Poorly kitty? Or frightened kitty? I just don't know :(

[rejam]

I have two female cats, sisters, around 1.5years old. In the last couple of weeks, one has started isolating herself, staying downstairs all the time.

I thought she may have worms so gave her worm tablets in her food and have treated her with flea treatment as she has scabs on her from where she is scratching. I have treated the house with flea spray and vacuum regularly. I have combed her for fleas and only get the odd one off her but she scratches a lot - much more than her sister - and constantly has lots of scabs on her which is distressing for me and no doubt for her too.

She is still staying isolated and when I try to pick her up off the settee she's on, she puts all her claws in and gets quite scared. When I manage to pick her up, she wraps her front paws around my hands and clings on, but not with her claws. Once I have brought her upstairs she becomes more friendly again but she mainly stays downstairs on the same spot on the chair. When I stroke her she purrs, and she responds to my voice.

She is eating, but I don't know if she is using the litter tray as I have two cats and they both use the same tray.

Any advice? Becoming increasingly concerned and don't know if I should take her to the vets. I don't want to waste their time and distress her for no reason, but if you think it's something that she needs medical attention for then I will take her immediately. Is she just scared? She used to behave like this when she was a kitten but became much more friendly when I took her and my sister to my house (away from her siblings and mother) at around 5 months. She is a house cat so won't have been scared by any animals she would have come into contact with outside. She plays a little with her sister but only when I bring her upstairs, otherwise she just stays on her spot on the chair downstairs on her own, sleeping, and her sister stays with me.

Many thanks.

EDIT: She originally had a little bit of bright red blood and mucus in her poo (I assume it was her and not her sister who has been behaving normally) which was a mixture of soft/normal. As soon as I noticed this I treated them both for worms and have not noticed any more blood.

[meriad]

all the symptoms are screaming allergy to me, be it food or flea or even mite (and it takes only the bite of one flea for the symptoms to start). I'd get her to a vet asap for a good once over

Poor thing must be so uncomfortable so please do get to the vet sooner rather than later

[rejam]

Oh poor little thing I was hoping that the worm/flea treatment I had given her would take effect quickly but I did these over a week ago and there hasn't been that much change. I didn't know how long they took to treat and was hoping she was getting better. I keep vacuuming and combing her to try and get rid of any fleas, but like I said, I only get a couple off her. (they seem to be impossible to get rid of!!!!).

She does play a little bit more and socialise with us and her sister a bit more but nowhere near as much as she used to. She'd always be curled up next to me but now she hardly does. I will try to book her into the vet this evening when I get back from work. I feel so sorry for her Is it possible she would be allergic to clothes conditioner? I have been using a new conditioner for the past month maybe(?), could she be allergic to that? I am using the same food as I always have been so don't think it's that. Oh I feel so sorry for her

[Janey]

Hi and welcome. Definitely vet visit, she must be feeling very uncomfortable bless her.
I am sure your vet will sort out the rash, do let us know how you get on.

[rejam]

Her coat has become a little less glossy too. She has started cleaning lots again like she used to, but she isn't as silky soft as she once was. She also constantly cleans around her tail and her bits, I wasn't sure if this was the fleas/potential worms? The tablets I gave them both were for roundworms and tapeworms so I am hoping if they had them this would have cleared up by now?

[rejam]

Thank you for your help. I feel so sad and sorry for her. I've been trying my best to make her feel better and feel I have let her down! Poor little thing

[meriad]

She'll be fine - just get her to a vet

let us know how you get on

[rejam]

Took Sushi (the little tabby kitty in my picture) to the vet yesterday afternoon and they confirmed what you said, that she was having an allergic reaction. He said she is most likely allergic to flea saliva.

He put more flea stuff on her (he put Advantage on and said the one I had been using - Bob Martin - wasn't very good and wouldn't be as effective), and gave us another one to put on Pearly (the little black kitty in my picture) so she doesn't pass any back to Sushi.

Pearly doesn't seem to have suffered at all, only Sushi is allergic to bites, just like me, as I am also allergic to all insect bites! Like pet like owner, hey..!

He gave her some steroid tablets to stop the itching and she already seems a happier little kitty again. Gonna spray the house with anti-flea stuff again (I can't remember off the top of my head which one it is) tonight, and vacuum again tomorrow. I just don't seem to be able to get rid of these blooming fleas no matter how hard I try! Do you have any tips on how to get rid of them? I flea the cats, comb them, flea spray the house, vacuum regularly, hot wash their bedding, and still the cats have them! They are indoor cats as well. Total nightmare!!!

On the plus side, Sushi is starting to feel better and behaving more like herself again which I am so pleased about. She's still a little isolated but it's not been even 24 hours since she saw the vet yet. Pearly has her little playmate back again

Thanks for your advice

[rejam]

The vet also said Sushi most likely did have worms from the fleas which was causing the blood in her poo but fortunately I treated that immediately (and treated Pearly too) and that stopped.

Now to get rid of these fleas altogether! Any advice how to get rid of them which doesn't involve drastic measures i.e. burning everything? Haha

[Kay]

can't advise on getting rid of fleas in the house, as I've never had that problem, but I can tell you that Bob Martin products have a terrible reputation - the only safe and effective flea and worm treatments have to be bought on prescription

regular spot-on treatments should at least ensure Sushi remains flea-free, even if they are elsewhere in the house, but I think some cat owners have found Advantage isn't always as reliable as other brands, so you might want to try others, which also contain a wormer

[rejam]

Thanks for that. I never knew Bob Martin had a bad reputation until the vet told me yesterday that it is unreliable. I have been using that since I have had the kitties! No wonder I've never quite managed to be completely flea-free.

It's so frustrating because I comb and flea the cats regularly and vacuum and steam mop all the house twice a week, as well as hot washing their bedding and cushion covers, throws, etc, and yet they still haunt me! I don't think they are in the house but perhaps they are, I don't know if they are only on the cats or hiding in the carpets too. Maybe I will need to step up my cleaning regime and do it more often as I just want them gone and Sushi to never get bitten and poorly again.

Does flea treatment need to be done every 6 weeks or every 4 weeks? I was doing it every 6 weeks but the vet said yesterday to do it monthly. And is it every 3 months for worming?

[meriad]

Thanks for letting us know how you got on and glad Sushi is starting to feel a bit better. The steroids definitely will help her a lot

Regarding the fleas, there are a few things you can do:-

wash all existing cat bedding as hot as the bedding can take; or even better depending on finances, replace if you can. Maybe until you've got the situation under control use old towels for bedding as they can be washed really hot
get mothballs and put them into the vacuum bag, this stops any flea eggs from hatching in the bag and reinfecting the house and discard the bag into the outside bin when it's full
vacuum every day, paying particular attention to the gaps under skirting boards, between wood boards etc; if you have carpet get them professionally cleaned if you can


As Kay says - Bob Martin unfortunately really is not a good product at all so don't waste your money again; make sure you continue to get both worming and flea treatment from the vet. Yes it's more expensive but it's a lot safe

Best of luck - let us know how you get on

[Janey]

Hi, glad to hear that Sushi is getting treated now. My resident cat suffers with a flea allergy and if she gets bitten she gets all scabby, bleeds and her fur comes off. I had to treat her and put her a collar on earlier this year to prevent her scratching so it could heal so I understand how distressing it can be. One thing regarding the fleas in the home, once my cats caught fleas and the only thing which seemed to eradicate them from the house was using a household spray. We used Indorex as advised by the vet, it can be bought from the vets or online and is brilliant. The fleas didn't go straight away but vet told me to persevere which I did and after about a week there was no sign whatsoever. Hopefully you will get this sorted soon.

[meriad]

sorry, posted same time as you and didn't see your reply

Personally I'd flea treat once a month until you're happy there are no more fleas in the house. Re the worming; difficult one, but I'd have thought every 6 months would be fine.

You seem to be doing everything what you can, the only thing I would do is vacuum daily for a bit - with the mothballs in the bag.

Has anyone mentioned Idorex to you?

[rejam]

Thank you very much for your advice. Hopefully I can finally get rid of them, I never want them to get bitten by fleas again!

I washed all their bedding last night on a 60 degree wash and also hot washed all cushion covers and throws that they have been on as well. Will throw away the bedding once have got rid of the fleas once and for all and give them new ones.

Going to flea spray the house tonight to try and kill any that may be in the rugs (fortunately have tiled floors throughout the house and laminate flooring in the bedrooms so only a couple of rugs about), then vacuum and steam mop everywhere tomorrow. Are these flea sprays any good? I can't remember the name of the one I have, but allegedly it glues the fleas/eggs so they can't move then can be vacuumed up. The vacuum cleaner I have doesn't have a bag in it, so do I need to clean it as well to make sure no eggs stuck inside? I always empty it when finished vacuuming but never thought to clean it until just now. Can I still put some moth balls in each time and throw them away afterwards?

Thank you all for your advice and help, it's much appreciated!! And thank you for telling me it was an allergic reaction and not that she had become unfriendly/scared of me. I'm so glad she's getting better, just wish I had done it sooner/never let this happen to her.

[rejam]

Oh no I haven't heard of Indorex, I will certainly get it. Just googled what flea spray I was using and it is the dreaded Bob Martin!!! So no wonder it's done nothing! http://www.tesco.com/groceries/product/ ... =278463573" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Will invest in a couple of cans of Indorex and hope I can get rid of these beasts for good!

[Janey]

Hi, I got my last lot of Indorex from Amazon I found that cheapest, it's quite expensive and was more expensive from my vet so it pays to google and see which is cheapest.

But, as I said earlier it was my vet who first recommended it to me and will def sort those pesky in the home good luck.

eta: actually it looks cheaper from VetUK but depends what postage is as it's free from Amazon.

[meriad]

Re the mothballs and your vacuum cleaner - they're not cheapest things to buy so probably buy a box, put two into the cylinder of the vacuum where the dirt collects and then when you empty the cylinder just take the balls out beforehand and then once empty put them back.

Maybe replace every week or two?

[rejam]

Thanks again for all of your advice.

Have ordered some Indorex online so hopefully that will come soon. Will use the remaining bottle of Bob Martin spray (despite it's ineffectiveness) this evening, then vaccum/steam mop etc etc each day until the spray arrives and then use that.

What would you say is the best flea treatment for use on the cat? And would you still treat your cat even if there are no sign of fleas in the house? (for indoor cats).

Thanks

[meriad]

I use Stronghold on mine, combined with milbemax for worms

I used to use Advocate, but apparently one shouldn't use it together with milbemax hence moving onto Stronghold.

And yes, fleas or no fleas, in your case I'd be quite vigilant with your cats. What you could do though is speak to your vet about the Programme injection - for indoor cats, once you've got any flea issues under control then there is no reason why that shouldn't work as well as a monthly spot on treatment because sometimes cats do develop an issue with the treatment and can lose a bit of their fur where you apply it.

[andybriz]

Indorex is amazing, you just need to glance at the amazon reviews.

Mine both had fleas when we collected them from a farm when they were kittens, there were in a horrible barn. However a day or two after they were treated and that was that, haven't seen a single flea since, but we still treat them every month and will continue to do so.

We use Stronghold for one cat and Advantage for the other as he can't have Stronghold due to his allergy medication (Atopica).

Good luck! Are you insured? Allergies can be expensive, for the first year I had weekly vet appointments, I'm now down to whenever he flares up, every 6 weeks or so, but have saved thousands thankfully!

[Mrs Kane]

I would also vacuum all the fabrics that you can't wash: IE, sofa and all cushions and then throwing the excess out immediately in an outside bin or pouring either salt or hot water over it. My sister had this problem in July when her idiot of a roommate put their long haired cat (Luna) in the garden all day. My sister set off flea bombs for weeks and was hoovering non-stop. She was forever getting bitten, even though Luna wasn't allowed in her room.

I'd really focus on the room the cats love. That's where the eggs probably are. Don't forget, even if you FEEL you've gotten rid of them, the eggs take approx 2 weeks to hatch in 70F temps. It's cold at the moment I know, but any heating in the place will encourage them. If you're able to spend 24hrs at a friends place or a rented apartment with your cats I'd really recommend flea bombing the place and then vacuuming everywhere once you're back. Fleas are a real menace and you need to stop them asap.