[topladyj]

I really need help my cat is almost two years old ever since he was 6 months we started having problems. His bottom lip was swollen really big. Took him to the vet we diagnosed him with an erodent ulcer.
We gave him serveral rounds of steroids which helped till I took him off. So we did the surgery where they scrape the ulcer out of the mouth.
And still his lips stayed big. He said it must be a food allergy so I tried many different kinds of natural foods for a month on each, didn't help.
After the steroids and surgery he started scratching his neck, so bad I had to keep it covered cause if not he would make himself bleed bad.

So we put him on some ATOPICA for dogs that regect there own skin. This is working, but I forgot to give him one pill and it through him off he started to get that thing on his neck again. So I have him back on it and we are cuting down the pills but his lip is still swollen and he has been on this medicine since October of 07.
Please help do you have any suggestions.

I do have white carpet and I bleach it with my steam cleaner once a month but my other two cats are fine and I never see him walk on it after I do this. So

I don't know what it can be please please help

[charlotte234s]

DO NOT give your pet any kind of drugs that are not prescribed to him or are for dogs. It says 'for dogs" for a reason. You need to return to the vet and explain the second problem, but it does sound like he has skin issues that need attention, but the bleach in the carpet may be harming him too, you should try to see if not bleaching the carpet helps any.

[topladyj]

DO NOT give your pet any kind of drugs that are not prescribed to him or are for dogs. It says 'for dogs" for a reason. You need to return to the vet and explain the second problem, but it does sound like he has skin issues that need attention, but the bleach in the carpet may be harming him too, you should try to see if not bleaching the carpet helps any.

Well it is for dogs they do not make a medicine for cats that reject there skin, my cat is prescribed the dog medicine. He could have died if had to high of a doseage but that is keeping him from scratching his neck to where he bleeds all over my house. And I have stopped the carpet cleaning have done it for a while but it doesn't matter he still will break out if not on the dog atopica. I just want to know if anyone has ever had this happen and has some answers for me. The swollen lip still will never go away the only time is when we have him on steroids but they can't live on them for the rest of his life... so we had to end that.

[charlotte234s]

Oh well if its' prescribed then that is okay. I have never heard of this kind of condition persisting, just stories about mange, which can be cured, but doesn't cause the same kind of symptoms you're describing... Have you taken the cat to more than 1 vet? Maybe a new very will have some new ideas? I hope that kitty gets better!

[topladyj]

Oh well if its' prescribed then that is okay. I have never heard of this kind of condition persisting, just stories about mange, which can be cured, but doesn't cause the same kind of symptoms you're describing... Have you taken the cat to more than 1 vet? Maybe a new very will have some new ideas? I hope that kitty gets better!

No I haven't tried another vet but I might pay 200 for the allergy test and try and take him to another vet I have been with my vet for years though and he is a smart guy thanks so much. Maybe someone else might have had this problem some other time.

[carolbcac]

If the Atopica helps it probably is an allergic or immune-mediated problem. You said you have tried natural foods, but have you used a prescription hypoallergenic food?
The natural foods usually contain fewer dyes and additives, but the cat may be allergic to a single food such as chicken or wheat, commonly found in cat foods.
Ask your vet about starting him on something like Hill's d/d. These diets contain novel proteins and carbohydrates that your cat probably has never been exposed to. An example would be duck and potato. You have to use them for 2-3 months with NO other foods or snacks to see if they help.
An allergy test may reveal other allergens that might respond to "allergy shots" designed to hyposensitize him.

[topladyj]

If the Atopica helps it probably is an allergic or immune-mediated problem. You said you have tried natural foods, but have you used a prescription hypoallergenic food?
The natural foods usually contain fewer dyes and additives, but the cat may be allergic to a single food such as chicken or wheat, commonly found in cat foods.
Ask your vet about starting him on something like Hill's d/d. These diets contain novel proteins and carbohydrates that your cat probably has never been exposed to. An example would be duck and potato. You have to use them for 2-3 months with NO other foods or snacks to see if they help.
An allergy test may reveal other allergens that might respond to "allergy shots" designed to hyposensitize him.

I haven't tried the prescription food they wanted me to give him z/d which is $35 for 8lbs. I couldn't really afford it I have three cats and they will not stay out of the special food. I have tried putting him in another room with the door closed but when I check on him he still doesn't eat it. The doctor said to stay away from BEEF, Chicken, and corn, So I have tried eukanuba (sorry for the spelling) lamb and rice. Then I tried California naturals/venison. The doctor said we should see improvement in the first month. In the mean time my cat was bleeding all over the house I had to keep his wound covered so he wouldn't scratch it. I am afraid to take him off the atopica, do to the fact this may get bad again. I guess I should just pay $200 for the allergy test. Or would you say I should try the z/d first?

[charlotte234s]

I honestly would just listen to the vet and get the test, but you could try the ZD first and see what happens, it may help. I hope your kitty gets better soon.

[morgaine300]

Please, please, please, please do NOT give him those Hills prescription foods. They are not good food. You might stop the current problems, but you'll just have other problems down the road from food not fit for a cat. Hills is nothing but marketing hype and make cheap crap. Vets learn to feed Hills from Hills itself. (As though Hills doesn't have some ulterior motive.) Just look at the ingredients. It isn't just about beef and seafood and such.

First, feed canned. All canned. Eukanuba isn't a good food either. If you are in the U.S. try foods that are only poultry, rabbit, lamb, etc. stuff that isn't beef and seafood. You might even eliminate poultry cause cats can build allergies to things they commonly eat. And with NO GRAINS. Many of these foods have grains. California Natural has rice. Worse, many, many foods have corn, which is a common allegen for cats. If you want to do a proper allergy test, you must eliminate grains as well. Something like byNature Organics. (These foods are admittedly hard to find.) Read those ingredients very carefully. The more you can eliminate it down to just ONE protein source and supplements, the better. If you want to send a private message, I can give you some examples, because the average person doesn't even know these foods exist. And don't trust that just cause it says "natural" that it means anything. Sometimes natural is still full of grains and other plants, when cats don't eat that way. (Or as some people I know say, bark is natural too, but would you feed it to a cat? :-))

If you really feel more comfortable with a prescription food (even though you don't need to spend that kind of money), then get IVD limited ingredient foods. Most prescription foods are garbage and not worth the money. I hate to say ignore the vet, but ignore the vet. Most of them really don't know nutrition. And definitely ignore any marketing hype of the companies. Just read the ingredients.

If the steroids are absolutely necessary, stick with them and try to slowly wean off. But otherwise, try as hard as possible to get rid of them. Steroids are very bad news and they cause diabetes very easily in cats, and one shot can do it. If you must use them, check on... um... hold on... Dang, I can't find it. (I just reinstalled Firefox and haven't put my bookmarks back yet, and Google isn't getting me what I want.) It starts with a B and it's an "ide" not a "sone." It's less likely to cause problems.

I also still wouldn't put it past the bleach. Just cause you don't see them walking on it doesn't it mean it's not bothering them.

[rpg219]

Okay, I am going out on a limb here... my cat does the same thing. I have asked in the past on here and a very wise man told me it could possibly be an allergy to fleas (go figure). Now, keep in mind, my cats are inside only cats. I tried his suggestion anyway, due to my vet wanting to poke and prod my baby with no results or answers. I ordered Frontline for cats and used it on both of my cats.

Since then, I have had no problems or breakouts (except when I forget to apply as directed). As a matter of fact, we are at the end of a about right now. I applied the frontline about 2 weeks ago, and the area is almost all clear and gone. (It does take a couple of weeks after the application for the healing to take place.)

Just a suggestion... maybe your baby is allergic to fleas too.

[Wondergirl]

Cats can become allergic to flea saliva, not to the fleas themselves. I would worry more about the carpet cleaning and bleach than I would fleas, unless I see fleas scampering around in the cat's fur.

At our cat shelter, a very dilute bleach solution was used for washing the floor, and even then, some cats reacted badly to it. The shelter now uses a biodegradable cleaner that's safe for cats.

[rpg219]

Not to debate Wonder (cause you know I love you :) ), but I have never seen a flea on my kitties... never, wait... the day I picked her up from behind a shop... she did have them... since then, none. But this solution seems to work... and it is much cheaper than spending loads at the vet without results. Worth a try.

Toplady: Tell us what you find out... thanks and good luck

[scorpNZ]

You need a definite answer to the issues & whether they are related,testing though expensive, in the long run would be best is my guess, because it seems to me by your post your vet is doing just that guessing & assumptions are the mother of all ballz ups.. lol.. since cats are carnivorous is there any reason not to make a change to raw meats (a cheap source of raw fish is from your local fish shop & the offcuts that don't get used ),don't know why vet said no chicken I feed my cats raw chicken necks all the time bones and all (please don't say the word fish outloud but spell it out or my two eldest cats will hear you they both know what that word means.. lol.. ).

Yeah rpg219 has a point about fleas as I've had a similar issue though my preference is advantage,just as a side note "Virbac's Indorex Spray" is great for treating carpets,bedding & the house in general to control fleas & larvae etc it works great & lasts a year or so,if you've got a lot of carpet it's a good investment $17.95 nz 500ml spray bottle & no I don't work for them :p

[Flying Blue Eagle]

TOPLADYJ- IF I was you I would not have taken all this talking about and took the poor cat to the VET< That's WERE IT NEEDS TO GO < IT SHOULD HAVE ALREADY GONE TO THE VET I HOPE IT LIVES LONG ENMOUGH TO GO TO THE VET> F .B.E. SORRY IM A ANIMAL LOVER AND I HATE TO SEE ANY ANMINAL MISTREATED>

[rpg219]

Sorry FBE... you are out of line on this one. Toplady has already stated that she has been working with the vet for about a year and a half, with prescriptions... of which none are helping. I don't for one second believe/agree that this woman is mistreating this cat. Why else would she be seeking help? How about we do as this site was created to do... and make some suggestions to help her.


P.S. Toplady... for fleas in the carpet (if you have any), I found a real cheap and easy way to solve this (DIY Network showed this). Vacuum weekly and in between Vacuuming sprinkle the carpet with table salt... yes, table salt, lol.

[scorpNZ]

Salt absorbs water that in turn dissolves the salt which will make the carpet damp, if you live in a high humidity area it will cause the carpet to rot,unless you use a dehumidifier,there's always a catch ain't there.. lol..

[rpg219]

LOL... thanks scorp... I was not aware of this. Saw this info on DIYNetwork and thought it was a pretty odd solution, but they swear by it, lol.

I personally have never tried it... because I only have one room with carpet.. and it will be change to hardwood here soon (woo hoo).

[carolbcac]

Yes, flea allergies are a possibility--in fact you generally see fewer fleas on a flea-allergic animal because they work so hard to keep them off.

Steroids do have side effects, which are generally worse when given long-term.

I do have to disagree about Hills prescription foods, however. (It doesn't have to be Hill's, Purina makes some prescription diets, as do some other companies.) I don't have a problem with grocery store brands if the animal is otherwise normal. The prescription diets are formulated with specific medical problems in mind. If there is a food allergy, the food must contain a novel protein and carbohydrate source, in other words, something the animal has never been exposed to before.
I learned the hard way about carefully reading labels--a friend had a dog with food allergies, so she was going to try lamb & rice. (This used to be a good idea, but lots of commercial pet foods now contain those, so they are no longer "novel" to many animals) Anyhow, I was going to pick up some lamb & rice Mighty Dog, and guess what was the first ingredient on the label?. CHICKEN!. which this dog definitely had an allergy to! Started looking on other "lamb & rice" foods, and found the same problem--additional proteins than just lamb, and diffenrent carbohydrates than just rice.
You could make a homemade diet, but you have to be careful to see that it is balanced and takes into account the special needs of cats, such as taurine.

Now the question as to whether the cat food is more expensive or the allergy testing.. The testing might tell you more quickly what the problem is, allowing you to possibly find a grocery store brand that does not contain the offender(s). Or you may find out that nothing is suitable except the prescription diet...

And the problem of keeping the cats out of each other's food! I don't even have a suggestion for that one!

Thought of another couple of possibilities to discuss with your vet (he may have already ruled these out):
Autoimmune diseases such as lupus, or Feline Eosinophilic Granuloma Complex.

[Flying Blue Eagle]

Rpg219 7 Topladyj - I do aplogize, when I answered this post about the caty ,there was no more then her post saying about her cat, so I took everything wrong, even before I got to your post rpg219 reading all the posts on here I realized that I had put my big foot in my mouth, and I was going to post to her a apolagy. I was one of the ones that lost a inside cat from the tainted food, and Walmart still has not bought the rest of the food I had got that night, that night I had spent a little over 32.00 SORRY I hope you find a cure for your cat and she gets better and know has caused it for sure ; GOOD LUCK & GOD BLESS :::F.B.E.

[morgaine300]

since cats are carnivorous is there any reason not to make a change to raw meats (a cheap source of raw fish is from your local fish shop & the offcuts that don't get used ),don't know why vet said no chicken i feed my cats raw chicken necks all the time bones n all

Do not give a diet of just fish, and especially not if there's any possibility of a food allergy. (It could be as simple as the bleach, but you don't know right now.) Seafood is one thing you want to take away if you're checking for food allergies. And I wouldn't fed raw seafood anyway. You can feed a raw diet, but I don't go around suggesting it, because you better know what you're doing. So don't get into it unless you've researched it and plan to be dedicated to it. (Or buy frozen commercial raw, which can get expensive.)

The vet may have suggested removing chicken for the same reason I said: sometimes cats (and people) can develop allergies to something they get all the time. And chicken is a very common cat food flavor. So if checking for allergies, it doesn't hurt to dump the chicken too. Just because one cat is fine with it, doesn't mean another cat is.

The neck bones are fine, and that will clean teeth, whereas (contrary to popular belief) dry food won't. Raw is also fine, because the splintering comes when you cook it.