cat advice please!!

[Nicos]

The more help the better please!!!

I'm not playing vet here- but I'd love to hear your advice/experiences to help me decide what to do.......

12 yr old neutered cat has had itchy skin- yellow/white lumps rupture and then get scratched and scratched and scratched....

the vet has given him antibiotics, steroids, antihistamines, elizabethan collar , local steroid/ antibiotic creams...and it's almost as bad as ever.
This has been going on since June and he's been kept inside 99.9% of the time and all bedding washed etc.
He sleeps on/in our bed and we're not affected.
Frontline Combo given monthly.

so...the vet is reluctant to give him a general anasthetic to take a biopsy of the lumps for analysis because of his age....and said it can't be done under a local anaesthetic....and not anyway until 6 weeks has elapsed since taking the steroids.
He says a change of diet won't work- it's too complicated.
It's the fact that he's prescribed hormones has made me a little uneasy-

Vets do things very differently over here- and sometimes not very sympathetically, and I think I need reassurance of the treatment before start the 6 week course of Megecat tomorrow.

Has anyone else had a cat/dog treated for dermatitis with hormones...and did it work????

....thankyou muchly

I know it's worth considering a second opinion- but I thought I'd start be asking you for your experiences/advice!

[Bigmallly]

Sorry to hear about your cat Nicos, it does not sound at all nice. I have no personal experience of such a thing but would consider your second opinion.12 years is a good age.....good luck with your decisions.

[Florence Fennel]

Yup, same here Nicos, I've only ever had dogs. I know how you feel, it is difficult when pets are elderly - two of my dogs reached 15, a grand old age for German Shepherds. Looks like a second opinion and TLC is in order here. Hope all goes well.
PS Couldn't you sleep?

[kentvegplot]

One of my cats (sadly now gone to cat heaven) had terrible dermatitis, initially triggered by getting very frightened by another cat. She licked and licked until she had little fur left - but as the fur regrew, she kept getting these lumps and bumps.

I took her to a cat dermatologist (yes, really!) who diagnose a severe reaction to fleas - literally, one bite would set her off for months. Once we got that under control (ended up spraying the whole house, and I think using something other than Frontline on her) the problem subsided.

Also, it seemed that once she was a more 'chilled out' cat, she was much less sensitive to the odd bite.

If you're worried, is there a specialist you can talk to before agreeing to the treatment?

[Glutton4...]

Many dermatitis type problems can be treated with sulphur. I had to put sulphur blocks in the drinking water of a dog I had, and it seemed to make a difference. Just a thought

A friends pony had similar lumps a couple of years ago, they tried all sorts of creams, lotions and potions. When they gave up it cleared up by itself - not much help to you, I know!

Have to say, also, that my eczema cleared up when I lost my stressful job, but comes back (mildly) in the cold weather!

Poor mog - hope you get it sorted

[Jeanied]

I agree with kentvegplot - some cats are very allegic to flea bites and they also get very stressed which triggers physical symptoms. One of my cats overgrooms (he is a very nervous 18 year old) and occasionally has sore bald patches because of this. When it was particularly bad he was given female hormone treatment - a quarter of a tablet in his food- I asked the vet why it worked and he wasn't sure. (I remember joking that we were both on HRT!)
Now it has calmed down I use cat pheromone plug-in diffusers which helps him feel less stressed and the flea drops are religiously applied - along with the house flea control. That and lots of catnip.
My cats tend to live to the 18-20 mark so I think 12 is a bit young to be thinking the worst, unless the cat himself shows real distress. (If that is the case they tend to hide themselves away and show you that they are far from their normal selves.) Hope your cat gets better soon, Nicos

[Nicos]

Nope- I couldn't sleep for him licking the inside of his collar- and scratching at it

He's living an exceptionally stress free life here- maybe even a little bit bored if anything, maybe being around me all day is driving him mad!!!!

Ah well- I 'll research a bit more- and see......

Jeanied..our posts crossed...that's interesting!
We've got 5mg/day for a week, then 2 tablets per week for 3 weeks, then 1 tablet/wk for 3 weeks...sort of weaning off- bit like with steroids. I think it's actually a contraceptive pill for cats, cos there's a chart inside as a reminder.
Loads of cats out here are on the pill instead of being neutered- weird isn't it????

Hmm...if loads of girly cats take it regularly, then maybe it'll be OK for 7 weeks for my lad???

[sweetiepea]

Nicos, it sounds very similar to something a dear old dog of ours had years ago. The vet was great and we tried lots of things, but from the start he was adamant that it was probably due to something he was lying/sleeping in. We changed his cushions, bedding etc but to no avail. After several months of torment for poor Pluto, we finally discovered he had made a 'bed' from dirty, soiled straw in a corner of my uncle's shed, hidden away under upright planks. Once we removed it and kept Pluto out of the shed the problem disappeared! I don't think it was the straw that was causing the problem, more what was on/in it.

Your poor puss could be allergic to something 'new' around the house. A change of detergent etc.?? Sorry I can't be more specific, but from what you describe it does sound very similar to Pluto's problem - an allergic reaction.

[Jeanied]

I've just pm'd you. Reading your post above made me remember that my cat's dosage was similar. In terms of neutering it is a cultural thing: and aren't the French pretty keen on modern medicine? My lad did fine on the hormones and it really quietened the skin condition down.

[SlugLobber]

Regarding the collar - is it possible to take it off for a while? I've know a few cats react to the collar itself, especially when it's one of those horrid flea-collars. Rosco can't wear those.

Can't really add to the advice above, but make sure that when you wash the bedding, it's not in detergent. If his skin is hypersensitive, I would just do a hot wash with water. That's how I wash my pony's fly rugs.

Hope he's better soon. Is there a trigger of stress in his environment that you could remove or lessen? I've used Feliway in the past, but sometimes this stuff is like a chocolate teapot - it didn't touch Rosco's anxiety, only removing the stimulus did.

[Nicos]

SL- it's the big plastic collar he's wearing -to stop licking- but not the scratching.
I'm going to get vetwrap for him and make some gloves- bit like the babies mitts to prevent scratching...he's going to look like a right plonker!!!!.. I can stop him scratching during the day by stroking and patting/rubbing him- it's just when we're asleep he needs more 'help'

I'll vac everywhere more often too- I do use non-bio soap powder- but that's a good idea.

SP-I'm wondering if there is anything on the wood we bring in to burn on the open fire...perhaps we should just bring in as needed and not store a few indoors. There's a thought.

[scarey55]

I had a cat called Rover (no, honestly) who was a bit of a scaredy cat, literally. I used to give her Kitzyme conditioning tablets - a bit like Bob Martins for cats and she became much more confident and was happier.
She didn't have any health problems but they just seemed to help her and she used to eat them like sweeties. Perhaps something like this would give him a bit of a boost.

[Nicos]

I had a cat called Rover (no, honestly) who was a bit of a scaredy cat, literally. I used to give her Kitzyme conditioning tablets - a bit like Bob Martins for cats and she became much more confident and was happier.
She didn't have any health problems but they just seemed to help her and she used to eat them like sweeties. Perhaps something like this would give him a bit of a boost.

Can you buy that in France?

[scarey55]

I have had a quick look and I don't think so Perhaps your vet will know something similar or next time you're in one of the Brico/garden shops you might find something.

You can get it from UK delivered here I found it on Petmeds.co.uk and I have put the link here because it gives some useful info about the product but the shipping is £3.00 for something that only costs £6.

KK will be going to UK soon (before Christmas, perhaps) PM me if he can bring anything back for you.

[Eco-Chic]

Nicos, what about adding some Bach Rescue Remedy to puss's water? Won't cure the allergy but may calm him a bit.

My dog Bruno gets a very hot unpleasant rash June/July and I used to assume it was Flea Affective Disorder but ruled it out because he didn't have any fleas. It seems more likely that it is a specific pollen allergy as it happens the same time each year. Anti-histamines have cured the rash the last two years.

I hope the hormones help your lad. I wonder why the cat can't be restrained and given a local so the vet can do a topical biopsy?