Life’s An Itch (Part 2)

The saga continues… My cats are still dealing with some mysterious health condition that causes Rumi & Andy to itch excessively. Emma’s symptoms were different at first and I think the initial problem was taken care of but she then began itching, too.

Emma seemed to be cured following the first lime sulfur dip. Andy has gotten better after each of the 3 lime sulfur dips. Rumi is still itching much more than the others, despite all we’ve tried. The poor fella doesn’t even sleep because as soon as he sits still, he has to jump up to lick, scratch, or bite himself again.

To date, here are the things we’ve tried:

• flea treatment (We’ve tried both Frontline & Revolution. I usually use Frontline, but we also tried Revolution because it does kill some types of mites.)
• antihistamines for seasonal allergies & to to soothe itchy skin (We’ve tried 2 different kinds.)
• thorough furnace & heating duct cleaning
• hunt for mold & mildew hiding from view
• air purifiers
• dehumidifiers
• steroids (We’ve tried 2 different kinds. 1 had no effect. The other made him less itchy the first 2 times but the 3rd time didn’t impact his itching but made him extremely violent towards Emma, Andy, and me.)
• anti-fungal lotion (called Resi KetoChlor)
• washing all carpets & bedding after each treatment for fleas and fungus (This is pretty easy for me. I have fleece blankets in every spot they sleep, including their perches, because it’s so much easier to throw those blankets in the laundry than to wash upholstery.)
• lime-sulfur dips (1 per week for 3 weeks)
• extra fiber in diet to help hairballs pass through their systems without being thrown up
• lube-type hairball treatments (gooey gel & soft treats), too
• change litter types (just in case he slowly developed an allergy to the litters we’ve been using)
• aloe vera gel to soothe itchy (and now also irritated) skin
• anti-inflammatory supplements to reduce skin irritation
• liver-building supplements since the chemical treatments are hard on their livers
• increased amount of raw food (from 50% to 80%) so their bodies get nutrients in natural, less processed forms
• acupressure & massage to relieve anxiety & stress from these trips to the vet & topical treatments!

(Sigh)

This week I’m going to try a flower essence tincture custom blended for my cats with this specific issue. I’m also going to try colloidal silver. I hesitate to try more than 1 thing at a time because if they get better, we won’t know which is helping. But I’m desperate to give Rumi some relief. Poor little guy. The tincture was blended by the second natural health practitioner we’ve worked with in addition to their usual vet & another vet at Hawks Prairie Vet Hospital.

I’ll also make an appointment with a veterinary dermatologist soon. They can review the test results we’ve got so far and (cringe) I suspect they’ll want us to do more tests.

Meanwhile, Rumi looks at me suspiciously when I walk towards him cuz he’s so afraid I’m going to put something cold & wet on his bare belly, legs, and back. And I continue to cry when I see how miserable he is.

Select sources

• Eldredge, Delbert G. M., Liisa D. Carlson, James M. Carlson, M Debra. Cat owner’s home veterinary handbook. Indianapolis: Wiley Pub, 2007.
• Frazier, Anitra and Norma Eckroate. The Natural cat. New York: Plume, 2008.
• Messonnier, Shawn.  Natural Health Bible for Dogs & Cats. New York: Three Rivers Press, 2001.
• Wulff-Tilford, M.L. and G. L. Tilford. All You Ever Wanted to Know About Herbs for Pets. Irvine, CA: BowTie Press, 1999.

Series: Lifes-an-itch