At My Wits' End

[catlover418]

My poor kitty has had a scratching problem for over a year. I have done everything possible that I know of. I can't afford tp spend any more at the vet. Is there something I can dip her in? Or something? Help!!!

[Traci]

Could you give more details please? How old is she, what tests were done, and when? What exactly is she scratching, what areas of the body, etc? What are you feeding her?

[catlover418]

Could you give more details please? How old is she, what tests were done, and when? What exactly is she scratching, what areas of the body, etc? What are you feeding her?

She's 3 1/2. She all of a sudden started scratching about 2 years ago. I can't think of any trigger for it. She scratches around her neck area mostly. She's been eating dry cat food her whole life, with wet food as a treat once or twice a week. I have taken her to the vet several times, and she has been given ointments. But they don't work for very long. I can't afford any more vet bills.

[Traci]

Was a skin scrape and culture done? If not, you and your vet have NOT ruled out fleas/flea allergy dermatitis, mites, cheyletiella mites, ringworm, bacterial or other skin infections, and even environmental allergens like things you use to clean with, etc. Depending on what food you're feeding could also be culprit for food allergies which can cause skin allergies.

What is the brand of the food, please?

Has your vet done bloodwork?

What kind of ointments has he used and how long have you used them? Did you follow the vet's directions exactly, or did you stop treatment for some reason?

If your vet isn't addressing this properly, get to a new vet who will. It is appalling this has been going on for this long without resolution. You need a vet who who will commit to this, get proper testing done, and rule out various things that could be causing it (mentioned above). This shouldn't cost as much as you think, but you can't diagnose this properly without testing, and it's obvious ointments didn't work, so get testing done, discuss the possibility of food allergens and the resolution will be worth the cost, doesn't your kitty deserve this resolved?

[catlover418]

Was a skin scrape and culture done? If not, you and your vet have NOT ruled out fleas/flea allergy dermatitis, mites, cheyletiella mites, ringworm, bacterial or other skin infections, and even environmental allergens like things you use to clean with, etc. Depending on what food you're feeding could also be culprit for food allergies which can cause skin allergies.

What is the brand of the food, please?

Has your vet done bloodwork?

What kind of ointments has he used and how long have you used them? Did you follow the vet's directions exactly, or did you stop treatment for some reason?

If your vet isn't addressing this properly, get to a new vet who will. It is appalling this has been going on for this long without resolution. You need a vet who who will commit to this, get proper testing done, and rule out various things that could be causing it (mentioned above). This shouldn't cost as much as you think, but you can't diagnose this properly without testing, and it's obvious ointments didn't work, so get testing done, discuss the possibility of food allergens and the resolution will be worth the cost, doesn't your kitty deserve this resolved?

I've been getting Friskies cat food. I tried the food at the vet's. It was expensive, but didn't help. The skin scrape was done. All of the things in the first paragraph were ruled out. I couldn't tell you what ointments I used, but I did use them as directed. I don't think bloodwork was done.

At one point, after they had done everything, they told me I'd have to take her to a feline dermatologist. That would have cost many hundreds of dollars, and I just can't do that. I even considered having her put to sleep, but I can't afford that either.

She doesn't scratch all the time, but quite a bit more than my other cat.

[Traci]

Friskies is not a quality food, especially for a cat with obvious skin problems. The vet food is not so expensive when you figure into the cost, an otherwise resolve to the problem. Unfortunately, the prescription diet, preferrably the hypoallergenic type, is going to be much more useful and beneficial to any commercial diet, since few commercial diets are designed specifically for skin problems. As for trying a vet food and it "didn't work", there are several reasons for failure, with the most common that it wasn't fed long enough. It has to be fed for up to 4-6 weeks with no other foods fed, in order to make even the slightest determination it could be working. If after that time, another veterinary diet in a different brand should be tried, since different ingredients may be partially culprit. If a second veterinary diet fails, then additional testing is essential to make sure nothing is missed in diagnostics.

A feline dermatologist recommendation was probably done because your vet wanted you to see someone more experienced than he, and that is a GOOD thing. Again, the cost is worth it, but doesn't have to be in the hundreds of dollars. A general exam, review of your kitty's current records would probably give the dermatologist a good idea where previous treatment wasn't sufficient or failed. Thus, a feline dermatologist's opinion would probably be more beneficial to your cat.

Are you sure everything I mentioned was ruled out? Sometimes more than one test is needed.

Why on earth would you even consider putting to sleep a young, healthy cat, just for a skin problem???? You adopted your cat for life, she is totally dependent upon YOU to help her and get her the care she deserves. If that costs a little bit more money, you owe that to her. She can't tell you what is wrong, she needs testing and a trial diet to work toward a resolve! You can afford an internet connection, you should be able to afford to save for vet care. Pet ownership is a responsibility, not a luxury, so please give her more credit, and be responsible, get her to a new more experienced vet, get kitty's health records faxed to the new vet, and get testing done if necessary. ALL of this is worth every cent to alleviate kitty's itching, scratching. Try to imagine how SHE feels!