Cat Chat Feline Forum

As Blackie's fur mowing hasn't ceased - if anything it has got worse, the vet prescribed a steroid spray to put on his bare skin - something called Cortavance. After checking with the vet that it didn't present any risk if he tried licking it off and it was suitable for cats (the label says its for dogs), I agreed to give this spray a try. Applying it involves me picking Blackie up, with him hissing + spitting as he leaves the ground, then holding him up so my OH can spray his belly and higher up where the fur is missing.

The end result (apart from the fact that I can't see what difference this spray has made) is that Blackie is now scared of me because he thinks I'm going to do something he considers unpleasant. Has to be said that he considers being picked up very unpleasant which is why I hardly ever do it. Actually, he considers ANYTHING done to him as being very unpleasant. Even though I offer him food or a treat immediately after spraying this doesn't placate him. He runs off and for quite a while afterwards, he won't come near me.

As the vet considers this fur mowing to be due to stress of some kind, I can't see that stressing Blackie even more by picking him up and spraying him is going to improve things

Poor Blackie, I must admit I'm tending to agree with you!

Would it work, maybe, to spray your hands and then rub his fur on the areas you want sprayed? My Merrick loathes sprays - the sound drives him literally up the wall!

I agree with Crewella, but you may end up inadvertantly causing problems for yourself if you apply it via your own hands, so check with the vet first. Otherwise, perhaps spray on a little bit of cloth or tissue and wipe it on with that, while your hubby distracts him with treats.

I was going to say the same as lilynmitz to put it on some cloth or something rather than spray and stroke it over the fur. Just ask your vet as I reckon the spray is to disperse it evenly but cats don’t often like sprays. It may be good stuff though so doing it that way might be better than nothing.

Thanks for the replies.

Haven't long been back from the vets to pick up Blackie's latest blood + urine results and had a word with her about how much Blackie gets stressed by this treatment. A shrug of her shoulders and a look on her face was enough to tell me that though she understood/sympathised, the treatment has to continue. She said the main aim of the spray was to minimise the skin inflammation in an effort to stop him breaking the skin with the tiny barbs that are on a cat's tongue. She understands what a stressy and difficult cat he is but again said she doesn't want to give him any internal steroid treatment.

When she first prescribed this spray she did suggest putting it on some lint and dabbing his skin with it as he might not like the sound of the spray. We tried that the first time - but there are so many patches underneath and at the top of his hind legs that needed dabbing, it took longer than Blackie would stay still for - in the end my OH was struggling to keep him still and upright, and Blackie managed to get away before I'd finished.

So we gave that idea up and decided to spray him because its quicker. Even then he's a real handful. Perhaps I'll have another go with the lint- though I suspect its more to do with the fact that Blackie hates being handled.

Anyway - this apart, the best news was about his blood/urine results. While I was expecting Blackie's urine/protein levels to be worse than 3 months ago (when he was borderline proteinuric), there's now very little protein in his urine - well within the normal range. I think the vet was as pleased with the results as I was. Everything else was in the normal range except the usg at 1.025 which she says may not be 100% accurate as he has so much added water to his wet food. No need to change his diet - and no need (yet anyway) to feed him food that has low protein. Feed whatever he likes as long as its got Ipakitine added with it.

I could have picked Blackie up and given him a kiss when I got home ... except he'd have hated it

Lol - that's good news, well done Blackie!

Great news on the blood and urinalysis!
Could you try using examination gloves to apply the steroid spray? It would protect you, and the gloves wouldn't absorb any of it like the lint, so less waste?

Hi Cussypat ... that's an idea I hadn't thought of. We have a whole box of this type of glove (left over from when Mum had carers at home), so will give that a try later today.

Oh the indignity of it all - being held in my arms so OH can spray him underneath where his fur is missing/thin. Oh, the shame of it all. If looks could kill as I'm holding Blackie, I'd drop straight down dead. No wonder his nickname is 'The Brimstone Beast'

The vet cut his front paw nails when we took him in so she can take blood from him (a LOT of hissing, growling, spitting went on when that was done - but the vet nurse had a very tight hold on him from behind). Still the mood was lightened when the vet clipped his front paw nails. With each clip, Blackie made a noise that sounded just like a human saying 'ouch'. We were all laughing ... except Blackie of course

Oh bless him, 'the Brimstone Beast'! The "ouch" made me laugh too!