Allergic Cat Help

IMPORTANT: If your cat is in any distress or discomfort, please consult your own vet as your first priority.
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Allykat1980
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Allergic Cat Help

Post by Allykat1980 »

Hi All,

I am looking for some advice about allergy testing, my little cat Maisie has an allergy affecting her skin which made her scratch so much it was raw and bloody. We've had numerous trips to the vet,she has had steroid injections, and Atopica medicine, neither of them worked. She is now in a medical pet shirt to stop her damaging herself, and on the 6th week of a hypoallergenic diet which hasn't made a difference either. The vet said putting her to sleep is an option if she is going to keep self mutilating, or to wear the pet shirt for the rest of her life, I know she hates wearing it, and I worry she might get depressed. Has anyone had their cat tested for allergies? I've read that a lot of people havn't had much success, but I'm willing to try anything, I can't bear the thought of losing her,but feel bad making her wear the shirt, she's only 6 and healthy otherwise, any help would be greatly appreciated.
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Kay
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Re: Allergic Cat Help

Post by Kay »

skin conditions are notoriously difficult to diagnose and treat, so you and Maisie have my sympathy

I don't know where you live, or what your financial position is, but is a referral to a specialist veterinary centre a possibility? Here is a link I found on Google - there are other places https://www.rvc.ac.uk/small-animal-refe ... ermatology
Allykat1980
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Re: Allergic Cat Help

Post by Allykat1980 »

Thanks for the reply, unfortunately we are up in the North West, so we might have to look for somewhere a bit closer, but we will definitely look into any other options. It must be quite a rare problem in cats because there doesn't seem to be lot of information about it, but we won't give up on her, she is going to get a good brush today and a break from the pet shirt while we keep a close eye on her.
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Lilith
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Re: Allergic Cat Help

Post by Lilith »

Hi Allykat, I've heard of very good results for this kind of thing with homeopathy (and had some limited experience myself.) There ARE homeopathic vets and I'd recommend a vet, if you could afford one; some conventional vets can make referrals to homeopathic vets, or know of one in your area.

Good luck with her, poor little girl, these skin problems are awful.
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Kay
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Re: Allergic Cat Help

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Ruth B
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Re: Allergic Cat Help

Post by Ruth B »

Poor little girl, and poor you having it hanging over you.

I can't suggest anything about allergy testing, but I can think of a couple of options that might help.

You say Maisy is only 6 years old, how long have you had her, and when did the condition start. It is possible for an allergy to suddenly develop, but I would have said that it was more likely that a change in her life triggered it, or something new was introduced to her environment. So the first thing to think of is whether, assuming you hadn't just got her, you changed anything around the house just before the problem started. If you had only just got her when it started then contact where she came from and find out if they had seen any sign of it, and if not what her living conditions were like, a cat kept in a pen is unlikely to come across certain triggers that are common in a home.

If feasible, you might try and set up a 'clean' room for her and then try and find the culprit through trial and error. Something like a bathroom is ideal for being able to wash it down easily, and while it might be a boring few weeks for her kept in there, it might provide the answer and hopefully isolating her will give her skin time to heal a little. Unfortunately for the first few days it would have to be almost bare, just food, water and litter tray, and then if her skin did heal up you could start adding things to try and work out what caused the problem, if the skin problem returns you take out the last item added and hopefully the condition would again clear up and you would know what caused it. If you really wanted to do it properly I would advise something like the disposable tyvek coveralls (the type of white boiler suit you see forensic people wearing). It may seem extreme, but it might actually be a cheaper option than paying for allergy testing.

While allergies are often linked to food, fleas etc, they can be due to almost anything, something like washing powder is actually fairly common as the residue remains on all clothing, bedding etc, and the animal comes into contact with that. Other culprits can be furniture polish, garden plants (harder to identify, but easier to deal with, she would just become an indoor only cat), even something like a perfume you wear could cause it. I am assuming that flea treatment and the like is up to date as flea allergies can cause major problems.

Finally there are conditions that aren't allergies but are skin conditions, which if you can't isolate a culprit might be the true problem.

Another thing I would recommend trying if she will let you, is to boil up some water, let it cool and add a little salt. Then bathe any inflamed and itchy areas of skin. Salt water is a really good antiseptic and can help ease the inflammation, at the very least it will help prevent any open sores becoming infected, but if it stresses her and you out too much then it isn't worth doing, I wouldn't want you ending up in A&E.

I hope you can find the cause and she can have a long healthy life, having to consider putting them to sleep for something like an allergy seems so wrong to me.
Allykat1980
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Re: Allergic Cat Help

Post by Allykat1980 »

Thanks for the suggestions, I am going to see the vet to see if they can refer Maisie to someone else,also I’m going to try the clean room,I will update, thanks again.
Allykat1980
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Re: Allergic Cat Help

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So, Maisie has been back to the vets for a blood test to find out what she is allergic to, which is cows milk, beef, lamb, venison, salmon, oak, Timothy grass and orchard grass. This isn't much help unfortunately, as she is already on a hypoallergenic diet which doesn't include any of theses foods anyway. Also if she is allergic to oak, and the two types of grass, would they be bothering her at this time of the year anyway?
Looks like she is going to have to stay in the pet shirt and we will keep looking online for anything that might miraculously help.
The thing is, is it cruel for her to have to wear the shirt all the time? (she does get breaks from it, but we have to watch her like a hawk)
Allykat1980
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Re: Allergic Cat Help

Post by Allykat1980 »

Another update on Maisie, it's been nearly a week now with no scratching! After a combination of trying yet another brand of cat litter, giving her filtered water rather than just plain tap water, and applying diluted apple cider vinegar to the itchy area, I think it's probably the litter that is the main factor. I am just so happy, and so is she, she is like a different cat and back to her old cheeky self :D I can't believe it after all these months of worry and stress for her as well as us. If anyone ever comes across a similar problem, don't give up hope, miracles do happen :D
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Lilith
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Re: Allergic Cat Help

Post by Lilith »

Hey that's really encouraging - so glad for Maisie :D

It's very very hard to know what their quality of life can be, forced to spend so much time in a shirt or worse still a cone or special collar, but I reckon if they're loved like you love Maisie, they'd rather be alive and with you - sounds like your love and care has paid off too, and hope she goes on improving and that this is a start to a much better new year for you both, lots of fusses to her :D
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Mayday21
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Re: Allergic Cat Help

Post by Mayday21 »

Hi Allykat agreevwith Lilith’s comments & so glad your little Maisie’s apparently on the mend.
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Kay
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Re: Allergic Cat Help

Post by Kay »

I'm so glad you have seen such a big improvement

Can you post up what litter you think was causing Maisie's problems, and the brand that has made the difference, as it might help someone else experiencing similar problems?
Allykat1980
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Re: Allergic Cat Help

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Regarding the cat litter, not 100% sure that it is the main factor, or the apple cider vinegar, but we were using a litter called Blue Signal, and Sanicat Duo, not the best choices as they are both scented, but Maisie is very fussy, she would't go near the natural ones like the Worlds Best, or the wall nut shell based one Natures Calling(she would rather use the floor!).We switched to Clean and Tidy Multi Cat which might be making a difference.
She is still scratching a little, but not nearly as much as she was and is not wearing the pet vest anymore which is fantastic so there has been a big improvement. We just still have to keep an eye on her because if the skin breaks again, the apple cider is a no no because it will sting like hell.

I have read that omega 3 oil is very good for skin allergies in cats and dogs, but as Maisie is apparently very allergic to salmon, the ingredients on many of them are a bit vague, and state just fish oil which could be any fish, I don't suppose anyone knows about any that are salmon free? Anyway thanks for the well wishes :)
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Kay
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Re: Allergic Cat Help

Post by Kay »

a quick google suggests the Clean and Tidy litter has more natural scents added, so that could be the source of the problem

you will find lots of cod liver oil for cats on the net, so you could try that - this is just one example https://www.simplysupplements.co.uk/vit ... lsrc=aw.ds
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Re: Allergic Cat Help

Post by Amanda3266 »

Good responses here, I actually came onto the forum to post about this today so grea to see a topic right up there. Going to try some Omega 3.

The food I use does have Omega 3 and 6 listed but I am guessing a supplement on top would be better.
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Re: Allergic Cat Help

Post by HarryAzhar »

Cat allergies can usually be controlled with standard allergy drugs. Your doctor might recommend: Antihistamines, which are available over-the-counter -- like cetirizine (Zyrtec), diphenhydramine (Benadryl), fexofenadine ( Allegra), and loratadine (Claritin); or some antihistamines such as azelastine (Astelin) come in a nasal spray. As skin allergies are more sensitive you should see the doctor before taking any medicine for your cat.
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fjm
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Re: Allergic Cat Help

Post by fjm »

I think it is the cat that is suffering from allergies, rather than the owner. Human remedies should not, of course, be used on a cat without first consulting your vet!
Allykat1980
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Re: Allergic Cat Help

Post by Allykat1980 »

Hi all,

It's been a while but I thought I'd give an update on Maisie as it might be of some help to anyone with a cat that self harms.

We never found the cause of Maisie's itching, and she has spent the last couple of years in a pet shirt most of the time, so we thought that we would try soft claws to stop her from hurting herself when scratching. I know it's not ideal, but her skin has healed, fur grown back, she can groom herself as often and whenever she likes and she seems very happy.

I have to mention however, that she is an indoor cat, the claw caps wouldn't be suitable for an outdoor cat.

So, if you have a cat with a similar problem, it might be worth a go if you have tried everything else.

Take care all :D
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