Update on fur loss & scratching

[glittercat]

So, I posted a couple of weeks ago about my poor Dari losing fur, on her head, neck and throat. And also scratching and scratching... And scratching

She's had a collar on since 18th Dec due to scratching herself raw in two places: a few slides were sent off for analysis at the lab, on the same day. No sign of any fungal spores or mites etc. Last result came today for ringworm - also negative. Even with the cone on, she is still trying to scratch the area very frequently.

She's now had a steroid injection which should clear the itching but will take 48 hours to kick in - if, of course, the source of the itching is something inflammatory.

If no improvement then probably more tests needed to try and get to the bottom of it.

I don't think it's behavioral, as she is still playing with the other two and running about (when she's not glued to me, which has been the case since the cone went on). She's first in for food and there is no guarding behaviour around the litter boxes and no-one's going anywhere they shouldn't. She doesn't seem fearful of them.

Her fur is thick and velvety and shiny everywhere except around her head where it feels very dry and brittle. She also looks dreadfully scruffy and her face is covered in what looks like dandruff / dust as she can't groom, though I have been using a damp cloth gently on her face.

If this was an allergy or some sort of other reaction (not sure to what, though) wouldn't it be more widespread and not just on her head area?

As always any and all thoughts appreciated x

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. I know from a lot of research as well as reading tons of posts here that allergies can affect isolated areas of the body - and many types seem to cause issues with the head and neck area. So, I don't think you can assume that it is or is not an allergy because it is not bothering other parts of her body.

What all has been tested in the skin scrapings? In your previous post, you were talking about going to another vet that specializes in dermatology - is that who you are seeing now?

 

[glittercat]

Hi, not yet, they were waiting for the last results to come back.

I believe they have checked for spores, fleas, mites, ringworm, and general fungal infections. I can check to see what else they looked for. No sign of anything.

I believe that until they had ruled some things out, they didn't want to offer treatment as that could have made things worse (hence steroid today). Poor little scratchy bug.

If the steroid injection doesn't work as expected, then I believe we will see the vet who specialises in dermatology (same practice). I did see a different vet today though.

Still got 2 Feliway plug ins going etc.

Interesting re potential allergy, I hadn't realised that it might only affect specific areas such as head and neck.

Currently their food is 'Felix as good as it looks' (different flavour varieties). It's rubbish IMO but they are really not keen on other wet foods, I've tried several brands and end up throwing it away. It's mainly my boy Anubis who eats that in any case, though the girls do pick at it. I have also tried to get them all onto raw (prob Jan / Feb this year) but they wouldn't touch it and it's really hard to get to round here in any case.

Dry food is either Applaws chicken with lamb or Canagan Country Game. Again I have tried different varieties, which they won't eat (sometimes even within the same brand).

Country Game

Adult - Chicken with Extra Lamb - Applaws

(I know dry food is not considered ideal, but the girls don't really eat hardly any of the wet food and I'd rather they didn't starve :/)

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Just the fact that she's playing with the other cats and eating well is a good thing, but it does NOT rule out stress. Stress can come from anywhere with cats. It could be a change in how often your hvac unit comes on, a change in your daily routine, even, or a change in neighborhood noises, or stray/feral cats (or strange dogs or coyotes, etc) moving through the area. ALL cats are hyper-aware creatures, and even when kept inside are VERY aware of what is happening OUTSIDE. So we can't rule out stress, which is one of the #1 causes of things like this, quite yet.

 

[stephanietx]

Did you change her litter or food when all this started?

 

[glittercat]

Apols for long posts!

Mamanyt - We've had some upheaval, with her sister Feora having been on cage rest throughout October due to surgery. (cage was in the lounge so not shut away from the others).

I did wonder whether, when Feora got out of cat prison, she had been asserting herself and had been picking on poor Dari a bit (not that I have seen or heard anything out of the ordinary). Although Feora is the smallest of the three she is probably the one most 'in charge.'

The fur loss started around that period - my original assumption was that there may have been some squabbling, though they aren't nasty by any means. (I have seen some real vicious cat fights and they don't do anything like that). There is usually a bit of zooming about and some pouncing / tail lashing with a bit of rolling around. Might be the very occasional hiss. That was one reason why I didn't go to the vet immediately as I assumed the fur would come back in, instead of the patches and scratching getting worse.

So although she is playing with the others quite happily now, there is the possibility that yes, it has been caused by stress to start with.

If the steroid injection works (or doesn't) that will also be an indicator, maybe.

If it is stress then other than things like pheromone plugins I will need to do more research on how to try and relieve it. If they were really fighting I would separate them out (somehow).

Stephanie - yes, I did change their food to a higher quality wet food - not that they seemed to appreciate the effort lol - but that was maybe a month / 6 weeks before the fur loss started. I have stopped that and gone back to the original brand. No change in litter.


The more I think about the patterns / timings, only three things really happened around the start of the fur loss :

Feora came off cage rest
they all had their annual booster vaccs
they all had their monthly flea treatments (no change in brand of medication)

 

[Mamanyt1953]

OK...something to try for stress, and a LOT of members will be saying, "Here she goes again!" but it often works. Chamomile tea. Not only is it great for stress given internally, but swabbed on the hot spots will relieve itching and burning of the skin. Here how to do this.

Buy a box of chamomile tea bags in the coffee/tea aisle of the grocery store. Get PLAIN chamomile, no blends, which will be clearly marked. I recommend the commercial bags because they are all 100% German chamomile, which is medicinally active and safe for cats. The English variety which is popular in gardens is pretty useless medicinally, and TOXIC to cats. SO...brew a cup of the tea, and chill it in the fridge (it will keep in there for about 3 days). For internal, stress-related use, draw up 1-3 teaspoonfuls (1-3 TABLESPOONFULS for cats over 11 pounds) into a syringe or medicine dropper, put on body armor, and dose your cat up to three times a day. For external use, simply dip a cotton ball or clean, soft cloth in the tea, and swab it on the area.

I like trying the chamomile first because it is gently calming without actually sedating the cat. And a 20-count box (about 2 months worth) should cost you no more than 3-4 dollars.

 

[glittercat]

Certainly willing to give it a go. I'm in the UK though so not sure what you mean by commercial bags, sorry.. How would I know otherwise re English or German chamomile?

Ha, definitely going to need body armour!

Oops I've just moved the laser pen toy and am now surrounded by three hopeful faces - I swear, that is the ONLY noise they all recognise that brings them running. Words like 'dinner', 'treats', their names - nope, nada. Rattle of the laser toy chain - cats everywhere!

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Commercial tea bags...those prepared and sold in stores. Rather than those filled at home. In UK, you may be looking for loose tea, which is fine. ANYTHING sold in the stores will be pure German chamomile. Anything sold in a purveyor of loose herbs for health purposes will be German, as well.

 

[glittercat]

Ah, I see what you mean. Thanks

 

[Mamanyt1953]

You are most very welcome!

 

[Catknitter]

So, I posted a couple of weeks ago about my poor Dari losing fur, on her head, neck and throat. And also scratching and scratching... And scratching

She's had a collar on since 18th Dec due to scratching herself raw in two places: a few slides were sent off for analysis at the lab, on the same day. No sign of any fungal spores or mites etc. Last result came today for ringworm - also negative. Even with the cone on, she is still trying to scratch the area very frequently.

She's now had a steroid injection which should clear the itching but will take 48 hours to kick in - if, of course, the source of the itching is something inflammatory.

If no improvement then probably more tests needed to try and get to the bottom of it.

I don't think it's behavioral, as she is still playing with the other two and running about (when she's not glued to me, which has been the case since the cone went on). She's first in for food and there is no guarding behaviour around the litter boxes and no-one's going anywhere they shouldn't. She doesn't seem fearful of them.

Her fur is thick and velvety and shiny everywhere except around her head where it feels very dry and brittle. She also looks dreadfully scruffy and her face is covered in what looks like dandruff / dust as she can't groom, though I have been using a damp cloth gently on her face.

If this was an allergy or some sort of other reaction (not sure to what, though) wouldn't it be more widespread and not just on her head area?

As always any and all thoughts appreciated x

My timid cat went through something similar two years ago when we went on vacation. We left for almost a week, as we always do, but when we came back she had a bald patch on her side. I noticed she was grooming excessively, and soon she got another patch. I took her to the vet, and he instantly said it was from over grooming. In her case, it probably wasn’t an allergy but instead related to an anxious habit that went into overdrive while we were gone. It took almost three months for her to calm back down and for the fur to grow back in. Worried this might happen again, I shortened our last few vacations, but lo and behold this behavior did not recur.

I’m not sure if this helps you but thought I’d share. Best of luck to you and your kitty!

 

[glittercat]

Aw thank you. Glad your little one is OK now

It's odd because I've been watching closely (especially as I've had a little time off work over Xmas) and I really haven't seen any overgrooming. Plus which the fur loss is in really weird places for overgrooming.

I really really hope the injection she had sorts out the itching, then at least the cone can come off.

I half wonder if she's still scratching because the cone is irritating her as well; mind you the two really sore areas on her temple / under her chin have been healing and scabbing so I guess they are also itchy!