Question:
and nothing we have done has made a difference. we have a very aggressive flea treatemnt regiment, anti-allergenic foods, etc
she grooms and grooms until she has taken all the fur off of her belly, the inside of her legs, the outside of her legs, all around her tail, and now she is getting the outside of her front legs and her feet. and she has sores on her back and neck she can not reach. i feel so bad for her! but nothing seems to work! anyone have ANY experience with any of this? anything that we may not have tried?
most people's heart melt when they see their cats grooming...mine breaks.


Answer:
let me add is that what you can't see are the millions of pencil eraser sizd or half of a pencil eraser sized sores all around that huge one.


Answer:
The poor baby!!!!
I could be wrong, but my first impulse would be to say it's Eosinophilic Granuloma Complex. That's typically seen on the belly, inner thighs and feet, though -- I haven't seen anything of it extending to the rump and/or outer thighs. If that's what it is, you've already ruled out a food allergy and parasites. It could be something like dust or dust mites.
Here's a link on granuloma that helped me alot when Bruce was having flareups on his mouth:
http://www.marvistavet.com/html/eosi...granuloma.html
However, this site recommends using steroid injections. Some say long-term steroid use can cause diabetes in cats and shorten their lifespan. And sometimes after being effective for a long time, they simply stop working against granuloma. In fact, the first two of Bruce's flareups were treated successfully with oral steroids, then they stopped working. My vet and I agreed for forego injectible steroids and put Bruce on antihistamines (Chlorpheniramine Maleate 4 mg) and fatty acids (DermCaps) twice a day. As I recall, it took about six weeks for the antihistamines to take effect.
Have you taken your cat to the vet? They would be able to say for sure what exactly it is. I'd suggest taking your cat to the vet and discussing treatments. She sounds pretty bad, so it may be that the oral steroids would give faster relief, then the long-term treatment of antihistamines and fatty acids to keep it from recurring.
But again, I may be wrong. But that's what it looks like to me.


Answer:
I would suggest applying Bitter Apple or Bitter Lemon or Phooey!! taste deterrents directly on the affected region.


Answer:
I don't think you should put anything on it (like bitter apple) until you find out the cause.. it may make matters worse.


Answer:
Has she been to the vet to see what the cause is? It could be something zoonic, like scarcoptic mange or ringworm....


Answer:
ohhh wow.... I would have said maybe he does like chichillas do.... and just chew off the fur.... but when you say that he has spots like that where he cant reach.... then I would have to say that it is something else.... sorry I cant help you... good luck with getting something figured out...
by the way... he is a very pretty kitty!!!!


Answer:
actually, the spots where she can't reach are regualr timy sores, like a flea allergy, its just this one she has made so huge. now it looks like a turtle shell. she has been to the vet before. thats when we changed the foods, went on flea meds, etc...but she is going back on tuesday. asap. and there are no sores on her outer legs and feet...she is just extending the grooming to them and taking off the fur.


Answer:
I have heard of some cats that are diagnosed with neurosis and need anti-anxiety meds like ativan on a daily basis. Cats will sometimes groom when anxious and the meds help control the urge to groom.
But, my first thought was mange or ringworm too.
You may need to see a vet that specializes in skin diseases for animals? We have a clinic here who will give free second opinions for dermatological problems, they specialize and study them. Good luck! Please let us know if you find out anything more.


Answer:
no, she does nto have mange or ringworm, it just looks like it since the one sore has been groomed into such a big sore. we thought we had this condition licked with the all natural food etc...so now we are going to ahve to see the next step. what amazes me is how within two days, she went from her normal over groomiey self to these massive amounts of sores and the big one was a day and it almost doubled in another day...and today it has extended some more and two more have started to expand. but it is not considered an emergency by our vet, so we have to wait until tuesday. anyone have any ideas for some relief for her? some help for me? sigh. our pet store was out of ecollars, but i am gonna see if i can get to the next town over and see if i can get one there. i hope.she doesn't act like they hurt, that si the weirdest part.