Itchy Cat?

[bagley777]

Hi everyone. I have a cat named Loco. He is an indoor/outdoor cat. He's about 3 years old. He's never had any health problems before. Lately, I think he's been very itchy. I THINK that's what it is. He'll be laying down, as he always does, then out of nowhere he'll start licking himself pretty violently. He then runs crazily aroud the house, licking himself. It's so bad, he jumps onto tables and knocks everything down. I've spent house google-searching this and just can't figure out what could be wrong. He definetly does not have fleas. I've looked in his fur with a microscope and didn't see anything. Not even a little dandruff or dry skin. Plus I have 3 other animals in the house, and none of them are showing any symptoms. He has an extremely healthy coat, very shiny and clean. He does shed somewhat heavily, but nothing I'd consider excessive or hair loss. No red spots or bumps either. So that seems to rule out allergies, bugs of any kind, and dry skin. I'm really at a loss here, I just don't know what else it could be. I feel so bad for him, whatever this is seems to bother him quite frequently. Thanks for any help you can give, I really appreciate it!

[sugarcatmom]

What does he eat? I wouldn't necessarily rule out allergies just yet.

Also do some research on feline hyperesthesia syndrome: http://www.vet.cornell.edu/fhc/healt...iaSyndrome.cfm

[Hazmat]

One of my cats is very flea allergic. One flea bite will set her off scratching for a week or two.

Why don't you try one of the once a month (spot) flea treatments like Advantage or Revolution.

[Love4himies]

I wouldn't rule out allergies either. My Jasper didn't have any signs except excessive scratching. He is now on a quality grain free diet and is itch free.

[bagley777]

Thanks everyone for your replies! I will definetly look more into allergies. I really don't think it's fleas, but if I hit a dead end with allergies and feline hyperesthesia syndrome, I'll try some flea repellents. Thanks again! My poor cat Loco thanks you too.

And he eats both dry cat food and wet cat food, so it could be either. We tried a different kind of wet cat food awhile ago, but have since went back to what we normally feed him. I'm not sure how long an allergic reaction can last, but it's just a thought.

[sugarcatmom]

Originally Posted by bagley777

And he eats both dry cat food and wet cat food, so it could be either.

More likely to be dry, which tends to contain a higher amount of inappropriate plant products or fish, both of which rank high on the hyper-allergenic scale for cats. What's the brand/flavour?

[Barkingdog]

Originally Posted by bagley777

Hi everyone. I have a cat named Loco. He is an indoor/outdoor cat. He's about 3 years old. He's never had any health problems before. Lately, I think he's been very itchy. I THINK that's what it is. He'll be laying down, as he always does, then out of nowhere he'll start licking himself pretty violently. He then runs crazily aroud the house, licking himself. It's so bad, he jumps onto tables and knocks everything down. I've spent house google-searching this and just can't figure out what could be wrong. He definetly does not have fleas. I've looked in his fur with a microscope and didn't see anything. Not even a little dandruff or dry skin. Plus I have 3 other animals in the house, and none of them are showing any symptoms. He has an extremely healthy coat, very shiny and clean. He does shed somewhat heavily, but nothing I'd consider excessive or hair loss. No red spots or bumps either. So that seems to rule out allergies, bugs of any kind, and dry skin. I'm really at a loss here, I just don't know what else it could be. I feel so bad for him, whatever this is seems to bother him quite frequently. Thanks for any help you can give, I really appreciate it!

Where is he licking himself the most ? If not not allergy , what about an urine infection if that is where he licking himself.

[bagley777]

It happens at random times during the day. It mainly seems to be his backside, a little around the shoulders. Nothing around the legs paws or face, which is why I didn't think it was an allergy. We feed him Purina One (Adult) cat food.

[Barkingdog]

Originally Posted by bagley777

It happens at random times during the day. It mainly seems to be his backside, a little around the shoulders. Nothing around the legs paws or face, which is why I didn't think it was an allergy. We feed him Purina One (Adult) cat food.

OOPS ! I meant to asked where was he licking himself. Does he wear a flea collar? Could he had gotten into something outside ?

[bagley777]

It's possible, but he only stays in my backyard. He does not wear a flea collar. I'm gonna try some flea repellent first, then if there's no change I'm going to try changing his diet. I'm worried he might have FHS, because he does that rolling skin/twitching thing. But I don't want to get ahead of myself until everything else is ruled out. I'm really thankful to all of you who have replied. Any more suggestions or possibilities are welcome.(:

[sugarcatmom]

Originally Posted by bagley777

I'm gonna try some flea repellent first,

Careful with the flea repellents. I personally think the spot-on treatments are potentially toxic (yes, even the ones from the vet, but most especially anything you would buy at a pet store). Can you get a flea comb? Daily combing, combined with regular vacuuming and the application of borate powder to the environment if necessary should be all you need. But if the rest of your household isn't suffering any flea bites, I'd be surprised if that was the source of the problem.

Originally Posted by bagley777

if there's no change I'm going to try changing his diet.

Would be a really good idea to change his diet regardless. Purina One, especially the kibble, is full of corn, soy, wheat, fish.....all things that contribute to allergies. But even if they aren't actually causing any in this case, there are much better foods available. Please read this link to find out why dry food is so not good for cats: www.catinfo.org

Good luck!

[bagley777]

I agree that fleas probably arent the source, but quite a few people have been telling me that if he's an outdoors cat I need to have him on some kind of treatment, because even one bite if he's allergic can cause a lot of itching.:/ I'll look into it some more. Well I definetly think it's a good idea to change his food. Problem is finding one he and my other cat will actually eat.(: Anyone know of any good food brands? Dry or wet. Thanks for all of your help by the way!

[Love4himies]

My cat's fav food is Nature's Variety, Instinct canned.

They also get:

Weruva, Wellness, grain free, Now!, grain free, Fromm's 4 Starr, and Felidae.

I also make homemade raw which comprises of half of their food intake.

[Barkingdog]

Originally Posted by sugarcatmom

Careful with the flea repellents. I personally think the spot-on treatments are potentially toxic (yes, even the ones from the vet, but most especially anything you would buy at a pet store). Can you get a flea comb? Daily combing, combined with regular vacuuming and the application of borate powder to the environment if necessary should be all you need. But if the rest of your household isn't suffering any flea bites, I'd be surprised if that was the source of the problem.



Would be a really good idea to change his diet regardless. Purina One, especially the kibble, is full of corn, soy, wheat, fish.....all things that contribute to allergies. But even if they aren't actually causing any in this case, there are much better foods available. Please read this link to find out why dry food is so not good for cats: www.catinfo.org

Good luck!

I agree about the flea repellents that are spot-on treatments may not be the best thing to put on the cat.


I am trying to think of anything that cause itching and housing insulation can cause itching . The cat back and shoulder are the part of his body that itch the most, so I wonder if was hunting for mice under the house and got into some insulation. Cats are very good at getting into very small spaces , I would try to see if there are any small holes that cat could had gotten into .