My cat Rocky is 9 and recently he has been really licking. I looked to see if I could see any flea dirt but there is nothing. For the past 5 months we switched him from Purina cat food to Science Diet hairball remedy. I looked him over and noticed that his inner thighs are bald and has owies from licking. His front legs also have some hair loss. Can you please tell me what this could be from. I have 2 other cats and 3 dogs and none of them are suffering from this. Recently he has also started sneeezing. I need some answers. PLEASE HELP!
2006-11-19 15:30:15 · 3 answers · asked by Liz 1 in Pets ➔ Cats
There was a time when Science Diet and Eukanuba were the premier foods for animals. I don't know why, because I never had a pet who would eat either one of them. It could well be a food allergy, if this problem only began when the food changed. A vet could answer your question best and more efficiently than guessing...but you also have to consider...
The other side of the coin is that this is the prime time of year for fleas to show up in the home. You stated that you have dogs. Even if your cat doesn't go outside, your dogs do, and a flea could have hitched a ride in on one of them. Flea bite allergies can exhibit the same symptoms. A flea hops on, bites and hops off. Only in a case of extreme infestation, will you see a bunch of fleas crawling on an animal. It is possible that you cat could be bitten and the flea dropped off when the meal was over.
If you are using a good (Frontline Plus is my favorite) flea control on your animals, then I would pursue the food allergy avenue. Otherwise, try some flea control and see if that makes a difference.
2006-11-19 15:42:09 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 2⤋
Cats will lick themselves for normal cleaning, but this reaction does sound excessive. He could be having an allergic reaction; it could be an ingredient in the food that he is reacting to.
He may also have impacted anal glands; which can be painful and irritating to cats and dogs. You may want to make a vet appointment for him in case he does have something else going on internally which is causing this problem.
Has the living quarters changed at all? Different family members and or pets? Cats are extremely sensitive to changes and can retreat or become fearful because of it. Some cats can exhibit excessive licking due to nerves and stress.
The fact that he is sneezing sounds as if he is having an allergic reaction. One of my cats had an allergic reaction to a cleaning product and actually ended up having a stroke over it, thankfully she has recovered because we have an excellent vet who knew exactly what to do. She actually had some kidney damage because of the stroke, and had to be on a special diet in order to regain her strength and weight.
My best suggestion would be to talk to your vet, and make an appointment for Rocky as soon as possible. Best of luck to you and your furbaby.
2006-11-19 15:48:13 · answer #2 · answered by Sue F 7 · 0⤊ 2⤋
It could be the change in food. So animals are really sensitive to that. If he's also sneezing he may be allergic to something new in the house. Have you switched the shampoo or body wash you use or the one that he gets bathed with? That could cause it. If switching back doesn't help or it gets worse I would talk to your vet.
2006-11-19 15:42:07 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋