Cat licks off hair and scratches all the time :(

[Stefoni]

My 10 year old male cat, Buster, licks so much that he is bald on his belly and the underside of all four of his fore arms.  He is always after himself in some way... if he is not licking himself bald he is scratching himself.  He has scabs in front of his ears that he scratches at all the time.
I am embarassed to say that the licking all started 6 years ago when i brought home a kitten.  Buster is a needy cat... he needs attention all the time, so I thought I'd get a friend for him.  The kitten brought mites but wasn't bothered by them... though Buster was.  I found out that some cats are just more sensitive than others... it doesn't surprise me that Buster has sensitive skin.  The problem was though that he was after himself all the time.  After taking him to the vet and treating him and the kitten for the mites, Buster did get better though he continued to lick himself a lot... he always preened a lot so i didn't think much of it until i noticed the bald spots.  When I took him to the vet I spent about $100 and found out nothing.  They did tests which were negative and said that he could have an environmental allergy, a food allergy, or he could have anxiety.  I walked away with nothing more than what i knew before, other than less money.
So, now we have moved a couple times and for a year now we have been in our newly built home with mainly laminate flooring and only carpet in the bedrooms, which one of the bedrooms in the "cat room".  So my point in that is I really don't feel as if it's environmental... but if it is, what would I even take away from his environment?
I have had the cats on Natures Balance Green Pea & Duck Hypoallergenic dry food for a couple weeks now and they hate it... it took them about 4-5 days to actually eat it, even when it was mixed with their previous food, which they liked.  Finally when they did start eating it, I don't feel as if they eat as much as they used to or as much as they should.  I also have noticed within the last few months that Buster is loosing weight.  A few years ago he used to be like 14 LBS. and now he is about 7LBS.
I have taken away all treats and even cat nip so that the only thing he is digesting is the hypoallergenic food and water.  sometimes he'll try to eat the dog food, which only happens once in a great while, or sometimes he'll lick a dirty dish in the sink.. again, that doesn't happen too often.
The scabs on his ears started about 6 for so months ago... around the time that we got a puppy who likes to play with Buster.  When they play Buster's head is usually in the dogs mouth but the dog is not rough, though I could see how the dog could puncture his skin and then maybe Buster just keeps scratching at it...  I don't know.  Is it possible for Buster be allergic to the dog or the dog's saliva, or even the other cat for that matter?  I have tried putting a .05 cortisone spray, for cats, on not only his ears but also his paws and stomach.  Even though it seems to relieve him a bit, mainly on his ears, he still licks at the sprayed bald spots causing him to vomit.  And whenever he see's me with the spray bottle or the cotton swab he runs away from me... he hates it... I don't know if it hurts his scabs or if he just doesn't like me holding him down to put it on.
Even though I would gladly take him to the vet if it meant that he would even be partially relieved of his scratching and/or licking, but I am afraid that we will again pay money for nothing.  Today I am going to buy the anti-anxiety plug in and collar to see how that works.  If anyone has any thoughts or opinions on this matter please help... it breaks my heart to see him uncomfortable pretty much all the time.
P.S. I took his temperature today and it is normal.

[Jade59]

Stef, if I were you, I would insist on an appt.  Many people like yourself come to a forum such as this because their vet can't find the problem and continually tell the owner there's "nothing to worry about" when they know different.   Opus has a male cat who's been through the crystal nightmare and please, I would encourage you to listen to her advice.

I think this may all go back to the very first sentence in your very first post.  Cats will lick their belly and surrounding areas if they're in pain "down there"  From the description of Buster's behavior now, please don't wait.  Better to be safe than sorry, yes?  Call back and make that appt, honey.  I feel this is urgent!

[Stefoni]

okay... after I read your post I called the vet to schedule an apt.  They actually said that it's not anything to be worried about  : /  I guess I'll watch him closer, since I moved the litter box out of the room, and I'll make sure he's drinking enough water too and then if he doesn't seem better then I'll call again  : /

[Stefoni]

oh, thanks for the info... I wouldn't have ever guessed that  :(  poor guy... I'll be taking him in tomorrow morning!
Thanks again  :)

[opus88]

hey dear this is a real STRONG indication that he is having pain.....either with peeing of pooing....he may well have a UTI and or crystals....if he has the crystals in his bladder its like us having a urinary tract infection and you know how PAINFUL that can be, besides the crystals will BLOCK OFF his urinary tract(urethra) and when this becomes plugged his bladder can burst. Males are especially prone to this!!!!

Please don't waste any time.....get him into a Vet asap. this can be a medical emergency. Have the Vet do a urinalysis and also a PH test of the urine.

this has NOTHING to do with where the litter box is, its definitely a very clear sign of pain!!! and very common, he feels like he has to pee all the time so thats why he doesn't want to leave the box. you know with a uti when we get one, the irritation feels like we have to go even after we just did.

please don't wait, I'm very concerned....♥

[Stefoni]

I would rather not start a new post since you all know what the situation is with Buster... He seems to be better, not only with the licking and scratching but also he is eating  :)  
But now he has a new issue :(
Before, the cats had to go into the laundry room to get to their food, water, and litter box... I also had a 2nd litter box close by, just not in their "cat room".  It's sometimes hard for the cats to get to the laundry room to go potty or eat, etc. because Sienna (the dog) wants to play with them so I thought that it would be easier for them to get to the food, water, and litter box if I had it in their room (especially Rittalin, because he doesn't like play with Sienna). Also, Buster seemed to be sleeping more and staying in their "cat room", I felt that it might help them if I moved their food, water, and 1 litter box into their room.  It is normal for my 2nd cat to rarely leave the room... he's pretty much a loner... but Buster has changed since I put the collar on him... he now also stays in that room, unless he sees me on the couch and then he comes and lays by me.  I noticed that last few nights, when he lays by me, that he smells... like he has poo stuck on his hair... but I checked and he doesn't so I didn't think much of it.  Today I noticed that he was laying right in the litter box!  He didn't even come out right away like he usually does when he sees me... he would usually meow and come right to me to get attention.  I had to sit down and talk to him for a while before he would come out and then he almost seemed leery of me, was kind of skittish, and then went back into the litter box.  He didn't even let me pet him.  So I coaxed him out with some canned food, which he loves... he ate the food and went back into the litter box  :(
So, this collar is somehow affecting him so he's in the "cat room" all the time, he doesn't play with Sienna (our dog) anymore, he doesn't beg for half as much attention as he needed before, and is now laying in the litter box.   HELP!!!  I don't even know which is the lesser of 2 evils... do I let him lick and scratch himself until he's balled in places or do I let him hide all day!!!???
P.S. I also have a small cat house in their room which Buster could hide in if he wanted... but no, he chooses the litter box (which has a cover on it)  :(
Also, unless someone suggests something different, I will be moving the cat litter box back out of the room today... I may even move the food and water back to the laundry room.  What are your thoughts???

[Stefoni]

yeah, I have to think it's working since the collar isn't stopping him from licking and/or scratching... fingers crossed :)