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Please Help!! One of my cats keeps developing bald oozing spots- my other cat is totally fine, no scratching or leasions. After multiple trips to the vet, antibiotics and steroids shots, change of diet- nothing helps more than a week. What is going on?
She scratches her face neck a lot, red bumps develop on her head between her ears and eyes. Her ears turn red and get crusty, she develops sores on her face. Usually on her nose, but now a worse spot showed up overnight on her cheek. My other cat has no symptoms of anything. Doesnt scratch, no lesions.. She has been treated for ear mites even though she had no brown gunk in her ears, she is on a monthly flea and tick regemine, so no fleas. Vets gave her and 8 week antibiotic, helped some, 2 weeks after treatment was over its back full force. Her diet has had all wheat and poultry removed. No help. Steroid shots from vet help for a temporary time, but I hate giving her them. Too harsh on their bodies. Vet is out of ideas...... what is wrong with my baby?

Sorry to hear about your poor cat. I'm also sorry I have no answers - only more questions.

The first is directed to the CC community. Forgive my ignorance, but do cats get eczema?

The second is - is there anything new in your house or garden that might be causing an allergic reaction? It sounds like the problem is confined to her face and neck. Any new plants, change of diet, change of soap powder?

We humans can suddenly become allergic to just about anything. If the same applies to cats, I don't know where you would begin with patch tests!

I hope you get to the bottom of this ASAP. Poor kitty.

Hi, I am sorry to hear about your cat. It sounds like an allergic reaction of some kind. As Sue says....is there anything you have used lately in the house that is new like soap or air fresher, anything you can think of that you have started to use lately.

For now I suggest you bathe your cat, as in get some cotton pads and dip it into boiling water and allow it to cool and wipe over the spots. This may help as boiling water is in a way a safe disinfectant to use on your cat. But don't add anything to the eater, just plain water will do.

Nothing new is in her environment. We have started more frequent baths with an all natural soap. That doesn't seem to br providing relief. I have read about a diluted iodine rinse that may help with itching. We are going to try that with her next bath.
We just switched her from blue buffalo grain free to natures balance grain and poultry free food. She has been eat in this for a week. No help. She drinks from a stainless steel bowl and gets fresh filtered water daily.
it hasn't gotten worse with the baths. Just trying anything to help her. Another forum recommended frozen food to see if any food preservatives are the issue.
the vets have tried skin scraping to see if it is fungus or yeast related. No results.

Any rashes/sores anywhere else, or just around face and neck? If it is limited to her head and neck I still think it might be a contact dermatitis type thing.

Noticed a bald spot on her belly. Not rashy or flaky. Just bald.

Have you tried her on Piriton? Check with your vet but I think they can half a tablet three times a day? It must be Piriton (or have the same active ingredient), don't be tempted to use anything else. Which foods have you tried? Have you tried going cereal free?

Have not tried Prition. I will check on that.
we have tried blue buffalo grain free food. Not she is eating natural balance. Grain and poultry free food. Both dry food. A friend recommended getting fresh salmon and tuna and offering that as a treat. Maybe she has an omega 3 deficit.

I'd go easy on the Tuna. Can you get fresh Mackerel? Our lot go totally doolally for it and it's a lovely oily fish. They seem to know it's good for them. It needs very little cooking (they prefer it cooked) and they eat every scrap. (It makes yummy sushi too!)

Whatever is troubling your little lass (providing it's NOT fish ) oily fish can only help her skin.

Our cat Millie has multiple allergies, it turns out. We had blood tests done in the end and she is allergic to lamb, oats, soya, yeast, potatoes and peas. You wouldn't believe how many catfoods have at least one of those ingredients, and the biggest problem is the lamb because most manufacturers list 'animal derivatives' and those could well be lamb-based, so we have to be really careful.

I would also try Piriton - that helps Millie, because there is still something else we haven't managed to identify that she is allergic to and scratches for England. Also I would try eliminating fish from her diet. Poultry is usually fine, but fish is more likely to be an allergen. Is there a reason you thought poultry might be the problem?

Our vet told us that if you manage to identify more than one allergen, there are likely to be many.

Our vet told us cats with food allergies are sometime allergic to poultry and to try a meat she has never eaten before. That's why we went with the salmon and green pea blend. She goes back to the vet in 2 days. So hopefully they have better news. Otherwise ill be making an appointment with an animal dermatologist about 60 miles away.

It could well be an environmental allergy. Does she go outside? Just wondering if there is a shrub she walks under / past that she's reacting to? How long has this been going on?

My Mittens does this.
In his case he is anixous.
So it might be all emotional problem.
jill

Ryder is a strictly indoor kitty. We have moved and the issue persists. Makes me think it isnt environmental. We have been fighting this issue since we got her 2 years ago. First it was just scratching, then the lesions appear. It seems after each steroid shot or antibiotics round it comes back faster and more severe.

The vet has done a scraping to put into a culture to see if it was bacterial or yeast. Did not show any signs. We have excluded ring worm by giving her antibiotics. That was the last 'diagnosis' we just finished that treatment about a month ago and within 2 weeks her face looked lithe picture. Going to the vet today- ill post what she says today.

Ringworm is a fungal infection, so responds to anti-fungal treatment, never heard of it being ruled out with anti-biotics before. Does show up under a certain lamp though.

Maybe it was an anti fungal medicine... she held a black light to it and it doesnt glow.

Sounds similar to miliary dermatitis. I use aloe gel to soothe my cat's skin. Also thinly apply diprobase or E45 cream. Do not confuse sudacreme or other nappy rash creams with E45 as some contain large amounts of zinc. I hope you find a remedy.