At a loss for what to do with my cat!

emlou2009

Hello, thank you in advance for reading!

My cat has a history of being a bit odd medically, can only eat posh food or he gets the runs, goes downhill very quickly when feeling rough, etc. Earlier in the year he had a reaction to a small cat bite on his face which abcessed despite antibiotic and steroid treatment, and he scratched at it so much that even though he was wearing a buster collar he lost nearly all the fur on his face and neck and ears and took chunks out of the edges of his ears, his poor skin was so raw and oozy. At the time the vet wondered if he may have a auto immune disease of some sort as she couldnt see a reason for the OTT reaction, but it healed naturally all of a sudden.

2 months ago I treated him for fleas using Stronghold and at the time we thought he had a reaction to it as almost immediately the area it was applied to became red raw. Again we treated him with antibiotics and steroids and thankfully he recovered much quicker. The vet gave me a sample of Advantage to try him on and I put it on him literally an hour ago and watched him like a hawk. He's gone totally loopy scratching and licking his shoulder blades, but I put the stuff between his ears cos he's still bald from last time, so I think he is causing these reactions himself. I have no idea what to do with him! I cant put a collar on him as the area he's today licked raw is where the collar would sit. How else can I stop him from obsessing over it? He is making it worse by the second and its not exactly a matter for an emergency vet. I cant follow him around stopping him as it just isnt working. And what on earth can I use to treat him for fleas in future? I cant possibly put him (or me!) through this again, poor baby.

paddypaws101

Your poor little cat! I would never use those spot on treatments again. You can ask your vet about Program which I think is an injection...but I would be wary of even that. Try using Brewers yeast ( Holland and barratt do a de-bittered powder ) in his food as it naturally repels fleas, also a product called Vermex which is a natural worm and flea repellant in a crunchy snack.
Most fleas live in the house anyway, not on the cat....so get to grips there by hoovering every nook and cranny, and behind/under all furniture then spraying with Indorex or RIP which works for 6 months or more. Even better use a product called Skoosh which is pesticide free. I use both together!
Comb your cat frequently with a flea or nit comb and he should be just fine.
http://www.petremedies.co.uk/Wormers-for-Pets/Verm-X/Vermex-Herbal-Treats-For-Cats/p-135-234-703/

bluebeary

which cat foods do you feed him ?

emlou2009

He has fish4cats. Orijen also works well for him but we have three cats and fish4cats works out a lot cheaper! He can also eat Butchers Classic. I think its cereals and soya he cant eat.

I definitely wont be giving him a spot on again. I had wondered if there might be a injection or a tablet but if the reaction he's having is an actual reaction rather than just him freaking out coos theres something on him i'm scared of what it might do to him. I would definitely ensure either were administered at the vet! I had some leftover steroid cream from last month which didnt have a use-by date on so i've applied some to the hole he's now scratched in his neck. Do these herbal things actually work? I do want to treat the cats if possible rather than the house.

paddypaws101

I have had 4 cats for years, now 6 with two kittens and despite one of the older cats suffering from flea allergy dermatitis,very rarely use chemical spot- ons because one of them had a strong reaction years ago. Personally I believe that overuse of flea and worming products is very bad for cats and try not to use chemicals where I can.
I can understand that with children in the house you would be wary of using a household spray...but do one room at a time and leave windows open to air to minimise the issue. As I say, Skoosh is a silicone based spray which is pesticide free so you can use that freely, you can also buy heat traps for fleas. I believe that Verm- x and Brewers yeast do make a cat less attractive to fleas but you NEED to treat the house in some way as well to cover the problem.