Why does my flee free cat have a measle type bumps on his body?

[phyllisanne]

I have had Lincoln since he was a kitten. He was feral for most his life, only to come home at night and eat and live. Lincoln is now completely domesticated cat and no sign of feral. All his life (ten years) he had a condition with his skin with bumps. I brushed him everyday as I do now but the bumps are all over. He makes me want to itch. I flee him every 8 weeks.  Could it be his diet?  I feed him dry Friskies and wet Friskies. This is a great forum and enjoy getting input, Thanks

 

[foxxycat]

I wonder if you transition to food without corn. friskeys has corn in it. my girls cant eat corn in their food otherwise they get skin itchies.

do you have a petco or tractor supply near you? Tractor supply has food called 4Health and its relatively cheap and my cats love it. it doesn't have corn but does have potatoes. we also used to feed chicken soup for the pet lovers soul. that one we fed for 10 years=but they got fussy about food two summers ago=we are still trying to find kibble they will eat all the time.

right now one of my cats loves chicken from Orijen I think is how its spelled. One of the best kibble out there. if you cant afford it=buy a small 1 lb bag and mix it 30/70 with the friskeys.

I would try to find a kibble without corn and see if it makes a difference.

 

[catpack]

Have you discussed this issue with Lincoln's vet? If not, this would be the first place I would start.

What brand of flea medication are you using? All the cat flea meds I know of are intended to be applied every 4 weeks (some can be safely applied every 2.)

Yes, if you can completely rule out fleas and a flea allergy, food could certainly be the cause.

Friskies dry food is a grain-based food. All of the Friskies dry foods contain Corn and Corn Gluten Meal as the first two ingredients. They all also contain soy and all but the Friskies 7 and the Indoor Delights contain Wheat.

While cats can have allergies to anything (food or environmental) the following are the top food culprits:

Corn
Wheat
Soy
Chicken
Beef
Fish

As for environmental factors, house flies, cockroaches, fleas, dust, and pollen are some of the highest causes of allergies.

If Lincoln gets a clear from the vet regarding fleas, I would suggest trying him on a grain-free dry food. See how he does for 4-6 weeks. If you see a lot of improvement, you will know that he is sensitive to the grains. If you see only moderate to little inprovement, then you will need to start him on an elimination diet to determine what protein or other ingredient he is allergic to.

 

[phyllisanne]

Thank you! I went down and bought 5 cans of Max Cat from Western Family Feed Store here in California. I will keep you up on him condition in a week.

 

[catpack]

Please also have him checked out by your vet. There are other medical conditions that can be causing his skin problems.

 

[pgalore]

I have 2 thoughts. 1st, I have a cat that since a tiny bottle fed baby has had bumps that come and go all over his body. They do not seem to bother him at all. He is 15 yrs old now and still has them. I was told by the veterinary dermatology specialist I took him to that this was caused by a virus he must have contracted as a kitten. Similar to people with warts. They tend to come and go in different places all over their body. 2nd, This same cat, strictly indoors his entire life, also has a severe flea allergy. 1 flea bite will cause a massive welt, usually on ear or neck, that causes his hair to fall out and a red, angry, oozing rash develops. He has to be put on steroids to clear it up. It will take over the entire side of his head, it is awful. Still, I have never found a flea on him. I do have a dog and I figure he brought the flea inside on him. 

FYI-Kitty's name is Rat and his sibling, Darla, also has the virus, but not nearly as bad as Ratimous Catimous.

 

[phyllisanne]

WOW! It is clear from all of you that offered their opinion that Lincoln needs to go to a VET. I can try changing his food but that could be a waste of time and money. The bumps are probably bothering me than him. I will talk this over with my better half. One way or the other, we are going to fix it. Thank you

 

[phyllisanne]

PS. I never realized that SO much junk goes in to our kitty's diet.

 

[phyllisanne]

PS. I never realized that SO much junk goes in to our kitty's diet.

 

[catpack]

Yes, and most other people don't either until they actually read the ingredients list.

I'm not a huge fan of Blue Buffalo foods; however, I like their commercials as I hope it gets more people to learn about the foods they feed. I especially like it now that they are revealing the different brands they compare themselves to in their commercials. (Though I wish they'd also compare themselves against foods like Nature's Variety, Orijen and the likes...but that wouldn't be a good marketing tool for them!)

 

[phyllisanne]

Well, Lincoln just got home from the VET and the verdict is.......fleas. The vet found two fleas on him so he got a steroid injection with an antibiotic injection. Just like pgalore kitty's, Lincoln has a severe flea allegry. I had no idea that Frontline and Advantage is not the flea medication I thought it was. She prescribed Cheristin and felt that was the best choice for Lincoln as well as my other two kitty's.  I learned a lot the last two days from all of you on the forum. I had no idea all the crap that is in Cat Food (Friskies wet an dry). I am going to slowly change their diet with the good stuff. And Frontline and Advantage will never be an option when it come to WAR on fleas. Thanks all 

 

[catpack]

PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING THREADS IN REGARDS TO THE FLEA MEDICATION YOU WERE PRESCRIBED

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/323184/do-not-use-cheristin-for-cats

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/294358/has-anyone-had-a-bad-reaction-to-cheristin-flea-meds

I am not saying anything bad is going to happen to your cat; but, please be aware of the issues that are currently being reported. If you notice any problems with your cat, seek veterinary care immediately.

 

[jules10]

My cat is dead because of Cheristin for Cats   Death was neurotoxic paralysis! You do you care to see this, believe me.  It is a huge risk to use Cheristin for Cats as it contains spinetoram, the ingredient in Assurity (which was pulled off the market due to pet deaths)!  It is also in Trifexis, a pill given to dogs.  It has killed Collies due to a genetic mutation in the breed that allows it to cross the blood brain barrier, thus killing the dog!  Veterinarians know about this!  They have not studied cats to find out if they have this same genetic mutation.  However, it seems that my late cat must have had it as said cat is now dead after 10 months of horror and thousands of dollars later! 

I was NOT ADVISED OF THE RISKS! Had I known of the Assurity situation and the Collie deaths from using this toxic drug, I would have never put in on my cats!  I was using it on all three of my cats and the one that died was abt. 10 years old and the dearest sweetest cat I'd ever had the pleasure of caring for!

It my cat's case, it slowly accumulated in the brain over a period of 1-1/2 years and killed my cat in early June of this year 2016!  The cat weighed about 13 lbs. in the prime of life and died at a mere 7 lbs. unable to eat or drink and vomiting up blood and white foam and paralyzed!

Please do not use it, please!  It is highly toxic and deaths are just beginning to be reported as it has not been on the market for very long!  Is it not worth the risk!  NO!