Hi there, I'm new here and can I just say this is a good forum!
Anyway, Pierre, who is about 5 now, has developed small scabs more or less all over him, eg base of tail, legs, belly, neck. He is also licking and biting his fur excessively. I keep trying to stop him doing it but he seems adamant he needs to do it! He seems a bit down in the dumps too he doesn't play anymore or sit with us much. He sleeps more than he used to.
We have taken him to the vets twice and they keep saying its a flea allergy causing the scabs, I disagree though because, although he did have fleas at one point about 8 months ago, he hasn't had them since and I have been rigorous about preventing them.
I was wondering has anyone ever experienced depression in a cat? We moved house about a yr ago and he's only been like this since we moved. Also recently we have had another cat(female) come to stay with us temporarily and she doesn't really like Pierre. Could this be causing it? Please help, as all the vets do is try to make me buy expensive flea products which he doesn't need! Thanks

Yeah some vets do seem to just be out to make money, if you are not happy with your vets, I would try another vet to see what they say.

Also, some flea treatments are not as good as others, if you are not happy buying the flea treatment from the vets, try going to a local pet shop (like Pets at home), they often have advisors there, and will keep licenced products in a locked cabinet.

I wouldn't know about depression in cats, so I can't help you there.

I've heard before that excessive grooming can be down to bordem. Does your cat have plenty to do during the day? Toys, play out time, company, cat trees, food, etc??

Personally I would go back to the vet, as I would want something for the irritation, I would also use a bucket temporarily and short term use say an hour after a cooling treatment to stop him constantly licking.

It could be an allergy to something else other than fleas, washing power, carpet cleaner, my dog has an allergy to certain outdoor plants. My rule of thumb is keep all cleaning products mild and safe for babies or animal friendly.

He must be uncomfortable, bless him.

Sue

There is no reason to believe that this is flea allergy if the cat has been treated for fleas. It's pointless treating over and over again and could in fact be dangerous. as these products are not completely harmless.

I'd be considering food allergy, and also the stress may well be playing a part. In my experience it's useless putting any sort of ointment on a cat as it always gets licked off

I have a girl myself who constantly gets sores and scabs around her neck, it's improved a little since I stopped feeding dried food to my cats several weeks ago, but hasn't gone away altogether, so I suspect she is allergic to something in commercial food. She certainly does not have fleas!!

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Vervain Cats
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Excessive grooming can be stress related, if it was a habit he developed after losing 'his' territory when you moved, and now seems worse after this new cat has come, I would be thinking stress is playing a role. It could have started with the flea irritation, but with some cats it can become a vicious circle and they will keep plucking and grooming long after the original cause was treated.

I'd try and make extra sure there is space for them to be apart if they don't get on, so he can withdraw if he wants to. If they have litter trays I'd think about getting another one, and making sure they are spread throughout your home so there is always the chance for privacy in case sharing is making him feel more stressed.

Valerian compound that you can get from Dorwest herbs [I think, doesn't matter where it comes from so long as it's formulated cat friendly] can help soothe if you add it to bedding [it's a bit whiffy so be careful where you put it if you try it] and some people have had success using supplements like Bach Flower Remedies Rescue remedy [Boots of larger chemists] or Zylkene.

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thanks i might try some kind of exclusion diet, see if i can find out the cause!

One of my cats gets tiny scabs all over mainly neck bottom of back , my vet said its a dust allergy, and i take her about every 6 mths for an injection and it keeps her clear, but i dont know what the injection is its not for fleas .hope you get it sorted

I don't know about allergies or stress in cats but my mother-in-laws dog came out in scabs and sores when my father-in-law became very ill. I can't remember the name of the condition (he was put on steriods to clear it up) and the vet thought that it may have been triggered by anxiety. Maybe cats can suffer in this way too?
Bless him anyway, hope he's OK poor little puss

I agree that if the problem hasn't gone away with a change of diet, further treatment might be needed, or perhaps a referral to a dermatologist?

__________________
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Vervain Cats
Burmese ~ Asian ~ Ocicat
vervain.cats@gmail.com ~ www.vervain.co.uk
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~