Cat scratching fur off and I itch too!

[Kippy84]

I am very frustrated and don't know what to do.  In the past 8 months, my poor cat as been scratching her fur off her head and around her neck to the point where now she has scabby sores.  I have been itching too!  I have been to the doctor twice, where both times he tells me I'm allergic to something and gives me some medication that does absolutely nothing.  I suggested mange to him and he said that wasn't it.  And I took her to the vet and he said, what a surprise, that she's allergic to something and gave her a cortizone shot that lasts only a couple weeks.   I suggested mange to him too and he didn't think that was it.  Now she is scratching again. She doesn't look as healthy as she used to, and not as happy. I do have another cat but he seems fine. I may try to switch food, as now I am just feeding them 9 Lives.  But overall I just don't know what to do.  I can't keep spending $50 for a vet to tell me she's allergic to something and it never get resolved.  Do you think our problems are related and what can I do to help my cat?

[FurballsMom]

What is EFA oil and how much of this product is supposed to be used on the kitty?  Another area of concern is the dry patch on kitty's back near the base of the tail.  It's not as dry and flaky as before I changed her food to Wellness, but it does still feel dry and different from the rest of her coat.  My kitty doesn't have to be talked into getting brushed, because she loves her brush.  The trouble of it is, when I go to brush her with the sheddin' tool brush that she loves so much, she'll want me to keep brushing 'til this area of her coat is naked, too.

Right now, the Wellness is working, but since kitty is clearly allergic to grains and has some other kind of food intolerance (EVO), I know that can change and she'll go right back to scratching her fur off of her ears.  The one time I took her in for this, she literally had no fur on her ears at all.  Right now, her ears look normal and good, but since she still scratches a little bit, I have good reason to want all the information I can get to keep kitty healthy.

[FurballsMom]

(((((bump)))))

[FurballsMom]

My cat has food intolerances, too.  I didn't have to be told that kitty has an issue with grains.  Most grains used in cat food contain gluten in them or aren't tolerated by people who have gluten intolerance, and that's the first thought that came to my mind, knowing that cats are true carnivores.  My cat had been scratching the fur off of her ears.  I'm not able to pay the office visit to take kitty to the vet to be told what I already know is the issue.  I took her in when her ears were bald from scratching, so I know for sure it's food intolerances.  The insides of her ears still look clean and fresh and have no odor, so I know it's the food issues.

I know kitty isn't stressed out, because the ear scratching doesn't happen as much as it did when she was eating commercial cat food.

I don't know what ingredient is in EVO that kitty developed a food intolerance to.  But, when she started scratching her ears a lot, I stopped giving her EVO.  The pet store boutique gave me some grain free dry food samples to try.  I noticed one of them had rice in it, though, so I didn't give that one to the cat.  She didn't like the other ones that didn't have grains in them.  It only took a time or two of her eating the stuff with the rice in it to know that I was right about the grains being the problem.  Cats are true carnivores, so it makes sense that some cats would react badly to these cheap fillers.

I changed her food to Wellness brand, which has three or four grain free formulas.  Her favorite treat is dried salmon (nothing but the fish itself), so I got the turkey/salmon grain free formula.  Would rotating the grain free formulas help prevent kitty from developing new food intolerances?  I have food issues myself, so I know eating the same things all the time over an extended period of time is either a sign of intolerance or can create a new food intolerance.

Can you post some of the other brand choices that are holistic and grain free?  I'm concerned about keeping my options open, in case kitty develops new food intolerances.

[Savas]

You should switch to a holsitic food. There are plenty of good human grade foods on the market (I use By Natures Organics).

It's likely the grain and filler in the 9 lives that's causing the issue.

Are you sure it isn't a stress issue?

Regardless, you can get a product made by (I think) Holistic Blend called "Yucca". It will cut down on the skin irritation. This will keep your kitty from scratching herself bloody and give her time to heal.

You may also want to try an EFA oil to help with coat and skin. The omega's in the oil will help kitty's coat and prevent dry skin irritation.

finally; brush your cat!

Once a day!

Brushing is an excellent (and cheap) way to stimulate the skin and hair follicles on any creature.

Check back and let us know how your kitty is doing.