Need some advice re cat :)

[Skitz]

Sparrow my lovely one eyed moggy has a problem :(

I'll start at the begining and apologise for rambling but I can't expect advice if you don't know the full story.

Just before we moved house in december Sparrow had an allergic reaction to a flea collar, this made him lose his fur around his neck and he had a really smelly discharge. Antibiotics, steriods and daily baths in salt water helped but he was back to a new vets shortly after we moved because altho there was an improvement it was kind of 'stuck as it was' ?? Anyway the new vet gave him another antibiotic jab and steroids and said just leave him and see how it goes. It got worse! Next time vet said more antibiotics and this time bathe daily in 'hibi scrub'

We finally had a break through the infection on his neck is pretty much gone, just a few scabs left but the open weeping sores gone :D The problem now is where he has had so much fur shaved off around his neck and head he has been able to scratch and has drawn blood :( Each spot he has scratched has become infected and its now starting to happen all over his body ..he scratches, draws blood it gets infected :(

What can I do ? At the mo he's known as the scabby cat who smells and I want my sparrow back !

I have got him a buster collar but he can get out of it ! Well both as I have the type from the vets (tie on) and the type from PaH (clip on) The vet wont clip his claws as I have requested everytime we have been in !

So yeah can any of you advise anything I can do to help my lil man?

[farthing]

What is Sparrow's history, when was he neutered ( was all well then with the wound?), why did he lose his eye. Have you found he has been prone to infections previously or had days when his is off and needs an antibiotic?

[Skitz]

Sparrow was born with an undeveloped eye (it was the size of a pea when they removed it when he was 6 months old) He was neutered at the same time as having his eye sorted and that has all healed perfectly. It was about 8 weeks after his neutering/eye op that he had the reaction to the flea collar. He is his usual self 99 % of the time and up until the flea collar he was fine.

He's a typical ginger tom , gets under your feet for fun, teases and attacks the dogs, knows exactly where to sit on the stairs to almost but not quite trip you etc ...

[farthing]

Thanks, I was just a bit worried about something like FIV which can mean any wounds can take a while to heal.
I had a cat who had a problem with scaly spits down his back, for years we treated him with antiflea treatments, ad we were told it was an allergy- it turned out to be a hormonal issue and after injections with a medication it cleared up. I don't know but another concern could be something like a skin infection like staphylococcus. Worth asking your vet about it anyway.

[lynz85]

is there a reason why the vet wont clip his claws? if not is this something you could try yourself, i reguarly trim the tip off my cats claws so he cant scratch my couch when hes zooming about at 100mph!

poor guy, hope the vet discovers whats wrong with him soon, has the vet sent a scraping away to the lab?

[Velvet]

I have dogs who can sometimes have itches so can understand your frustration. You can ask your vet about a referral to a Dermatological (Skin) Specialist Vet.

[angieh]

Poor wee Sparrow. I'm sorry not to be able to add to any advise, apart from asking whether you might consider trying alternative therapies, such as homoeopathy?

[truthisouthere]

I agree with angieh and others ref getting a proper diagnosis and then perhaps considering the homeopathic route. With all the chemicals that Sparrow has had it can be wearing on his system to continue in this way, and after a while they can become less effective.
I've used a natural mineral Rock Sulphur (Pets at Home have it) in the cat's drinking water in the past for flea allergies and it's meant to repel fleas too. But you need a firm diagnosis.

The homeopathic treatments classed under 'skin conditions' are (e.g)

Arsenicum Album 6c
(For) - The anxious, restless and chilly cat with a hot, dry, itchy skin. This progresses to being cracked or open, with dry flaky scabs. The part usually affected is the back, mostly over the tail area but sometimes towards the shoulders. As with all Arsenicum cases the symptoms are worse between midnight and 2 a.m. and the cat may exhibit restlessness at this time. Initially the skin may have small pustules filled with blood and pus. Later cases present with large, hard reddish or blue spots along thier backs.

Graphites 6c
(For)- Oozing, honey coloured discharges drying into crusts. Cracked skin. Affected areas are predominantly the skin folds of the joints and at the corners of the mouth. General soreness and itching with large dirty crusts which mat the coat of longhaired breeds. Inter-digital cysts, and soreness between the pads. The typical Graphites case will be a chilly cat whose symptoms are aggravated by warmth, scratches its face and has a history of chronic ear problems.
From the booklet 'Homeopathy for a Healthier Cat' Mark Elliott BVSc, MRCVS, VetMFHom

You can get these yourself, I've used homeopathics in the past on Mitzi for her abcess which have helped when everything else has failed, so keep it in mind.

[Velvet]

Manuka honey is a good healer both internally and externally. If giving internally give very little as too much honey can work as a laxative. If I was giving it, it would just be a tiny amount on teaspoon tip once a day in food

Externally ask your vet, honey being sticky

[Skitz]

I've just got back from the vets with some more anti-biotics. But I have a little trick up my sleeves this time to help the healing process:

http://i44.tinypic.com/wkiah2.png

They are 'Soft Paws' designed to stop a cat scratching furniture , So I'm hoping they stop him scratching himself! He isn't bothered by them at all but he has only had them on since this morning, but so far so good! He can scratch but he doesn't draw blood so hopefully this time the infection will fully clear up and we can stop seeing the vet so often! ** fingers crossed**

[angieh]

What a great idea - hope it works and that they stay on long enough for little Sparrow to heal.

[Velvet]

What a clever idea!

Hope he soon feels better, poor little love. xx

[Skitz]

ooo so far so good :) Antibiotics are working and his inability to scratch is helping loads :D So fingers crossed he will heal fully this time !

[yola]

ooo so far so good :) Antibiotics are working and his inability to scratch is helping loads :D So fingers crossed he will heal fully this time !

Excellent news! Sometimes you just need something to break the cycle; in this case the soft claws seem to be doing the trick.

[Velvet]

Where do you get the soft claws from?

[Jonescat]

And how do you get them on your cat??

[Skitz]

Hi sorry guys haven't been on for a while :) The soft claws I got from Ebay I started with a UK seller as I needed them asap they were £10 a set but I now use a hong kong supplier 99p and loads of colours :D but they take 6 weeks to arrive!

To get them on I recommend starting with the front claws as those are the ones they are going to attack with when you do the back paws lol ...You need 2 really brave volunteers too 1 to hold the paws and one to hold the cat ha ha ! all you do is gently squeeze the paw to extend the claw then put a tiny (I mean tiny!!) drop of glue into the bottom of the soft claw then you gently slide it over the claw and your done! you have to watch the cat for a few mins after applying them but afetr that, thats it! just wait for them to come off as they shed the claws, Sparrow now has multi coloured toes coz I just replace them as and when they come off :)

[Skitz]

OO I forgot to say Sparrow has fully healed at last! and we now know he is allergic to flea treatment! at the mo he doesn't have fleas and I'm that as I keep on top of the dogs and other cats flea treatment he shouldn't get any. Both cats are house cats atm, Mittens used to live outside and only come back for food but since we moved in december she wont go out !

[angieh]

I am so glad that Sparrow has healed ....... what a grand thing you have done for him. You have sought a remedy and thankfully it has worked for him. You deserve a pat on the back and probably a big purr from Sparrow.