How do I safely stop my cat from scratching?

Question

No, no, not the elizibethan collar, that won't work. My cat Misty has a bald patch just above her tail from scratching to much, yanking out hair, etc. I need a way to stop her from scratching it so the hair can grow back in. The bald patch is literally six inces long going up all the way from the base of her tail, and one and a half inces wide all across. She is an outdoor cat, so the elizebethan collar (you know, the white cone) that vets put on them is not an option for us. Taking her inside is not an option either, because of my mother. Please help!

Yeah, sorry KitKat, forgot to mention that. The vet said she was alergic to flea poop, and that it was a reaction. She doesn't have fleas, but she did at some point, so they left their busness. We tried to brush it all out but she still scratches, and her patch has gotten worse! It got a bit better since the vet gave her a shot to stop itching, but it wore off and she started again. We are using advantix, or maybe it's advantage, but she still scratches! Right now, even though we love her very much, we can't afford to take her to the vet constantly. Not because we are poor, but our budget is tigh because of construction. Whoever that was that said to shoot my cat: if your son had a bald patch, would you shoot him, or would you take him to the doctor?!

Answer 1

Hi,
First thing you need to do is find out why she is scratching that much. You mentioned she is an outdoor cat, is she on a good flea preventative? Cats with a flea allergy will often lick and scratch themselves bald (and even raw) from even a mild flea infestation. Using a topical product like Frontline or Advantage is your safest bet. The cheaper brands sold in pet stores and grocery stores are NOT safe and can cause severe problems for your cat (even kill them).
Occasionally some cats will obsessively groom themselves to the point of hairlessness. She may need to see a vet to determine exactly what is going on. If she IS obsessively grooming, she may need to be put on an anti-anxiety drug that your vet would need to prescribe.
Avoid putting anything on the area like Neosporin or other ointments or medications. She will lick it off, and from an area that large, that amount of medication could cause her serious problems. There are very few human products that are safe for cats, don't use anything without consulting a vet first!
Good luck.

Answer 2

It could be a number of factors but here are some that I have had to deal with.

fleas
stress
hot spots
a nervious habbit
a allergy
hives

if she is loosing hair in only this place and if the skin is bumpy, red and warm it could be hot spots. For my old cat I bought some hot spot medication (in the spray form was around 5-7.00) and it cleared the spot rite up. Read the lables because some hot spot sprays will treat other skin inflamitarys other then the hot spot.

If taking her to the vet is not a option at this time I would either try the spray I mentioned or you can rub a antibacterial cream for minor skin inflamitarys (can be bought for 1.00 at dollar stores), black sab, a mild anti itch cream for burns(also can be bought at the dollar store) or a thick layer of vasoline onto the spot of concern. Again, if the vet is not a option, trying to do something to help the problem is better then nothing.

If the area becomes scabby or starts to seep you should get her to the vet or ask friends and family to "loan" you the money so she can be seen by a vet. Its never good when something is seeping. I wish you luck!!

Answer 3

Advantage is an awesome product, but it has it's flaws. It doesn't prevent fleas from getting on the pet, only poisons the fleas once they are on. They can still leave eggs behind that will hatch.

Have you considered an oatmeal based shampoo? You can buy it at local pet stores- I think I've even seen it at Wal-Mart. The oatmeal will help control the itching which leads to the scratching. Just check with your vet first to see if you can use it. A phone call should take care of that, and doesn't cost anything. Aside from the hair, does she have any open wounds from scrathcing? If not, the oatmeal shampoo shoud be o.k.

Also, Aveeno makes this amazing oatmeal cream, it's in a beige tube with a burgundy band (Do NOT get the one with the blue band, wrong tube). We use it now for bug bites and other skin irritants, but I don't know if it would be good for animal use.

And ignore the sick sons of b*tches that tell you things like shoot your cat. They need to get a life...

Answer 4

First of all if there is flea poop as you call it the animal is still infested and needs a flea dip,second the cat has an allergic reaction to the flea bites NOT flea poop,which causes the cats hair to fall out.The cat has to be treated with antibiotics but it may take more than once as the infection caused by the bites is difficult to get rid of and the infection can be fatal and third get your cat a new vet and last but not least keep your cat home for it's own health and safety and these problems will be less likely to occur

Answer 5

Don't use a perfume! Perfume may cause a skin reaction to your cat not to mention its ingredients are toxic (if the cat ingests it while cleaning its coat that is a no good situation)! I would talk to your vet and see what suggestions her or she may have! Outdoor cats tend to come in contact with health issues due to their atmosphere (less life span than an indoor cat) you might want to have it checked out to see if it is a reaction to something he/she got into! Is she up to date on all of her vaccinations (Flea, Rabies, etc)? Try finding info on these sites:
http://www.hsus.org/
http://www.thecatsite.com/

Whatever you do don't spray any toxins onto the cats fur coat (dont use anything without a recommendation from a certified vet)! Best of Luck! Keep her nails trimmed to avoid further injury to herself!

Answer 6

Buy some inexpensive perfume at the Dollar Store and spray it where the cat scratches. This works for both of my cats. They were scratching my upholstered furniture and shredding it ta bits. I only paid about 3 dollars for the perfume, sprayed it right where they were scratching and they stopped. After about a month they started again so I sprayed again. Now they only scratch at a heavy rug and I don't mind that. Hope this works for you too.

Answer 7

Your cat has a skin irritation. You should take her to the vet. It could be various things- parasite, dry skin, or fungus.

Something is bugging her. The vets at Petsmart could be useful in telling you what to put on her tell to heal her skin.

Answer 8

what you do is you put oe of those collars on her where she cant reach it put some baby powder on her and shell be ok with in couples of weeks my dog did exactly the same thing you can find those collars at the pet store or ask your vet

Answer 9

i had a cat that done the same thing and all the vet told me to do is just take lotion for dry skin and rub on you cat. that should do it for you

Answer 10

place double sided tape on the area where your cat likes to scratch.. they don't like the sensation will stop scratching in these places.