Hi everyone,
We adopted our little girl from the RSPCA back in 2018; she was a young cat (2 years old) full of life and very playful. Since we got her, we’ve been giving her Credelio every 6-8 weeks on average to protect against fleas and ticks, plus a wormer four times a year. In the summer of 2019, for no clear reason, she started licking herself compulsively and her lower belly ended up completely bald. The vet gave us a soothing cream which wasn't very effective. Even so, her fur grew back over the following months and it seemed like it was just a one-off bad patch.
Unfortunately, for four years now, our poor kitty has been going through episodes where she hides away (under furniture, on top of the fridge, in a wardrobe...), scratches and licks herself aggressively and almost non-stop for hours. Her belly is completely bald, as is the underside of her legs and her right flank. Sometimes red patches appear, though that hasn't happened since she's been on regular steroids. On top of that, her left eye weeps slightly, there’s visible dandruff in what’s left of her coat, and black 'specks' surround her where she hides. I've checked and they seem to be scabs, not flea dirt. Of course, we've been to the vet countless times (maybe 30?), and she's had several treatments: medicated ear drops when her scratching caused ear infections, steroid tablets, then long-acting steroid injections... It’s this last treatment that finally seems most effective, as it’s given her some respite, and for about 9 months now the episodes where she hides and 'gives up' have been rare. We're feeding her z/d dry food just in case she has an allergy. She still seems constantly on edge, though, jumping at the slightest thing, and sometimes she seems like she doesn't sleep for days on end. She hasn't been outside for several years now.
We're due to see a veterinary dermatologist in the coming weeks for further tests (likely a biopsy), but I was wondering if any of you have been through something similar?
Thanks.
