vet could run some blood tests as well to look for nutritional/vitamin/enzyme deficiencies. Maybe your doctor too?

Another thought is some kind of mites (dust or otherwise)? Many are not visible to the naked eye. I don't know if that would show up in a skin scraping, but it is something to ask about.

 

[Beholder]

This may be a dumb question, but is it possible you've developed a cat allergy? Many people will randomly develop allergies at any point in their lives (similar to cats) and what you're describing sounds like an allergic reaction to something. My own cat allergies make me really itchy and sometimes contribute to my eczema. My dad developed something similar in his 40s from crab, and it took a really long time for him to figure it out. I think it's entirely possible that the symptoms your cats are experiencing and the symptoms you are having could be completely unrelated since it looks like you've eliminated all other factors. I think the recommendation above for fish oil is a good start for your cats; I doubt they're both experiencing the same food allergy at the same time but it's possible.

 

[Radar_Thai_22]

Thank you!!!
I’ve been tested for cat allergies recently—that would have made a lot of sense—but supposedly I’m all good there.
Perhaps I just need to be a bit more bold with doctors/vets. Thank you all for the support/encouragement

 

[DreamerRose]

My itchiness is just like yours. I thought it was psoriasis and put anti-itch (cortisone) cream on it. The cortisone cream works really well.

You can get a room humidifier that doesn't overdo it. If you're still in Georgia, you probably don't need it. When we moved from Atlanta to Chicago, we were hit with a central humidifier on the furnace, which we had never seen before. Up here, everyone has one or they get electrocuted from static electricity.

 

[stephanietx]

What kind of litter are you using? I'm wondering if there's an allergy to it for the kitties.

 

[crouton]

Thank you both!

I haven’t tried a humidifier at my new home yet. The house we moved from actually had humidity/air circulation problems (we were in GA and it rained almost every day last summer). I’m using Miele C3 Cat and Dog with a hepa filter, but no vacuum is perfect. Maybe somehow it *is* contributing to the problem... ? I’ve tried almost every moisturizer under the sun (most rated by the National eczema association), I try to be really careful with fragrance and dyes. I’m just lost

I’m a vacuum nerd and I’ll say the vacuum is not a problem here. The Miele c3 is close to perfect. It’s not contributing to the problem. It’s a fully sealed system. If the vac was malfunctioning you would notice a problem. Filters should be checked regularly.

Do you have a rash? May I ask if your thyroid levels have been checked? Both t3/t4 and tsh? Because when I was diagnosed my only symptom was severe itching for no reason. All the time, I was ready to scratch all my skin off.