My parents' cat has been dealing with a serious issue that's been going on for over six months now.
At first, it was just small sores on his belly, but it’s got much worse and turned into raw, bloody patches.
We took him to the vet for the first time, and they suggested switching his dry food and putting him in a cone. Two days later, he managed to get the cone off and stopped eating his food.
We went back for another visit, and this time we were given tablets and an ointment for the sores. However, as he’s a bit of a handful (he screams, scratches, and bites), it was all a bit of a nightmare, and we gave up after about two weeks. It was working more or less, but a few days later, he started doing it again.
During the final visit, the vet admitted he’s at a bit of a loss, especially since the cat shouldn't be stressed—he can go outside whenever he likes, there are no other cats in the neighbourhood, and my parents dote on him without being overbearing. In the end, the vet suggested it might be a psychological issue, but he was perfectly fine a few months ago, so I'm not so sure...
Anyway, we decided to stick with the cone and bandages, and we kept that up for five weeks.
Today, we decided to take the bandages off and it was a miracle; the sores had completely healed and his fur had grown back. But the joy was short-lived—half an hour later, we caught him with the same sores on his back.
So, we’re right back to square one.
Translated from French
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If the vet has ruled out an allergy or a skin condition (fleas or whatever), then you're left with a psychological issue (stress).
I found an organic supplement on a natural pet health site (valerian + hops + passionflower) that's meant for stress and compulsive nervous licking. It’s an organic calming powder.
The site is quite user-friendly. You just click on ‘stress and anxiety’ and then ‘anxiety and nervousness’. It’s a new product; the ingredients, dosage and price are all there. There’s a phone number as well, so you can explain the situation and they’ll give you some advice. It’s hard to manage when you don't know the cause, and I also think it would be a good idea to see a veterinary behaviourist.
You aren't going to de-stress an animal by forcing tablets down them or by changing the taste of their food with products they’ve never needed before.
Hi everyone,
I wanted to tell you all about Croquette. She’s my cat and she’s certainly a "creative" one—there’s always something going on with her!
She’s been having this particular issue lately. About a year ago, she started licking herself much more than usual. At first, it was just a small patch, about 2 inches square, but a year later, it’s grown to a patch about 8 inches long. It started with just licking, but then she began actually pulling her fur out.
I took her to the vet, and she checked for fleas and other nasties. The verdict? Her skin was perfectly healthy, so that left diet and food allergies... and that’s where the trouble really starts.
Managing a food allergy is no easy task. To begin with, you have to switch to a single-protein wet food. No more beef, as that’s the number one cause of food allergies. You must AVOID all dry or wet foods that contain sugar, fats, certain additives, or colourings. Stay away from rice, wheat, and maize too, because cats are carnivores through and through. As my vet says: "Have you ever seen a cat rush over to tuck into an ear of corn?" Avoid the budget brands at all costs and always check the ingredients.
Manufacturers put all sorts of rubbish in pet food these days. Vets have never seen so many animals suffering from obesity, allergies, and the like.
I should mention that the vet gave her a long-acting steroid shot (lasting 3 weeks) and explained that a cat’s tongue is basically a rasp. The result is a vicious cycle: the cat licks, irritates the skin, then licks again because it itches and tickles, and eventually, it becomes a bit of an OCD habit.
If your cat starts overgrooming, try to distract them with their favourite toy... you have to be quite crafty! It doesn’t disappear in two days, but you’ll see an improvement very quickly and your cat will be much calmer.
I found a really interesting blog (it’s a French one called "Sensibilisation des chats"), which lists loads of brands of wet and dry food, prices, where to buy them, and above all, their nutritional quality. It’s well worth a look; it really helped me.
