topic Re: Cat problem----Help Please in Community Chat

Cat problem----Help Please

happygolfcartrider — Wed, 17 Sep 2014 23:08:07 GMT

I started a thread in "Among Friends" and was recommended here for more in depth help.

My male cat, 11 for 8 years was in indoor/outdoor cat. We moved and now he is indoor only due to traffic. He has access to windows with cushions to lay on to see outside. He has toys that he used to play with and was a very social young man.

For a year he was fine and then out of no where he started pulling out his fur. He got a shot that lasted 6 months and had to get another that did not work at all. I tried allergy pills, changing to Gluten free no corn diet, gave him wheat grass to nibble on, used apple cider vinegar all to no avail.

I took him to the vet today, he had blood work done to check thyroid etc. Stool sample (was OK) and he got a antibiotic shot. He is on Predneselone )sp). If this does not work I am going to have blood work to determine of he is allergic to anything, it is expensive but I will do it for him.

Please pray for this little one, he is so miserable and I don't know what else to do.

Re: Cat problem----Help Please

Jeremiah 2911 — Wed, 17 Sep 2014 23:17:39 GMT

Hi golfcartrider,

I posted this reply in your other thread on Among Friends -- don't know if you saw it....

Your cat may have been bothered by something and pulled some of his fur out. Sometimes this can morph from a one-time problem into becoming a habit --which then becomes a behavioral problem.

One of the most common reasons for cats to pull their fur out is an adverse reaction to internal or external flea treatments.

Food allergies can also cause a cat to pull their fur out. Food allergies are very difficult to pinpoint. A recent change in diet can cause problems too.

Fleas can bite just once causing flea dermatitis and cats will pull their fur out around that area. Once the bite heals up, cats can sometimes get into the habit of pulling their fur out.

Or your cat may just be in the habit of pulling his fur out because of some type of stressor.

If the case is that your cat is in the habit of pulling his fur out, you need to re-train your cat not to pull out his fur. Can be challenging, but is doable.

I would suggest that you buy a wrap-around cat harness or a Thundershirt that will cover most of the cat's body. This will immediately prevent him from pulling his fur out.

If it's the back or the tail where he is pulling out his fur, there is also a product called SELF-STICK WIDE BANDAGE WRAP that you can wrap around the cat's body which will also stop the cat from pulling his fur out. Make sure that you don't wrap it too tightly.

I suggest that you supervise your cat closely while he is wearing either the harness or Thundershirt and/or if you decide to use self-stick bandage wrap on your cat.

Next, look into changing the type of litter you are using. Choose a litter that is non-scented. Gradually add a cup or two daily of the new brand of litter to the old brand of litter so that the cat doesn't notice the change. Eventually, swap out the entire old litter and use the new litter exclusively.

Buy a Feliway plug in diffuser and plug it in where your cat hangs out. Feliway is a synthetic cat pheromone that calms anxiety in cats. Feliway takes a few days to work so don't give up on it if you don't see results right away.

Prednisone will help temporarily. But you still may need to interfere with the cats HABIT of pulling the fur out so you may still need to immediately prevent the cat from accessing the area's of his body where he is prone to pull fur out.

Increase the cats play time. Buy him a TURBO SCRATCHER ($12 Walmart) so he can play independently. Flick a feather at him so he jumps up and down. Increased playtime will get his mind off of pulling his fur out.

I've read that some people who had cats that pulled their fur out -- rubbed orange zest in their hands and applied some of it to the cats coat where he was biting at himself. The cat didn't like the taste of the orange zest and stopped grooming himself (temporarily.) By the time the orange zest wore off, the cat had forgotten about pulling his fur out. (I can't recommend this remedy as I've never tried it on any of my own cats so I don't know if this would be successful. I'd also be concerned about the orange zest getting into the eyes of the cat.)

Hope these suggestions are helpful and that you find the answer to the problem soon.

Re: Cat problem----Help Please

happygolfcartrider — Wed, 17 Sep 2014 23:22:28 GMT

On 9/17/2014 Jeremiah 2911 said:
Hi golfcartrider,

I posted this reply in your other thread on Among Friends -- don't know if you saw it....

Your cat may have been bothered by something and pulled some of his fur out. Sometimes this can morph from a one-time problem into becoming a habit --which then becomes a behavioral problem.

One of the most common reasons for cats to pull their fur out is an adverse reaction to internal or external flea treatments.

Food allergies can also cause a cat to pull their fur out. Food allergies are very difficult to pinpoint. A recent change in diet can cause problems too.

Fleas can bite just once causing flea dermatitis and cats will pull their fur out around that area. Once the bite heals up, cats can sometimes get into the habit of pulling their fur out.

Or your cat may just be in the habit of pulling his fur out because of some type of stressor.

If the case is that your cat is in the habit of pulling his fur out, you need to re-train your cat not to pull out his fur. Can be challenging, but is doable.

I would suggest that you buy a wrap-around cat harness or a Thundershirt that will cover most of the cat's body. This will immediately prevent him from pulling his fur out.

If it's the back or the tail where he is pulling out his fur, there is also a product called SELF-STICK WIDE BANDAGE WRAP that you can wrap around the cat's body which will also stop the cat from pulling his fur out. Make sure that you don't wrap it too tightly.

I suggest that you supervise your cat closely while he is wearing either the harness or Thundershirt and/or if you decide to use self-stick bandage wrap on your cat.

Next, look into changing the type of litter you are using. Choose a litter that is non-scented. Gradually add a cup or two daily of the new brand of litter to the old brand of litter so that the cat doesn't notice the change. Eventually, swap out the entire old litter and use the new litter exclusively.

Buy a Feliway plug in diffuser and plug it in where your cat hangs out. Feliway is a synthetic cat pheromone that calms anxiety in cats. Feliway takes a few days to work so don't give up on it if you don't see results right away.

Prednisone will help temporarily. But you still may need to interfere with the cats HABIT of pulling the fur out so you may still need to immediately prevent the cat from accessing the area's of his body where he is prone to pull fur out.

Increase the cats play time. Buy him a TURBO SCRATCHER ($12 Walmart) so he can play independently. Flick a feather at him so he jumps up and down. Increased playtime will get his mind off of pulling his fur out.

I've read that some people who had cats that pulled their fur out -- rubbed orange zest in their hands and applied some of it to the cats coat where he was biting at himself. The cat didn't like the taste of the orange zest and stopped grooming himself (temporarily.) By the time the orange zest wore off, the cat had forgotten about pulling his fur out. (I can't recommend this remedy as I've never tried it on any of my own cats so I don't know if this would be successful. I'd also be concerned about the orange zest getting into the eyes of the cat.)

Hope these suggestions are helpful and that you find the answer to the problem soon.

Thank You, He is on flea prevention and never has any fleas or flea dirt when checked.

I really hope it turns out to be an allergy that is found through blood work at least then we will know how to resolve the problem.

Re: Cat problem----Help Please

Jeremiah 2911 — Wed, 17 Sep 2014 23:50:19 GMT

I hope the vet finds out what the problem is through the blood work too. It's tough not knowing exactly how to help your pet.

However, if it turns out not to be a food allergy, please ask the vet about the possibility that the problem is due to the flea treatments your kitty has been having.

I've done much research on flea treatments and have read many, many adverse event reports at the FDA Veterinary website. There have been many complaints from cat owners about their cats pulling out their fur and biting themselves after being treated with flea preventatives. This problem is considered a side effect of many flea preventatives.

Re: Cat problem----Help Please

kittymomNC — Thu, 18 Sep 2014 00:09:59 GMT

GCR, you mentioned on the other thread that all he does is stay under the bed now. Did he start doing that at the same time he started pulling out his hair? I keep thinking about that, and I guess that could be either because of an allergy or an illness problem, or it could be part of a behavioral problem. Just wondered if you mentioned that to the vet.

One of my male cats (lost him 2 years ago) had problems with itching and he would chew his hair off-he was short-haired, but he chewed it off his stomach so his stomach was bare and he chewed it off the backs of his legs. He was all black, and he did look kind of funny (poor baby) when he made the "bald" spots. His problems were usually helped by shots when he needed them, so they figured it was an allergy. He eventually stopped having that problem. The reason I mention this is that he didn't change any of his other habits --I could tell it was really bothering him a lot, but he didn't hide under the bed or anything like that.

I just thought that the vet would need to know about his staying under the bed, as that could be indicative of something else. When my Baby Cat with kidney disease had some problems recently and had a really upset tummy and wouldn't eat, she would stay behind a chair. She feels better now, and doesn't do that anymore.

Just some things that I thought might help. I hope you'll get some news from the vet and can treat whatever is wrong.

Re: Cat problem----Help Please

happygolfcartrider — Thu, 18 Sep 2014 00:32:47 GMT

On 9/17/2014 Jeremiah 2911 said:
I hope the vet finds out what the problem is through the blood work too. It's tough not knowing exactly how to help your pet.

However, if it turns out not to be a food allergy, please ask the vet about the possibility that the problem is due to the flea treatments your kitty has been having.

I've done much research on flea treatments and have read many, many adverse event reports at the FDA Veterinary website. There have been many complaints from cat owners about their cats pulling out their fur and biting themselves after being treated with flea preventatives. This problem is considered a side effect of many flea preventatives.

That is what I have heard so I stopped the treatments this month.

Re: Cat problem----Help Please

happygolfcartrider — Thu, 18 Sep 2014 00:36:59 GMT

On 9/17/2014 kittymomNC said:
GCR, you mentioned on the other thread that all he does is stay under the bed now. Did he start doing that at the same time he started pulling out his hair? I keep thinking about that, and I guess that could be either because of an allergy or an illness problem, or it could be part of a behavioral problem. Just wondered if you mentioned that to the vet.

One of my male cats (lost him 2 years ago) had problems with itching and he would chew his hair off-he was short-haired, but he chewed it off his stomach so his stomach was bare and he chewed it off the backs of his legs. He was all black, and he did look kind of funny (poor baby) when he made the "bald" spots. His problems were usually helped by shots when he needed them, so they figured it was an allergy. He eventually stopped having that problem. The reason I mention this is that he didn't change any of his other habits --I could tell it was really bothering him a lot, but he didn't hide under the bed or anything like that.

I just thought that the vet would need to know about his staying under the bed, as that could be indicative of something else. When my Baby Cat with kidney disease had some problems recently and had a really upset tummy and wouldn't eat, she would stay behind a chair. She feels better now, and doesn't do that anymore.

Just some things that I thought might help. I hope you'll get some news from the vet and can treat whatever is wrong.

I did tell the Vet about staying under the bed, He is eating well and drinking water, going to the Bath room normal. I think he just feels so bad from the itching. He comes out and lays on me at night and then sleeps with me.

It is so frustrating when they can't tell you what is wrong. He could be having problems from not being able to go outside anymore but why did it take a year to manifest.

Re: Cat problem----Help Please

lolakimono — Thu, 18 Sep 2014 00:45:06 GMT

Have you tried Brewer's Yeast for the natural flea treatment?

Re: Cat problem----Help Please

happygolfcartrider — Thu, 18 Sep 2014 00:51:40 GMT

On 9/17/2014 lolakimono said:
Have you tried Brewer's Yeast for the natural flea treatment?

No I haven't how is it administered?

Re: Cat problem----Help Please

lolakimono — Thu, 18 Sep 2014 01:53:14 GMT

It's a tablet, and believe it or not they will just eat it! I have tossed it in the dish with dry food and it disappears. I think they like the smell of it.

Re: Cat problem----Help Please

happygolfcartrider — Thu, 18 Sep 2014 03:17:35 GMT

On 9/17/2014 lolakimono said:
It's a tablet, and believe it or not they will just eat it! I have tossed it in the dish with dry food and it disappears. I think they like the smell of it.

Is there a brand for cats or do I use the people kind and if so what dose?

Re: Cat problem----Help Please

lolakimono — Thu, 18 Sep 2014 11:06:41 GMT

I just got it at the health food store and gave one pill per day. Check with your vet to make sure it's all right.

Kinds of Brewer's Yeast for Cats

Brewer's yeast for cats is manufactured as a liquid, in tablets and powder. Any of them can be mixed with your cat's food. C.J. Puotinin advises that if you want use brewer's yeast as a flea repellent, look for high sulfur content, which may be unpalatable for fleas. High-sulfur brewer's yeast is grown on molasses.

Re: Cat problem----Help Please

Rottie_mama — Mon, 29 Sep 2014 14:55:50 GMT

How is your cat?

Hope he is better!!

Re: Cat problem----Help Please

happygolfcartrider — Mon, 29 Sep 2014 15:27:37 GMT

My baby is back to his old self BUT he is on Prednesalone (sp). I am praying that this stops his problem.

His fur seems to be growing back, it is to early to tell.

Thank You for asking about him and I will keep reporting his progress.

Re: Cat problem----Help Please

Rottie_mama — Mon, 29 Sep 2014 15:45:53 GMT

Good.

Re: Cat problem----Help Please

happygolfcartrider — Mon, 29 Sep 2014 16:38:08 GMT

Is it normal when a cat is not feeling good (itching) that they shy away and do not interact as they usually do? I have never had this happen before and it really concerns me.

He is social again but if it happens again how do I handle it?

Re: Cat problem----Help Please

Jeremiah 2911 — Mon, 29 Sep 2014 23:52:40 GMT

On 9/29/2014 golfcartrider said:
Is it normal when a cat is not feeling good (itching) that they shy away and do not interact as they usually do? I have never had this happen before and it really concerns me.

He is social again but if it happens again how do I handle it?

Glad to read that your kitty is doing much better now.

Cats usually hide or shy away when they aren't feeling well. This is how cat owners know that something is wrong with their cat. The best thing to do when a cat isn't behaving normally is to take the cat to the vet for a check up.

If your cat is doing better now while being treated with prednisone he may be suffering from an adverse reaction to the flea preventative. Be careful not to use flea treatment on him anymore.

One of our rescue cats was treated with Frontline at the shelter and was ill for 6 months after we adopted him. One of his eyes closed involuntarily. Vet thought this was due to the flea preventative -- it affected him neurologically. Fortunately, the eye problem subsided after the flea preventative wore off.

Re: Cat problem----Help Please

kittymomNC — Tue, 30 Sep 2014 01:35:43 GMT

I'm so glad to hear that your baby is doing well and back to his old self. I hope he doesn't have any more problems--I'm sure his fur will grow back if he doesn't chew at it anymore. My cat Mikie that I mentioned previously always looked strange being black with no hair on the backs of his legs or tummy when he had his problems. But it would grow back and he would be good as new - until it happened again. But he eventually grew out of it for some reason, and had no more problems. Good luck with yours!

Re: Cat problem----Help Please

grandkidsrgreat — Tue, 30 Sep 2014 19:16:48 GMT

I'm just catching up on reading posts and saw yours. Glad your kitty is better. I had one kitty with asthma and he had a problem with pulling out his hair - the doctor said because of allergies that went along with the asthma. He was on prednisone and the problem got better. I currently have a kitty with multiple health issues but I give her fish oil daily and it has stopped her hair loss problem. I ran out once and thought it wouldn't be an issue but she started losing hair again very quickly and I put her back on the fish oil. I get it at the vet's but it's not a prescription so you could probably get it at a pet store or on line. Hers is called Welactin (not sure of the spelling). Good luck and I hope they figure out your baby's problem and get it straightened out. So sad when they aren't feeling right and can't tell us what's wrong.