He is about 2 years old. He gets fleas a lot. I give him a flea bath once a month, spray the apartment with flea spray, use flea drops on him, use flea powder on the carpet and brush him. When I took him to the vet a year ago she told me his skin was just bumpy and scaley from fleas and it will just go away. Well it has not and we only have a very small flea problem now so I really don't think it is the fleas making his skin bumpy and scaley. He also is loosing hair. I have another cat who has no problems at all?? What could be wrong? Is there anything I can feed him/ put on him to make him better. He is always licking and scratching himself and getting his dead skin all over and hair! Yuck!
2007-10-02 12:49:34 · 7 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Cats
Thank you for the advive everyone. I am going to give him a nice bath using dawn dish soap, put frontline drops on him, and search the internet for good food for him to eat for his skin. I hate seeing him like this, he is a sweet cat :)
2007-10-02 13:52:20 · update #1
Have the vet run allergy tests on your cat, if you have the money. My cat does that and he scratches too. We spent a lot of money on it, and they still don't know what the allergy is. Just keep bathing him, get him the really good flea stuff, like Advantage or Frontline, and maybe even try supplements for skin health. Good luck!
2007-10-02 12:55:59 · answer #1 · answered by samantha_2128 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Some cats are allergic to fleas. When using drops only use the good stuff (Frontline, Advantage, Revolution). Those are more money, but they are safe and work. Don't use baths or powders. The chemicals are old fashioned and too harsh. Fleas are immune so they don;t work. In order to properly get rid of fleas you must use the good drops on every pet in the house every month. fleas can hibernate in the home for years. I know it can get costly, but it is the only way. From what you are describing, your cat has a flea allergy. 1 bite will cause intense itching causing the fur to come out.
2007-10-02 21:17:33 · answer #2 · answered by krazy4kats8703 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
NOOOO, stop! Seriously, don't bathe him with Dawn - please don't fall for this one. You must NOT bath an animal within 49 hours before or after applying Frontline, or the Frontline won't work.
Dawn Dish soap only washes off live fleas, the cat will just get reinfested as soon as it's dry, so don't waste your time. You need to just stick with the Frontline, and make sure it's getting on your cat's SKIN, not his fur - if you've put it on exactly right, you won't see any greasy fur on your cat after.
I also don't think you're using the right treatment for your house, which is important. You need a spray from a vets - if you can, find Indorex, Acclaim, Staykil or Skoosh. Powders do not work. You need to properly treat your house to stop your cat getting infested.
Once again, do not waste your time with ANY kind of bath for your cat. Flea shampoos, and any of the rubbish you can buy in stores, do not work.
Chalice
2007-10-03 07:50:43 · answer #3 · answered by Chalice 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Your cat could have a high allergy to flea bites. That's why you would see a difference.
What type of flea control are you using? If not already, I would do Advantage or Frontline. Then hopefully you'll get the flea problem under control. I would confirm all this with your vet though. They may be able to give him something to ease his itching as well.
I would put a skin health additive to their food as well. Something with fish oil should help alot and they will most likely like it.
2007-10-02 20:25:58 · answer #4 · answered by galapagos6 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Frontline is crap!!! I have 13 cats and have spent thousands of dollars on medications for my animals....I too have a very allergic cat that gets that scaly nasty bumps all over her and REVOLUTION TOPICAL treatment is the only thing that broke the flea reproductive cycles and ended my battle with fleas. It makes the fleas unable to reproduce. I have dealt with fleas, tapeworms for the past three years until I found Revolution. I buy mine on-line without a prescription but you can also buy it from your vet....on-line is cheaper. Good luck with the battle..
2007-10-06 16:08:14 · answer #5 · answered by Catlover Denise 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Bathe the cat in Dawn dishsoap. It's gentle enough for newborn kittens,and has the side benefit of killing fleas. Many vet clinics use it as a standard.the problem may also be the combination of flea medicines,and many vet techs I know will never never use sergents or harts products,as the likelyhood of adverse reactions is in their opinion higher.
2007-10-02 20:01:59 · answer #6 · answered by captainspauldingsdad 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Poor thing! You need to take your cat to the vet and ask to have a "skin scraping" done to determine if your cat has a fungus or a mange. Your cat is being tortured with all the scratching and licking. It's up to you as his owner to have him treated. Please don't let him continue to suffer without being seen by the vet.
2007-10-02 20:00:17 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋