Very itchy cat...

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nmveasey

nmveasey

Member Since 2017
Hey all,

Quick history, last year Monster was very itchy. The intense need for him to be scratched was primarily around his low back, tail head, and rear end. The vet gave depo shots which definitely provided relief (but I believe eventually led us to the diabetes road). He will not take nor eat antihistamines in his food.

So here we are and Monster has gotten very itchy again. He foot sits in order to get scratches. He is currently laying in his kitty cave growling and trying to reach his rear end. (He is overweight and cannot groom himself back there. I keep him cleaned up.) I gave a bath on Friday. His hair coat looks good but he does have a bit of dander, more like dry skin.

Other than his growling antics, he is acting normal and eating well. Since depo shots are not an option, does anyone have any ideas/suggestions to help relieve the itching?

Thanks!
 
nmveasey said:
Hey all,

Quick history, last year Monster was very itchy. The intense need for him to be scratched was primarily around his low back, tail head, and rear end. The vet gave depo shots which definitely provided relief (but I believe eventually led us to the diabetes road). He will not take nor eat antihistamines in his food.

So here we are and Monster has gotten very itchy again. He foot sits in order to get scratches. He is currently laying in his kitty cave growling and trying to reach his rear end. (He is overweight and cannot groom himself back there. I keep him cleaned up.) I gave a bath on Friday. His hair coat looks good but he does have a bit of dander, more like dry skin.

Other than his growling antics, he is acting normal and eating well. Since depo shots are not an option, does anyone have any ideas/suggestions to help relieve the itching?

Thanks!
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When you bath him do you use shampoos? Maybe he's allergic.

Try brushing with a slicker brush?
 
JanetNJ said:
When you bath him do you use shampoos? Maybe he's allergic.

Try brushing with a slicker brush?
Click to expand...

I used Micro-tek shampoo. In the past, it has been the only shampoo to give him some relief.

I brushed him tonight with a flea comb followed by a brush. No fleas or flea dander...so that isn’t the culprit.

He is due for his revolution. Maybe that will help.

I was giving him fish oil in his food...do you think that would cause any sugar issues? I wouldn’t think so, but it doesn’t hurt to ask.
 
nmveasey said:
I used Micro-tek shampoo. In the past, it has been the only shampoo to give him some relief.

I brushed him tonight with a flea comb followed by a brush. No fleas or flea dander...so that isn’t the culprit.

He is due for his revolution. Maybe that will help.

I was giving him fish oil in his food...do you think that would cause any sugar issues? I wouldn’t think so, but it doesn’t hurt to ask.
Click to expand...
No fish oil is ok to give
 
We are dealing with a possible food allergy with our civvie. I suspect he's allergic to chicken, which is unfortunate since it's in practically everything even though apparently it's a common allergen. Maybe try a limited ingredient food (we picked up Natural Balance LID food but there might be something lower carb available) and see if it makes any difference.
 
The first thing I thought of was a food allergy. I would try a new protein and see if it improves. Years ago, my civvie, Willow, was losing hair on her back legs and tail. It was gradual, so it took awhile for me to realize something was going on. Her food at the time was turkey. I changed to chicken, and her hair grew back. It grew in so thick that I realized how badly it had actually thinned, and I felt bad for not figuring it out sooner.
 
He is on a wide variety of low carb canned food so I could determine what he likes best. He likes the Fancy Feast, but the phosphorus levels sure are high!

Come to think of it, I have been feeding more fish/seafood varieties lately. I will start by removing them and see if that helps. I usually try to stick with chicken or turkey.

Thanks for the ideas!

FurBabiesMama said:
The first thing I thought of was a food allergy. I would try a new protein and see if it improves. Years ago, my civvie, Willow, was losing hair on her back legs and tail. It was gradual, so it took awhile for me to realize something was going on. Her food at the time was turkey. I changed to chicken, and her hair grew back. It grew in so thick that I realized how badly it had actually thinned, and I felt bad for not figuring it out sooner.
Click to expand...

How long after switching proteins did you notice the difference?
 
ZulusMom said:
We are dealing with a possible food allergy with our civvie. I suspect he's allergic to chicken, which is unfortunate since it's in practically everything even though apparently it's a common allergen. Maybe try a limited ingredient food (we picked up Natural Balance LID food but there might be something lower carb available) and see if it makes any difference.
Click to expand...

What kinds of symptoms is she showing to make you suspect a chicken allergy?
 
FurBabiesMama said:
Related article: http://www.vet.cornell.edu/fhc/Health_Information/foodallergies.cfm
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Thank you for sharing!

“Through repeated systematic testing—and a lot of patience—it is possible for the owner to pinpoint all dietary ingredients to which a cat is allergic.”

Guess I better get Patient!! Lol....

He does not like tuna and has recently not been liking anything with turkey.
I’m going to only give him chicken or beef and see how that goes.

How does Mia like the Weruva Chicken Frick A Zee?
 
nmveasey said:
How does Mia like the Weruva Chicken Frick A Zee?
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She likes it. It was one of the very first wet foods I tried when transitioning them, and they were not interested. I went back to it recently to see if they would eat it now that they have been on wet food awhile, and they did. I was glad because it is a really good one.

I think they get tired of a food after awhile which is why I have to have a few in my 'arsenal'.
 
nmveasey said:
What kinds of symptoms is she showing to make you suspect a chicken allergy?
Click to expand...

Um, well, not to be gross, but it was mostly his poop. It was very runny/loose whenever we fed him chicken flavors. That combined with the bare spot on his leg from overgrooming made me think allergy. We're still experimenting with foods but so far it seems like his stools have improved a bit since removing chicken from his diet.
 
nmveasey said:
Thanks! I will start adding some to his food.


Lisa- No, I’m not sure what triggers the itching. That’s the frustrating part. I honestly did not think about the possibility of a food allergy.
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I had a dog several years ago that had severe itching. It took a while trying different foods to determine what triggered her itching and what was safe to eat. For her it was fish that she was allergic to. By reading the labels it was amazing to see how much fish products are in dog foods. I suggest trying single protein foods with limited ingredients. Hopefully you can find a food that will give him some relief from the itching.
 
Thank you everyone!

Monster got his Revolution tonight and seems to not be as itchy. He did not do his growling routine in the kitty cave, located behind my recliner. So that’s good!

His bowel movements have not been regular lately, but DH said Monster had a large firm poo today. I bought some Mira-lax and a can of pumpkin to provide some more fiber. Maybe the growling was the result of some constipation?

ZulusMom said:
Um, well, not to be gross, but it was mostly his poop. It was very runny/loose whenever we fed him chicken flavors. That combined with the bare spot on his leg from overgrooming made me think allergy. We're still experimenting with foods but so far it seems like his stools have improved a bit since removing chicken from his diet.
Click to expand...

Not gross at all. Attention to bowel activity provides a lot of knowledge! I have no qualms with poo and bowel discussions. Lol...

Lisa and Witn (GA) said:
I had a dog several years ago that had severe itching. It took a while trying different foods to determine what triggered her itching and what was safe to eat. For her it was fish that she was allergic to. By reading the labels it was amazing to see how much fish products are in dog foods. I suggest trying single protein foods with limited ingredients. Hopefully you can find a food that will give him some relief from the itching.
Click to expand...

I am going to start to isolate the proteins and hopefully he will get some relief. Chicken only for now.

I will definitely look into limited ingredient foods. I just ordered some Dr. Elseys and Young Again Zero. The. I will stop the Purina DM dry.

I appreciate all the ideas! :cat:
 
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