allergies and bumps on skin

[Njbuilder1]

Our Greyson cat has a situation where he gets these bumps on his skin. I call them bumps for a better word. He seems to have a bad allergic reaction to fleas and these small bumps are the result of the flea bites. We have taken him to our vet on several occassions and it's always the same. He gives us some medication, it's called Capstar, plus we have been using Advantage ointment, and he tells us that Greyson is allergic to fleas and these bumps are the result of that. I am tiring of the vet and his advice plus we cannot seen to get ahead of this condition and it seems to be worsening. Greyson doesn't seem to be in any terrible discomfort and except for the bumps he isn't scratching or licking himself continually but there are some spots where he has scratched himself pretty good and we can see underneath his fur that he has broken the skin. I am at a loss as to how to proceed with this condition. I inadvertently found this forum and chat and what better place to gain insight and information re cats. I need some help from other cat lovers whom I think I would feel more comfortable with than our vet. Anyone else having this type of problem with their cat or cats. We have a second cat, Heidi, who lives in the same house and goes out in the same yard but has never had a problem of this nature. Any suggestions or advice please. Also, Greyson is a long haired larger cat. We have been feeding him wet food from cans and dry food since we have had him as a kitten. Could he be allergic to the wet or dry food.

[emmab]

I feel you pain. Our cat has allergies to Frontline. The company initially replied but have now washed their hands of it. He too keeps scratching just asnit is healing. I know for something like this he could wear a collar until healed but your situation is more permanent and feel sad for you and your kittie when it is an ongoing problem. can you see another vet? It sounds like you are not progressing with them and to be honest they charge a fortune and you deserve the best for your cat. The allergy is not the treatment for fleas is it?

[Kay]

Capstar kills live fleas on a cat, but does nothing to prevent new ones hopping back on the very next day - you need a regular monthly treatment as well which stops fleas coming on to the cat in the first place, but I suspect the Advantage ointment is doing that - over here Advantage is a spot on treatment which a lot of us use

I have a cat which gets bald spots and sores if she has certain types of fish, such as the ones in joint supplements, always above her eyes - and also used to get a large bald patch and nasty sore on the site of vaccinations, which she can't as a result have any more

so if your boy is flea-free it could well be something in his diet - have you tried him on specialist foods which avoid the main causes of allergies? you may well not get a lot of help from a vet, as allergies are a tricky one to sort out for medics in all fields

[booktigger]

If the vet thinks he's allergic to fleas, then maybe you need to try something different.

[vic23]

Hi There,
As Kay suggests, a specialist food might help. My cat Daisy is fed solely on Hills d/d food for a suspected food allergy. However, this same food is also formulated for skin allergies/problems too. This might be worth a shot. It is available in dry and wet form and is cheapest online - I use either the Petplanet or Petsupermarket website.

If you visit the Hills website, there is a breakdown of what the food includes and its benefits.

[Njbuilder1]

We have been using Hills dry cat food products along with Blue Buffalo canned wet food. He seems to love both products. Neither one of them are cheap and the bags state there is no corn in either. Not sure if the food is what is causing his problems. Does anyone bath their cats in a tub where they can submerge the cat up to their shoulders and add some type of medication to the bath water. Is that even a viable thought?

[Janey]

Hi and welcome,

My cat suffers with flea allergy. We took her to the vet and we use Advocate spot on. I don’t like using it too often, but I have to use it monthly on her in the summer otherwise she will scratch and bleed and has to wear a collar. I suppose some cats will get it worse than others, she gets it quite bad unless we use a preventative and Advocate works well for her.

[Ruth B]

My first thought is have you seen any evidence of fleas, either you spotting them around the house, dead or alive, or the vet combing the cat to show you the fleas or the flea dirt on a bit of paper. If you haven't seen anything, and are using the Advantage at the recommended intervals then I would have thought it possible that the allergy is to something else. Like humans, cats can be allergic to any number of products, food has already been mentioned by other members, but what about cleaning products used around the house, or the washing powder or conditioner you use, the list is quite long for possible causes.

If you are using the Advantage as frequently as it says, and you have seen evidence of fleas then I would start enquiring about other systemic flea treatments. We use Stronghold, and my Mother uses Broadline, I don't know if the active ingredients are different but it would be worth asking.

My Mothers cat developed a skin condition several years ago. The vet instantly said it was a flea allergy, he got the flea comb and a bit of paper out to prove this, and found, nothing, she was totaly flea free. It was then thought she had a reaction to the booster jabs she had had a couple of weeks earlier, she had a antihistamine shot and the problem cleared up. This carried on for a couple of years until one year my Mother was a bit late booking her in for the boosters and the skin conditions appeared at the same time as previously regardless of boosters. We now think she is allergic to one of the garden plants which produces its pollen at the same time each year. Sometimes it can be really hard to pin the problem down.

If your vet won't look beyond the flea allergy at other possibilities then it might be time to think abut an new vet. Asking about antihistamines might also be worth while, at least it might give his skin time to heal while you tried to get to the bottom of the problem.

[Kay]

OP is, I think, living in the US, so available products may not be the same as over here in UK

skin conditions are often difficult to diagnose and get the better of, so I think you could be in for the long haul, NJ, unless it is a flea allergy

do keep a diary if you go down the road of trying out different foods and products, listing the ingredients as you go, so if the condition improves you have some clue as to what might be making the difference

and I wouldn't recommend, ever , trying to bathe a cat - you will both end up totally traumatized and quite possibly injured

[meriad]

Does anyone bath their cats in a tub where they can submerge the cat up to their shoulders and add some type of medication to the bath water. Is that even a viable thought?

I'm with Kay on this one - I quite value my life and like my hands and arms as they are; there is a hope in hell that I'd ever even attempt to try that with one of mine.

[booktigger]

My first thought is have you seen any evidence of fleas, either you spotting them around the house, dead or alive, or the vet combing the cat to show you the fleas or the flea dirt on a bit of paper. If you haven't seen anything, and are using the Advantage at the recommended intervals then I would have thought it possible that the allergy is to something else. Like humans, cats can be allergic to any number of products, food has already been mentioned by other members, but what about cleaning products used around the house, or the washing powder or conditioner you use, the list is quite long for possible causes.

If you are using the Advantage as frequently as it says, and you have seen evidence of fleas then I would start enquiring about other systemic flea treatments. We use Stronghold, and my Mother uses Broadline, I don't know if the active ingredients are different but it would be worth asking.

My Mothers cat developed a skin condition several years ago. The vet instantly said it was a flea allergy, he got the flea comb and a bit of paper out to prove this, and found, nothing, she was totaly flea free. It was then thought she had a reaction to the booster jabs she had had a couple of weeks earlier, she had a antihistamine shot and the problem cleared up. This carried on for a couple of years until one year my Mother was a bit late booking her in for the boosters and the skin conditions appeared at the same time as previously regardless of boosters. We now think she is allergic to one of the garden plants which produces its pollen at the same time each year. Sometimes it can be really hard to pin the problem down.

If your vet won't look beyond the flea allergy at other possibilities then it might be time to think abut an new vet. Asking about antihistamines might also be worth while, at least it might give his skin time to heal while you tried to get to the bottom of the problem.

If a cat has a flea allergy, unfortunately it only takes one bite for a flare up, and they do need doing more frequently because of it - and they could be bit outside, so you might not see them on the cat or in the house.