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One of our cats suffers from severe itchiness too. We tried steroids, changing his food, Benadryl, Zyrtec, and flea treatment, none of which worked. What did work for him is Gabapentin. It acts as a nerve blocker and stops his itching.
He also suffers from dry skin which might be a root cause, so we are going to add a fish oil supplement to see if that helps as well.
So the better of the vets hit us with gabapentin, we thought that was working out at first until we see her half dead on the tv stand slowly and methodically slicing this spot like a slow motion horror scene. Turns out it didn't get rid of the drive, just made her slow and less winy about it.
You mentioned fleas, did they check for ear mites?
My cat did this for almost two years, sounds the EXACT same!! The mites were way deep in there I guess and the vet missed them for the longest time. We tried everything, I had been cleaning her ears with wipes one day and saw a little tiny moving dot. Called the vet like “I think there’s a bug in her ear?!?” and they gave me some ear drops, few weeks later they were gone and she hasn’t once scratched herself bloody ever since.
In addition to everything people are offering here, you might want to find a new vet. It’s bizarre that they apparently haven’t suggested anything to you about allergies given the saga you described.
We've been through 4 now. The must resent has great bedside manner and even messaged after the visits to check in, but I think they're stumped by her persistence.
Have you tried Benadryl? Cats and dogs can have it, and assuming it's some kind of allergy as opposed to a a like...topical thing, it may provide relief she hasn't had yet. Just ask get about dosing
I have not! I'll try this one immediately.
Just replying to say to make sure you ask and confirm with a vet because random lemmy users are not medical experts and you could kill your cat
You can also talk to your vet about Apoquel. It’s nominally only for dogs but it’s sometimes used for cats. It’s kind of expensive, but is the same cost per pill at several different dosing strengths. So if you do go that route try to get your vet to prescribe it at a level where the dose is 1/4 tablet and buy a pill cutter.
Apoquel really reduced my dog's face itching, which he addressed by viciously rubbing his face on things like blankets and couches and anything else.
It costs about $160 a month. Worth it, but damn that is a lot.
I get it at Costco for about $64 for 30 tablets, which is 4 months when you’re using a pill cutter! But my dog is small and can have a dose of 1/4 tablet for a large dog. If you have a large dog then that’s no good. (But all cats are small so OP could go my route)
Ah, the 'Murican stereotype of ignoring the fact that a person might not be American. You just default to believing everyone online is in the US and it never stops being both hilarious and infuriating. You're doing a great job at proving Americans are dumb as fuck.
Costcos exist in 14 countries, thanks.
Certainly prices can vary regionally, and the retail pharmacy options near you may be different than those near me, but that doesn’t make it irrelevant for me to share a tidbit about how I happen to get something for a good price.
But you’re right that Americans are dumb as fuck. That’s a problem that goes all the way to the top.
Take some deep breaths, someone is trying to be helpful here, not condescending.
Besides, they gave the amount in $, which kind of implies US.
It is a Boston terrier, ao on the smaller side. We don't have Costco nearby but they will be building one in the next couple of years so I'll try to remember to check that out.
Make sure you dose it accordingly!
Food allergy
Yea. OP, get this cat on a whole food diet.
Primal, small batch, honest kitchen, or similar. Chances could very well be you’re dealing with a shitty food issue. Avoid chicken to start and go with single protein options from one of these brands. Get them on some raw goats milk from answers in that diet too and you’ll be amazed at how much softer and happier they are.
I was going to say this. My in-laws dog gets super itchy when it eats poultry based food.
Second! Try different foods (no chicken, or no seafood, etc. or even different brands) maybe
A friend of mine's cat does a less aggressive but similar thing. They now have a ritual every morning and every night, where she gets out a paper towel, the cat jumps into her lap, and she rubs/scrubs away at her ears for a few minutes. My assumption is that my friend's cat has a mild allergy of some kind.
Assuming that it is an allergy: My personal philosophy on this sort of thing is that I'd rather prevent / minimize the allergen from reaching the cat, rather than letting the allergen reach the car and then treat the symptoms: allergic reactions cause inflammation, which can increase your risk of other health issues later on.
My personal suggestions, in the order I'd make them, due to the effort or side effects involved:
I'd try gently rubbing the inside of your cat's ears once or twice a day, maybe with a tissue or paper towel. Hopefully this will help reduce her desire to scratch while you're working on diagnosis.
Cats can be allergic to their litter, particularly the dust, clumping agents, or fragrances. Don't switch to a corn-litter, as that's a common-ish food allergy in cats, plus if you have one allergy, you're likely to have others. There are litters marketed as hypoallergenic, but I'm not sure how truthful those claims are. You're looking for one with no fragrances, no clumping agents (an older-style fragrance-free clay litter might work), and minimal dust. Note that some cats get annoyed at litter changes, so you may need to mix old and new litter in increasing percentages over like a week for her to accept the new litter. Once it's full switched, give that a couple weeks and see what happens.
If the litter-change doesn't work, try transitioning your cat (transition over a week or so to avoid stomach upset) to a hypoallergenic cat food. Give it a couple weeks and see if things are better. If it is, then it's likely some kind of food allergy; you can look over the ingredients between the hypoallergenic food and her regular food, to try to determine what she's allergic to so that you can switch her to a less expensive or more readily available food. [You'll want to check wet food, dry food, and all treats.]
If it's not a food allergy, it could be an environmental allergy (the litter is an environmental allergy, but it's also the easiest thing to change). Does the problem get better and worse at different times of year? In that case, it might be something like a pollen allergy (indoor cars can also have pollen allergies). You can get the cat tested for those, not I'm not sure it's worth it because I'm not sure what the allergist would recommend. My suggestion would be to vacuum and dust the house thoroughly, especially the areas where the cat spends much of her time to get rid of any allergens currently present. This does include things like cat trees, cat beds (wash it if possible), etc. Once that's done, I'd put pillowcases or similar small pieces of cloth in her favorite nesting places, and wash those weekly using a fragrance-free laundry soap. I'd install HEPA filters on your HVAC system, and consider one of those room-purifying air circulator units if needed. Doing one thorough cleaning, putting down a washable barrier layer that gets washed regularly, and limiting pollens getting into the house should significantly reduce environmental exposure, particularly if she's an indoor cat.
I agree that Benadryl is an option, but I'm leaning against it being your first option because it doesn't work in all cats and, like I said, I prefer addressing the cause and not the symptom. But if it is an allergen and you can't figure out the root cause, then Benadryl may be your best option. If you go the Benadryl route, check with your vet for dosing, frequency, safety and side effects (or they may have a recommendation for another allergy medication as well).
Good luck, and please let us know how you get on!
You can also try a clay-free litter like Feline Pine. It’s made of compressed sawdust pellets (like for a BBQ smoker) that swell and fall apart when they get wet. You need to develop a very different scooping technique with it though. Get a scoop with larger holes to let the pellets through and grab poop. Ideally get two litter trays that nest, and drill a bunch of holes in one. Leave them nested, then lift the inner and shake to let all the used/wet sawdust fall through, like a colander, and pour it into a trash bag.
Honestly, it sounds like she has allergies.
https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/allergies-in-cats
1 - I recommend replacing her food with a hydrolyzed one (Purina HA, Hills Z/D).
They eliminate protein allergies by breaking the proteins down into smaller pieces, and the pet’s immune system can’t recognize them as the allergen.
It’s expensive, but it’s the easiest thing to try for her to get some relief.
2 - I also recommend a steroid shot to help ease her symptoms if the food change doesn’t work. This will give her a break while you work with your vet to eliminate other potential allergies (ex. household dust).
3 - Don’t use Benadryl. Benadryl is an out-of-date medication for both humans and animals. It’s a first gen medication, but we have second gen medications now. These newer medications are more effective. Example: Zyrtec (generic name: cetirizine)
https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/cetirizine
Hope she feels better soon!
Careful with Zyrtec because if you stop taking it it will cause horrific itching. Not only did it happen to me but the FDA and a bunch of doctors have come out with PSAs about this potentially harmful side effect of going off cetirizine.
Edit: dang autocorrect
Oh hey, didn't expect to see my own medical experiences come up in my cat's post lol
The second vet did to steroids, that was last year and didn't really do anything big. We'll have to check out the cat food. We've tried making her homemade food instead, plain chicken and rice, occasion pumpkin, but that didn't help any.
Poultry is a common allergen so try a diet that’s fish based or one of the special ones like rabbit. It can take weeks to see improvement from diet change tho.
Just going to comment this here for anyone else who's reading this and has a pet
LEMMY USERS ARE NOT MEDICAL EXPERTS AND ARE NOT VETINERIANS AND EVEN IF THEY CLAIM TO BE A MEDICAL EXPERT AND / OR A VETINERIAN YOU CANNOT VERIFY THEIR CLAIM
TALK TO AN ACTUAL VET / MEDICAL EXPERT
This comment may feel useless but I feel much better commenting it rather than someone potentially taking on dangerous advice and potentially harming their pet
I appreciate the statement and this is very good advice for anyone who finds this thread.
I have been to vets, and I don't plan on doing anything to my cat that I wouldn't feel comfortable doing to myself. It's just that after 4 vets telling me quack things like "you could just declaw" and "this is probably because she's a single cat" I'm just here shouting into the void in hopes that the echo makes some sense.
THEY ALREADY TALKED TO VETERINARIANS MULTIPLE TIMES AND ARE TRYING TO SEE IF SOMEONE HAS HAD A SIMILAR EXPERIENCE THAT MIGHT POINT THEM IN A HELPFUL DIRECTION
Sure, probably shouldnt take advice here without double checking, but human beings actually have experience in their lives with having pets.
Also human beings like to share those experiences with eachother.
You've probably already tried this, but TrizULTRA + Keto flush worked wonders for my dogs persistent ear itching.
https://www.chewy.com/trizultra-keto-flush-dogs-cats-horses/dp/126809
Just squirt in a bunch of the liquid, massage behind the ear for 30 seconds, let your cat shake its head, then wipe the ear with a clean soft towel. Do that daily for a week and it hopefully will make a big difference. Then you can do the rinse weekly or even monthly after that to maintain.
Make her a little leather helmet.
We've actually tried this with costume hats and she's figured out how to take them off. We can't find a way yo make her wear them that won't hurt her.
Eye infection or something?
Her eyes always test as very healthy at the vet, wouldn't general antibiotics clear that up?
I'm not too sure, but they would not have any effect if it were a viral infection
How old is the cat? It's only 1 ear or both ears?
She's 3 and a half years old. It's the same spot every time, just infront of the left ear in that thin haired spot that some cats have. I'd even go as far as saying it's midwau between the eye and ear.
