My cat is constantly itching, not fleas or food. What's wrong?

What a handsome boy! There's a few things you may try. To absolutely make sure fleas are not the cause (remember, if you have a pet who is sensitive, tit only takes 1 flea to cause a reaction), talk with your veterinarian about using an oral flea prevention called Comfortis. Try this for 2-3 months and see if it helps. Kahlua looks a little heavy, sometimes this can prevent them from being able to clean the lower back/around the tail. Weight loss will allow him to adequately clean that area and in the mean time, shampooing the area every 4-5 days or using a dry shampoo and a brush every 3-4 days will help to decrease the oil production and decrease itchiness. Continue using a fish oil though I prefer an omega 3 fatty acids supplement. Changing the food to Royal Canin may also help improve the skin quality. Allergies can also cause itchiness but I recommend to rule out the fleas first. I hope this helps.

This could be a sign of several things including environmental allergies, mites, ringworm, and food allergies. Without doing a physical examination on Shyannne it's difficult to say what it causing her to itch. Even if you are not seeing fleas, if she is not currently on a good quality flea preventative like Revolution you may want to start. You may want to try bathing with a soothing shampoo. Once a veterinarian checks her out they may prescribe a medicated shampoo. The Douxo line makes medicated shampoos and also mousses for animals that are more difficult to bathe. Omega-3s are naturally anti -inflammatory so these may help as well. If Shyanne's symptoms persist then she should be taken to your veterinarian. Her skin can be tested for mites and other types of infections. There are many treatments for allergies available as prescription medication. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach and I hope Shyanne's skin issues resolve quickly!

This is probably caused by an allergic reaction. first of all make sure you de-flea your cat regularly every month with a high quality spot on (ex. Advantage) as fleas are by far the most common reason for these reactions. If the fleas are not the problem, it could be an allergic reaction to food or an environmental factor. this is more complicated to treat and will sometimes require medications such as Steroids, anti histamines or cyclosporin in order to stop the allergy.

Hi there! The most common cause of excessive itching like this in cats is allergies - either food allergies, or an allergy to something in the environment. You may want to talk with your veterinarian about allergy testing to help identify the source of the problem so that you can put together a treatment plan based on this information. If he's allergic to something in his food, he may need to be on a prescription diet like Hills z/d or Purina HA to help resolve the itching. If he has environmental allergies, you could consider hyposensitization injections or long-term daily medication like prednisolone or Atopica.

Thanks for visiting Petcoach! Not every flea product is effective, so I would still not rule out fleas if they are using a product not veterinary approved (many over the counter products are not effective). Food allergies are very rare and even rarer in cas; however you can recommend a high quality food for overall healthy haircoat and skin such as Royal Canin skin support, Royal Canin Ultamino or Evo (Innova). Oral pet formulated fish oils from your local pet store are most helpful with skin issues because they are a natural anti-inflammatory. I would recommend visiting your local vet for effective medications to calm the itch. There also may be an actual skin condition that would require specific treatment to cure. If everything checks out then a short course of allergy medication may resolve the itch. Here is a website link with more helpful general tips on itchy skin care. http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=599 Good luck to your brother and his kitty. Take care.

You will need to take your cat to a veterinarian for a skin exam. Your cat could be suffering from an allergy, mites, fleas, a bacterial or fungal infection. each of these requires a different treatment, so it is important to find out what is causing the itch. Your vet will do a thorough exam and maybe a a skin scrape. He will then discuss the options with you and then prescribe medications, possibly give an injection to stop the itching.

I am sorry to hear about Jewel. Fleas are definitely a possibility in any pet who is itching, even if they are supervised when outdoors, a flea can easily jump onto a pet without our notice. They can also be very difficult to find on a pet if there are just one or two fleas. In addition, some pets are very sensitive to flea bites and just one or two bites can make a pet very itchy. Other possible causes could include allergies to things in the environment such as grasses/pollens/dust. If your kitty has red lesions/spots/scabs/bald patches on the skin I would recommend an examination by your vet. If you don't see any skin lesions you could try using a flea preventative (your vet carries several types such as Comfortis, Bravecto, Revolution or you can purchase a product such as Advantage or Frontline at the pet store- be sure to purchase a product specifically for cats). You can also try a fatty acid supplement which can decrease inflammation in the skin, such as Cutaneo trubenefits which you can purchase online at: http://www.vrshealth.com/feline-products/?petcoach=1977956 If the itching persists or skin lesions develop then a vet exam is needed.