Mr. Sofite's skin on his head and neck is all scabbed up and he keeps scratching himself and crying when he does it, it obviously itches and hurts him. Trying to figure out if there's something I can do to help him outside of the vet, since I'm not sure if my dad will pay for him to get seen or not.
I'm going to assume that he's on a flea and tick medication already so that he's not just scratching at flea bites
Could certainly be a food allergy. Could be worth trying him on some different food and seeing if that helps.
You can get some hydrocortisone cream or spray without a prescription
You can get a e-collar (one of those cones) and have him wear it for a while to see if him not scratching it will help it clear up
I was thinking a cream or spray too, would hydrocortisone for humans work?
I am definitely not a vet, but I have worked in vet clinics.
Animal medications and human medications are mostly the exact same thing. But I'd look at the ingredients, concentration and dosage on one formulated specifically for animals and then check it against the human one
If it's the same stuff in the same amounts, it should be fine
My family took in a dog with mange, and the successful treatment was frequent (at least daily, possibly more. I don't quite remember) bathing with a medicated shampoo. Wish I had more info but maybe this can help narrow down your search terms
Any redness or irritation around the eyes, nose, or mouth? If so, that could mean it's a systemic allergy (food etc) instead of dermatitis (from big bites or surface contact with an allergen).
None that I can see, it's mostly on his head, neck and ear.
So, just wild intuition here, but - main body/back/tail area are where I've seen environmental contact dermatitis issues with my cats - the big portions of them that touch things in the environment when they are lazing about. The head/neck/ear area is where I touch my cats the most, so a rash just in that area makes me wonder if it's a reaction to something on your hands? Or maybe an inner ear issue that he's trying to dig at?
So I guess next questions are, have you been handling anything new or touching anything different recently? Using a different lotion or body wash? And if not, what do the insides of his ears look like? Any discoloration or debris?
So I guess next questions are, have you been handling anything new or touching anything different recently? Using a different lotion or body wash? And if not, what do the insides of his ears look like? Any discoloration or debris?
No not touching or doing anything different and his ears appear to be fine
Sounds like you probably checked but make double sure he doesn't have fleas. They are very good at hiding. Mine gets them all the time from our dogs.
Would it be fleas? He's an indoor cat though so I don't have him on flea meds. I might have fucked up.
Especially when it's cold fleas will jump on anything with body warmth like your clothing and then Mr. Softie. I'd definitely try a flea bath or a preventative like Advantage if that's something you can afford.
Is it to late to buy him flea meds or would it help? I can pick them up at the grocery store.
Flea meds will help but you dont necessarily have to have them if u get a fine toothed comb and give him a bath in dish soap. Its a pain to bathe most cats though. There are some good tutorials on like wikihow on how to look for them and comb them out during a bath.
edit: once when the fleas were so bad they persisted even after one flea med treatment and a bath was what finally got rid of them. a little bit of dish soap in the bath breaks the surface tension and makes them drown. if you put him in the bath you'll notice them flock to areas that aren't submerged and you can comb them out.
I don't really have any experience with the flea baths or whether they'll also kill the eggs, you might have to do more than one application. Doing an extensive cleaning of the carpeted areas and linens is probably a good idea too.
Advantage will kill any fleas that have fed on them within a few hours and lasts like 3 months between applications, but it is a little pricey.
Doing an extensive cleaning of the carpeted areas and linens is probably a good idea too.
Noted thanks
You can still drag them in on your clothes/feet/person, unless you're vacuuming daily there's a nonzero chance tbh.
How bad are the scabs? Do you trim his claws/are these just self inflicted? Can you get him checked over by a vet? Mange/scabies isn't fun, but ought to be treatable
How bad are the scabs?
They're getting worse. They're from his scratching I assume.
You could try rubbing the affected areas with baked oatmeal or coconut oil. I found some scabs above my cats tail and she starts licking the air when I rub her along most of her spine.
I would actually try to see a vet before you try anything. I know you want to help him now but he really needs a professional medical opinion. Anything you do now without actually knowing what's going on could possibly hurt him more.
