Cat scratching himself until he bleeds

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Jan
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Cat scratching himself until he bleeds

Post by Jan »

Am at my wits end trying to control Blackie scratching his fur out on the side of his neck. He'd already had a bad reaction to Profender but that bald patch in the middle behind his neck is now regrowing hair, but he's been scratching by the side of this patch until its bled. I am now restarting his Fuciderm ointment which was given to me by the vet to put on the inflamed skin caused by Profender.

Blackie is a very anxious, nervy and easily stressed cat so I wonder if his scratching might be a reaction to the terrible cat fight he had about 10 days ago when he definitely came off much the worst. The vet gave me Calmex just prior to this fight to try to help with his stress but he refused to eat it - even when I heavily disguised it in his food or a treat like Lick-e-Licks (which he loves). The vet wasn't keen for me to give him Zyklene tablets for his stress so if anyone else has any ideas, I'd really appreciate it. I don't really want to put him through the stress of taking him to the vets again - he's seen enough of that place with his cystitis and other problems to last him a lifetime!
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Re: Cat scratching himself until he bleeds

Post by KittyWitty »

Could you not even just phone up your vets?
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Re: Cat scratching himself until he bleeds

Post by Jan »

I have phoned the vet who said it was the right thing to do to put Fuciderm ointment on him again ... but didn't come up with any other suggestion which was why I asked here if anyone had an idea.
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Re: Cat scratching himself until he bleeds

Post by lilynmitz »

Has he been tested for skin infections or parasites?
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Re: Cat scratching himself until he bleeds

Post by Jan »

Every time he's scratched a patch of fur raw, (apart from this latest occasion), he's been checked and found to be free of fleas, ticks , skin infection etc. He has all the treatments he's supposed to have. I have Feliway diffusers around the house - along with using the spray on occasions.

I am sadly beginning to think that he's just not really at home in our house - though this idea doesn't seem to fit in with the fact that we brought him back from my mother's house last June and we couldn't believe how well he settled with us - that is, until early April this year when he had his first bout of FIC. He's just got over his 2nd bout but no sooner had Blackie got over that, I noticed a small white patch on the right side of his neck and today when I looked he has a red blood line where he's obviously scratched the skin.
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Re: Cat scratching himself until he bleeds

Post by lilynmitz »

Looking at your first post, given that he's such a nervous type, the fight could have knocked his confidence badly, and he may still be reacting to that. Even confident cats can be upset for days after a nasty fight, so he may take much longer to recover. Keep going with the fuciderm, and do all you can to give him a peaceful and calm environment and keep reassuring him, and see how he goes.
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Jan
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Re: Cat scratching himself until he bleeds

Post by Jan »

Thanks lilynmitz ... that's all I feel I can do for him at the moment.

Unfortunately another cat trespassed on his patch this morning right near the house. I heard some very deep growling and hissing which I knew must be Blackie. As soon as I opened the French doors, Blackie shot inside before I chased the other cat off. Trouble is, Blackie is all growl and no bite! I'd rather keep him indoors but he'd get so stressed out over that, its not worth it.

I will be phoning the vet tomorrow to ask how long I should use the Fuciderm this time.
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Jan
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Re: Cat scratching himself until he bleeds

Post by Jan »

Sorry to bring this up again ... but has anyone else had the problem of their cat scratching his fur out and making the skin bleed?

This problem with Blackie hasn't stopped ...in fact its now worse than ever, in spite of a visit to the vet 10 days ago when he was given a steroid injection to try and stop inflammation. However, a week later (Tuesday just gone), the situation seemed worse so back he went to the vets where he was given an antibiotic injection to stop any infection seeping into his skin and a request to bring him back if the situation didn't improve.

Having just looked at his neck, there seems no point in waiting until next week - both sides of his neck are worse than ever so I'll be phoning the vet tomorrow morning. I've no idea what they can do - because of his temperament it will cause him so much distress to put a collar on him. All I know is that its causing me a lot of distress - which I try to hide from the cat as best I can.
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Re: Cat scratching himself until he bleeds

Post by KittyWitty »

Is he possibly allergic to his food/treats? Has your vet ran a full blood test and checked for allergies etc?
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Jan
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Re: Cat scratching himself until he bleeds

Post by Jan »

Not yet, but I'm hoping this will be the next step and if it isn't forthcoming, I'll ask for it to be done. Have been wondering whether Blackie's become allergic to the Hills urinary stress diet he's been put on since his first bout of FIC in early April. Then I wonder whether its something we're doing - or not doing.

He vomited up a rather large fur ball last night too but today he seems fine. He doesn't seem to like being groomed anymore whereas once he tolerated it for a while. Have noticed his behaviour has altered slightly in the last couple of weeks in that he doesn't seem interested in playing anymore - unlike a few weeks ago when I was the one who got fed up first trawling a piece of string around. We bought some different interactive toys for him, but he's just not interested now. A few other little things - might be insignificant, maybe not - like taking to sleeping on the landing rather than on the bed in the small bedroom. He'll also come into our bedroom, settle down on the floor until the light is turned off, then he'll leave, whereas before he'd go straight into the small bedroom, and happily settle down to sleep there for the night. He also lost 0.319kgs which surprised me - I thought that was rather a lot in a week.

We've been having the exterior of our house painted so perhaps that has stressed him with all the activity and 3 strangers around the place causing him to scratch even more this week. Who knows ...am sure I don't!

Thanks for your interest KittyWitty :)
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Jan
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Re: Cat scratching himself until he bleeds

Post by Jan »

Took Blackie to the vets this morning - the vet spotted a new bald patch which wasn't there 7 days ago when she last saw him. (I'd already seen it and winced). She thinks he has allergic dermatitis which is difficult to treat in a cat that loves to be outdoors, not to mention laying in the undergrowth :roll: As a last resort before going onto the blood test route (which she told me would be expensive), she gave him a shot of Delvosteron - an old remedy she said (never heard of it). If its going to help, there should be an improvement after about 3 days, but if not, then the next step is a blood test to determine what is causing Blackie to scratch round his neck.

I asked again if it was fleas or some such, she said definitely not.

The only comfort from the visit this morning was Eddie (one half of the management team) telling Blackie how well looked after he is and that he ought to stop causing us worry!

One thing I have realised is that this dermatitis (if that's what it is) doesn't occur when Blackie is with us at in the house in North Somerset ... so it could be that our woodland garden is the problem. (Just another reason for my husband to tell me we should move once and for all to North Somerset :lol: ).
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Re: Cat scratching himself until he bleeds

Post by meriad »

Jan, my brothers cat Merlin has an allergy which resulted in him scratching both sides of his face completely raw and bloody. In Merlin's case, the dermatologist they took him to suspected either fleas or house mites and a blood test since has proven that it is a flea allergy but they they still aren't 100% sure that it may not also be an external environmental factor such as pollen or spores as well. Merlin is now being treated with a product called Comfortis and come autumn, winter when he spends more time indoors and the problem seems to get worse (which would tie in with the fleas / housemites as the house is then not aired as much and the heating makes matters worse) he gets a daily dose of Prednisolone; and that pred has made a huge difference.

How easy is Blackie to pill? If you do suspect an environmental allergy then speak to your vet about getting Blackie on a course of Predisolone and also (if he's easy enough to pill) a daily dose of Piriton. Between the the steroid and the antihistamine that hopefully relieve the itching and therefore stop the scratching.

Another thing to try (just in case) is to change his diet and see if it is a food allergy after all. Fish, Chicken and cereals seem to be the most common culprit. How fussy is Blackie with his food? If not too bad then get him onto Butchers Classic for the wet food and James Well Beloved for the dry food, both relatively easy to get and not the most expensive (well the Butchers at least isn't expensive). Zooplus do this JWB which you can't get in shops: http://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/cats/dry_ ... ult/354366" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; it's potato based I think; not rice so that may be worth a try as well


As a matter of interest, reading through your original post, why didn't the vet want you to use Zylkene?


Good luck - I totally understand what you're going through and it's horrid watching our furry friends being uncomfortable
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Re: Cat scratching himself until he bleeds

Post by Jacks »

Jan, I too am wondering why the vet doesn't want you to try Zylkene. I think you inferred from your post that this is a fairly recent problem - it makes me wonder whether his coming into contact with an allergen that's related to some plant growing nearby (in which case you need to keep him in for a while to see if things improve) or something to do with the decorating? There are many substances that could be around if you're having painting and decorating done - did the problem start around the same time? Just a thought. From the sound of the white patches and the intense irritation it could well be something caustic that's causing the problem.
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Re: Cat scratching himself until he bleeds

Post by greenkitty »

A friend of mine had a cat that developed a large itchy patch on the back of its head a few years ago, it turned out he'd been cutting through a hedge that was covered in Ivy, when she got rid of the Ivy the problem disappeared so I wonder if it could be something like that as Blackie is ok at one house but not the other?
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Jan
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Re: Cat scratching himself until he bleeds

Post by Jan »

Thank you all for your interest ..and suggestions ... its much appreciated.

Firstly, I should have mentioned that as we were about to leave the vet's surgery this morning, she asked 'Have you tried this?'. You guessed ...she was showing us a packet of Zyklene! I could have spat blood because I've been wondering whether to give Blackie one of these per day for a couple of weeks now but didn't want to go against the other vet's advice :evil: So he's now on one a day for the next 20 days.

I asked the vet this morning if she thought the problem might be stress related and she thought very unlikely because he's not pulling or scratching his fur out anywhere else.

Firstly, in answer to you meriad ... is Blackie easy to pill? I'm afraid Blackie is not easy to do anything to him :roll: which is why I always ask vets to give me something he can have with his food. He can be a very antsy cat ... in fact this morning if I hadn't been double quick to take my hand away (I was trying to hold him still for the vet to give the injection), I would have had his teeth sunk right into my hand. No sooner do we pick him up at home then he is hissing and spitting all over the place. I'll be the first to admit I'm not well practised in handling cats (though getting better). He is the first my husband and I have ever owned as he belonged to my Mum for 10 years before she went into a care home. That said, he will put up with a hug + a bit of fuss when he wants feeding :D

I will definitely take up your suggestion of speaking to the vet about Predisolone and Piriton. I don't want to shell out a load of money for a blood test if something else can be tried beforehand. So thanks for that info.

As regards his diet ... well, I have been wondering whether he's become allergic to the Hills c/d Urinary Stress diet that he's been on now since early April because of his idiopathic cystitis. If it turns out that is the culprit, I wonder how easy it could be to change him onto something else because the vet was most insistent that he has this diet.

I used Comfortis on Blackie for his last flea treatment and the next one is due about now.

jacks ... the fact that the problem is much worse at our place leads me to think it is possibly an allergy to something in our garden or the surrounding ones. My husband decorated our dining room some weeks ago now - we tried to keep the cat out of the room but he did manage to dash in there a few times when I opened the door. We have had people repainting the house exterior in the last week but the problem had already started so I don't think it was that.

Blackie does have a habit of rolling in the dirt - especially if its dry and our soil is very, very acid (grows beautiful azaleas, camellias, and such like)... so that could well be an irritant. Whether he over grooms or not, I really don't know because he spends so much time outside.

greenkitty whatever is causing him to scratch his fur, I really hope he can be restored to how he looked when I took a photo of him last year at my mother's house ... he looked just like the 'elderly gentleman' the vets call him. When I get round to putting a photo up of him, it will be that one.

Anyway - from the front and when not turning his neck, he still looks the 'elderly gent'.
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Re: Cat scratching himself until he bleeds

Post by jan1957 »

Jan, oh my goodness....your posts are similar to my situation with my Georgie. He's a nervous boy who's been a licker and a scratcher for sometime now. I've just added a picture although it's not that clear, of where he's drawn blood around his eye. We've tried cortisone cream and tea tree cream but he rubs it all off. He's had anti histamine daily which I think helped but I'm concerned as to how long we can do this. Georgie has had rescue remedy (regularly) and we have two diffusers. He's the gentlest sweetest boy and as I'm typing this, Georgie is laying next to me licking his fur lime his life depends on it.
Our two refuse to get in the cat box to go to the vet and my OH hates to see them upset so our vet does house calls but in this instance, she says to carry on with the creams and as it's not an emergency she can't see us for four weeks.
Am just about to upset him by applying the cream again :(

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Re: Cat scratching himself until he bleeds

Post by meriad »

Jan, does Blackie like wet food? I just had a look at the list of ingredients for the dry food you've been prescribed and it really seems to have a whole lot of cereals in in so that may be contributing to the problem.

Just wondering if a cereal free wet food diet may be beneficial?
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Re: Cat scratching himself until he bleeds

Post by Jan »

Hello jan1957 ... as you can imagine, I totally sympathise with you. We were prescribed Fuciderm at the very beginning of this present episode but Blackie kept scratching it off. As to getting in his basket ... he only has to see it and he's off - desperate for me to open doors so he can get out, or hiding under the table and no amount of coaxing with a treat will get him out. I just have to pick him up and plonk him in his basket. Your OH sounds like mine - gets very upset seeing Blackie cowering away from us ... and so do I.

I tried keeping him in this morning because its so hot. He has a habit of laying in some undergrowth that can be partly in the sun at times during the day. Blackie is definitely not a 'miaower' but he howled constantly at me and in the end I gave in because I dread the thought of getting an easily stressed cat more stressed.

Let me know how Georgie is doing ... it must be adding to your anxiety that you can't see the vet for 4 weeks.

In answer to you, meriad Blackie LOVES wet food which is just as well with the amount of water I'm adding to his food. The vet told me because of the FIC, I should get as much water down him as possible because he will not drink water at all - not from a tap, water fountain, bowl - you name it, I've probably tried it.

The vet was also very insistent that he had the WET Hills stress diet, and to give him only a few kibbles per week. However, he has suddenly, within the last couple of weeks, gone mad for the dry version and he's probably had a few more than he should have done (that's me being soft :roll: ). If I want him to come in, I only have to shake the bag and he appears from nowhere. Blackie always did love crunching which is why I think he used to love the Felix Goody Bags before he developed the FIC. He must be sick of all the soft food I keep giving him now.

After reading what you say, perhaps I should stop giving him the dry version altogether. I see that cereals are 2nd on the list of additives for the wet variety too. I'm definitely going to ask questions about the Hills diet and cereal intolerance when we next see the vet - probably next week.

I'm very grateful for everyone's support and suggestions with what seems an intractable problem.
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Re: Cat scratching himself until he bleeds

Post by meriad »

Glad you let him out again - as you say the stress of being confined indoors is probably doing more harm than anything outside in the garden will be. As for lying in the shrubs or in the sun - mine all do that as well. He'll move if he's uncomfortable so personally, if he's happy outside then let him be there ;-)
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Re: Cat scratching himself until he bleeds

Post by jan1957 »

Vet phoned back at 3. She'd been through Georgie's notes and said that she really does think he's allergic to something in the garden and told me to buy Piriton not a genetic anti histamine.
The only other thing I've wondered about but forgot to ask the vet is that we've changed their dry food to Science Plan Chicken Low Fat for Senior cats. They were on the SP low fat tuna since kittens but they turned 7 years old recently so we changed to the senior variety. Wondering if there's something in that?
Hope Blackie's ok Jan....do u have a picture of him?
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Re: Cat scratching himself until he bleeds

Post by SarahT1 [PLLE] »

Hello

To echo some of the other comments here, your boy may well benefit from low or no cereal foods. Our boy Edgar has various sensitivities and he seems to be doing better (especially at the non meowing end!) since I cut cereals out of his diet. He doesn't like JWB but he loves Lily's Kitchen and Nature's Menu as well as RC sensitivity foods and plain chicken and fish.
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Re: Cat scratching himself until he bleeds

Post by bobbys girl »

Oh Jan,
poor you and poor Blackie. You seem to be going around in circles.

I'm no expert on FIC or skin disorders in cats. But here are a few ideas.

My sister suffered with eczema from birth to her mid 20's. Somewhere along the way she had patch tests and tried various 'restriction' diets for allergies. Now, the mind boggles how you would go about patch tests for a cat!! But perhaps you could start by writing a list of all the things that might be causing the problem. Is there a common denominator such as cereals? (with my sister it was dairy and pet hair)

Reading the posts again my head is spinning. I could be here all night :roll:, so I'll keep it brief!

Did the skin problems start soon after the vet put him on the 'special diet' for his cystitis?
The cynic in me wonders if the vet sells Hills? (ours does and 'highly recommends' it). Perhaps Blackie is allergic to it?

Our cats don't like our tap water, (neither do I) they much prefer rainwater and will drink from puddles or saucers left outside. Perhaps Blackie can smell something in the water that you can't.

Cat treats - Purdy loves Felix bickies too. But she loves 'Nature's Menu' ones even more (of course she does they are twice the price!) They are Gluten Free 95% meat.

I don't think soil is a problem, but plants may be. Do you tend to be more 'relaxed' in your North Somerset garden, i.e. less fertilisers, Chemicals? How do the gardens at you 2 properties compare plant-wise?

Lastly, go for the blood test, a full blood-count if it won't break the bank! You can tell an awful lot from a blood test and if it doesn't tell you what is causing the problem, it should tell you what isn't - does that make sense?

I've rambled long enough.... Please let us know how you go on.

PS what part of North Somerset? I know the stretch from Watchet to Porlock very well. North Hill is one of my favourite places on earth. Lucky you!

Hugs and fusses

Sue
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Re: Cat scratching himself until he bleeds

Post by Jan »

Thank you all so much for the info/comments you've given on this subject.

To answer you, Sue, ... Blackie first had a bald patch on the base of his skull about 4 years ago. I told Mum he must have fleas, so I whizzed him round to the local vet in Backwell (N Somerset) who has known Blackie since he was a kitten. She examined him and her verdict was that it was self-inflicted, so gave him a steroid shot, and the problem cleared up.

The next time was when Blackie had to spend weeks in a cattery last year while Mum was in hospital and then went into a care home. After several weeks there, he scratched the same spot raw. Another steroid shot - we brought him home with us to Kent and the bald patch cleared up.

1st bout of cystitis was around 3/4 April - I think the first bout of current scratching started around the end of that month I took him to our vet here in Kent who gave him a steroid injection - believed the scratching was due to an allergy because he found no fleas or anything like that on his coat. Told me he couldn't give him a hypoallergenic diet because he was more in need of the urinary stress one. Bald patch seemed to improve until I gave him a Profender treatment. The amount of fur he lost and the inflamed skin underneath quite frankly horrified me. I will never use that stuff again.

Since that time, he has scratched one side of his neck slightly and then the other - with one side having quite a lot of fur missing with inflamed skin.

2nd bout of cystitis happened around 11 June and a few days afterwards, he had a really bad fight with a more dominant cat which really knocked his confidence - so more scratching and it has got worse and worse since then.

As far as our vet recommending Hills - we're of like mind - I've wondered whether they push it because they sell it, though we don't buy it from them because I can get it cheaper from Viovet. The vet in Backwell also thought this food was the right one for Blackie's stress-related cystitis. That doesn't mean of course that he wouldn't build up an allergic reaction to it and it doesn't, like you, stop me being a bit cynical.

But in view of the fact that Blackie was 24 hours from death in early April when unbeknown to us he was suffering from idiopathic cystitis, I'm very hesitant to change anything that might bring on yet another bout. Being put on Cystophan and having even more water than I was giving him before has definitely seemed to help. He is urinating like a good 'un at the moment!

As far as the 2 gardens are concerned - there are no fertilizers used in either gardens but there are very different bushes as our home is very acid with few flowers (except in pots) because the soil is so poor. When its dry and not watered, its like dust. (I hate it). Blackie will throw himself on it and roll back + forth - whereas he doesn't do this in Backwell because the soil will probably stick a bit more to him. He comes in sometimes looking grey instead of black!

Actually, this evening we had our evening meal outside in the garden and when I came in, I could have torn my legs to pieces (even though I had trousers on) because they felt so hot and inflamed - I've no idea why or how because I haven't been bitten by insects. I had to smother them in Aqueous cream to soothe them. This is the first time this has ever happened so perhaps there is something different 'in the air'.

Yes - it does make sense about going for the blood test ... though I am reluctant to put Blackie through another anaesthetic which they told me he must undergo to have the test.

Sorry this has gone on a bit ... really appreciate your interest and help, Sue.

In fact I am so grateful to all of you who have taken an interest and given advice for a problem which has me tearing my own hair out - let alone Blackie :D

I know Porlock slightly - Backwell is north and slightly east of Weston super Mare, near Nailsea - about 13 miles inland. If I gave the 'nod', my husband would move down to Backwell in a heartbeat. I suspect Blackie would be happier too ...

Hugs from Blackie and me x

Will keep you posted how Blackie gets on ...
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Jan
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Re: Cat scratching himself until he bleeds

Post by Jan »

Things are looking up. Blackie doesn't seem to have scratched anymore fur off the sides of his neck - one patch has clear skin sprouting hair and the other side, still with a small scab, hasn't got any worse. Seems like the 'old remedy' of Delvosteron in combination with Zyklene is working. He definitely seems much calmer - and friendlier - I picked him up this morning to check his patches and he didn't hiss + spit as he normally does.

This treatment obviously doesn't tell me what he might be allergic to and I don't know if the scratching will start when the injection wears off and the Zyklene is stopped (another 2 weeks). If it does return, I will then go for a blood test.

Anyway, he'll be seeing the vet again tomorrow for a follow-up appointment when I can ask all the relevant questions.

Thank you to those who mentioned Nature's Menu - I hadn't heard of it, but having gone onto their site, I will be asking the vet if I can vary Blackie's diet a bit more - he's been on the Hills c/d now for 4 months.

And for the first time the other day, I watched him drink from a clay bowl in the garden full of rain water!
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Re: Cat scratching himself until he bleeds

Post by Crewella »

That's good news, I'm glad he seems a bit better, and that he's still peeing well. :)
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Re: Cat scratching himself until he bleeds

Post by greenkitty »

When I first adopted Hector (who's also black!) we had a terrible time with his skin and tummy, I was relatively new to cat slavedom and didn't have a clue about the different foods etc. Hector takes a very low dose of the steroid Prednisalone (this is also to help his chronic rhinitis) and we found Purina HA suited him very well, he made a massive improvement on that alone but was still troubled with itchy skin so I tried him on Piriton and the scratching stopped almost overnight, he now just has the odd scratch as most cats do (he can have half a tablet up to 3 times a day but it must be Piriton or the active ingredient must be the same, don't be tempted to try anything else as they're not suitable for cats).

After he'd been stable on the Purina for a couple of years I became more knowledgeable about the cereals and fillers they put in cat food thanks to Cat Chat and decided to try him on one or two cereal free foods. First over the course of about 4-6 months I started introducing a teaspoon at a time of Butchers Classic which he tolerates really well and secondly I've just started him on Lily's Kitchen which again he seems ok with so at least he can have some variety in his diet now. There are so much more cereal and grain free products available now. I hope Blackie continues to improve.
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Re: Cat scratching himself until he bleeds

Post by Jan »

The vet was most insistent that we keep Blackie on the Hills c/d stress diet - as well as suggesting keeping him on Zyklene permanently. Not sure how I feel about him taking Zyklene permanently - he doesn't seem like the old feisty Blackie anymore (though doubt the vet would agree with me!).

I've seen much better wholesome ingredients in other cat foods - not the derivatives that Hills use - its not like I'd put him back on his old Felix diet that my Mum used to give him.

She also told me he has a few fleas and that his military dermatitis could well be caused by an allergic reaction to flea bites. I joked to my OH last night that an itch on my calf was caused by a flea bite - turns out it probably was!

We have to return again next week for another Delvosteron injection (I'd forgotten that he had to have another 2 weeks after the 1st).
pacomesoual
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Re: Cat scratching himself until he bleeds

Post by pacomesoual »

Hey, its been a while, had to change account, i found out my cat had problems similiar with blackie but could'nt confirm anything and am crazy worried.
What happened after that, did it get better, was the treatment effective ?
Thanks you, and really sorry to necro.
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Jan
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Re: Cat scratching himself until he bleeds

Post by Jan »

Hello .... its been a long time since I was last on this forum. Some might remember me ...

I can answer your query ...in the end, the Head Vet at the local clinic decided to try a steroid called Delvosteron - 2 injections 2 weeks apart. I was amazed to see a definite reduction in Blackie's scratching within 3 or 4 days. Since that time, back in 2014 we have had intermittent scratching problems but nothing too serious.

That is until near the end of May 2019. Blackie scratched his shoulder so much it bled and when that patch got sore, he just moved his scratching to slightly to the left of his shoulder. It was far worse than the episode we had in 2014. Initially we saw a locum vet who would not prescribe Delvosteron because he said Blackie had early stage kidney disease and that he was now 16. So he was given another lighter steroid which didn't do anything. By this time his shoulder was a mess so back we went to our usual vet who decided the answer was to put on what we called "the red jacket of shame" .. I was very against it because I thought it would stress Blackie out. he vet was insistent that he had the jacket on for 2 weeks, But whatever my misgivings it worked.

The day after the jacket was put on, Blackie decided he would try and get it off by pulling at it so that the part that went round the neck ended up round his tum. We found him miaowing his head off at the top of the stairs obviously in distress. - As I had broken my wrist at the time, it was the last thing I needed to see. Blackie is a very feisty cat even when you're trying to help him, so off husband went to the vet hospital in Bristol where 2 nurses put the jacket back in its correct position in a couple of minutes and tightened the press pops at the back. When Blackie got home first thing he did was throw himself in the wash basket - something he had never done before or since. I was pretty stressed without his antics as my wrist was a complicated fracture so I laid on the bed for a while to calm down ,,, and who came in to lay by my side ... Blackie and putting himself in identical position to me. We were both feeling the same .... other half took a photo of the 2 of us which I'll always treasure.
meowjuana
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Re: Cat scratching himself until he bleeds

Post by meowjuana »

hello! you will not know me for i am new to this. my name is Isobel and i live in rainy cornwall. i’ve been reading this forum for a while. i have a 3yr old black cat called hugo, the sweetest boy you’d ever meet, he’s super cuddly and most days i wear him as a scarf. About 1 year 6 months ago now id say, we gave him his monthly dose of frontline and as normal he wondered off as cats do (unhappily) and we thought nothing of it as normal! a few days later we noticed it looked liked he had scratched the area close to where we had put the frontline and there was a large wound. immediately we called the vets and he was in for a cleaning and check up, he ended up having quite serious burns from the frontline as you can imagine, as he had cut the skin and it had gotten into his wound. as time passed with many ideas of tool and socks he had a (non irritable) bandage he could wear. bear in mind now, months, weeks, have passed, and some times the area would heal, scab and he’d somehow manage to pull the scabs off, thus making it a circle. as of right now, ive spent over £1000 in vets coverage such as, allergy tests, veterinary approved foods, steroid jabs, antibiotics, ocd calmers, i cannot explain to you the amount of time, change of vets and research i have done and every time i’ve come back to this forum.from what i have learnt, this is psychologic for him now as he did sadly experience the pain of having such burns, but with everything ive done, tried, manuka honey! antibiotic cream! i cannot continue to keep it wet, it must dry on its own and fall off on its own, he also needs time for fur regrowth and as we are all humans here we all know, scabs ITCH and hair growth also ITCHES i’m pleased to hear about blackie. it’s been a pleasure to read this journey along and i wished i had joined the forum sooner. all i ask, what jacket did you use? is there any link you can send my way? i’ve also tried this jacket method but nothing i’ve had seems as good as these poppers, no practice has offered me such and i’m extremely interested to know as it seems practice approved.


i sincerely look forward to your reply

Isobel Laura, cornwall UK monday 31st august 2020 x
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