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Archive through January 20, 2005

The TVClubHouse: General Discussions ARCHIVES: 2004 Nov. - 2005 Jan.: Hairball Haven (ARCHIVES): Cats (ARCHIVES): Archive through January 20, 2005 users admin

Author Message
Hippyt
Member

06-15-2001

Wednesday, January 19, 2005 - 2:10 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
he's allergic to your weave........
No,really,have you gotten him a new bowl? I read an article recently about some cats having allergic reactions after eating out of those metal food bowls.

Littlebreeze
Member

02-18-2001

Wednesday, January 19, 2005 - 2:55 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
Sweetbabygirl.... several months ago, out of nowhere, my cat started cleaning herself excessively, shaking her head and scratching at her ears, scratching in general but mostly around the head, chin and face area. It was awful for her, non-stop cleaning, scratching and head shaking.

I got her to the vet who promptly told me she was most likely allergic to her food. He said it's not uncommon in cats for a food allergy to happen suddenly. Of course it could've been many other things but he told me to get her on a lamb diet immediately. If that didn't do the trick, I'd need to bring her back for bloodwork to find out what the allergen was but he felt confident it was her food.

On my way home from the vet, I stopped and bought Iams lamb, both cans and dry as she eats both. When I got home, I threw out all of her other food and started her on the lamb.

She continued cleaning and scratching for a few days because, as the vet said it would, it took awhile for the allergens from the previous food to clear her system. When those allergens finally did clear her system, the excessive cleaning and scratching totally stopped. Callie's been eating the Iams lamb for several months now and she's been perfectly fine.

If your cat's problem is an allergy, it could be to anything from dust to detergent. Thought I'd throw this info out to you anyway, just in case. Hope Harpo finds relief very soon.

Ophiliasgrandma
Member

09-04-2001

Wednesday, January 19, 2005 - 3:45 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
SBG, paws vs kitty litter maybe?

Our Ophelia is allergic to the dusty litters which manifests itself by horrible coughing. We use Feline Pine which helps a great deal, but we still have to give her steroids every few days.

Gina8642
Member

06-01-2001

Thursday, January 20, 2005 - 8:18 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
Cutie is still a kitten. She's about 7 months old in that shot. She's now 9 months. Her name is absolutely descriptive, all cats are cute, but I swear that Cutie practices in a mirror when I'm not looking.

Her most recent new sleeping place is next to the TiVo on the shelf under the TV. Too cute!!!

Sweetbabygirl
Member

08-31-2002

Thursday, January 20, 2005 - 11:08 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
Thanks to all who REALLY helped (glares at Hippy, shaking chubby fist)....dang, now metal bowls? I thought the ceramic ones were the bad ones.

Yeah, I have to meet up with my friend who pays for the food/vet bills....Littlebreeze, your tale rings the truest, he does have to get bloodwork done.

Gina8642
Member

06-01-2001

Thursday, January 20, 2005 - 11:37 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
Oh gosh. What's wrong with ceramic bowls? I feed my kitties out of ordinary human cereal bowls I bought at Target that are ceramic of some sort. (The pet ones everyone sells are sooo tacky.)

Lucy
Member

10-08-2002

Thursday, January 20, 2005 - 11:38 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
SBG, my little Lucy has had the same problem for the last couple of weeks. Excessive cleaning, especially on one leg that now has a large hairless patch. I'm sure she would have done more damage to it, but I put an E-collar on her to keep her from licking.

I started by giving her an Advantage flea treatment because she was out in our backyard with dh a couple of weeks ago. I've also been doing earmite treatment. Lucy eats out of a plastic bowl and is recently back on regular Iams (she was on Iams Hairball formula). She seems to have dandruff on her back, so I was wondering if the warm house temp is drying out her skin.

I think Seamonkey's kitty was having a similar problem. Maybe it is just weather related???

Let me know how Harpo is doing. If Lucy doesn't improve soon I'm going to take her to the vet. I might try changing her food to the Iams Lamb formula like Littlebreeze suggested, too.

Landi
Member

07-29-2002

Thursday, January 20, 2005 - 12:16 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
my belle did this every winter, we couldn't figure it out, numerous vet visits, bloodwork, etc. finds out she was allergic to my furnace. it started up every winter, and went away every spring. once we discovered this, we just used space heaters. much more expensive, but at least i didn't have a hairless maine c00n!!

she isn't allergic to the one at the new house.


Karen
Member

09-07-2004

Thursday, January 20, 2005 - 12:27 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
After doing some searching, it looks like most pet stores and vets condone the stainless-steel and the ceramic variety of food dishes for animals. My vet (and numerous other pet owners) have warned me about using plastic bowls, because the porous plastic can harbor bacteria, but that stainless-steel and ceramic are fine.

Perhaps if you're using a cheap metal bowl, and not a stainless steel, you could have a problem with the bowl making him sick?

Sweetbabygirl
Member

08-31-2002

Thursday, January 20, 2005 - 12:54 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
(scratches head)....gosh, now you've got me wondering if the bowl is cheap. Hmmmm, knowing the former owner, I doubt that it would be.

Shit, Iams cost more than my bras, but if it will get him to stop, I'll see that he gets it. Only thing is, he's a right picky kitty, so hopefully Iams has some with seafood in it.

LUCY! Hi! What's an E-collar? The boys, at least to my knowledge, have never been outdoors, btw.

Karen
Member

09-07-2004

Thursday, January 20, 2005 - 1:00 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
Yes, Iams has seafood varieties. My girls are very picky also, and Iams is the only food I can get them to eat.

Seamonkey
Member

09-07-2000

Thursday, January 20, 2005 - 1:03 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
Critter has been scarfing the Iams Lamb formula but mixed with the mature formula.. since she is 14 (ACK!) And she was still licking.. took her to the vet who did bloodwork (because of her age) but all he could suggest was bring her in for steroid shot.. which I just haven't done..

She is licking less but problem is still there.. working on it.. got some spray stuff but want to track down some kitty sulfodene as Urgrace suggested.

I've always heard that plastic is the bad bowl..

Lucy
Member

10-08-2002

Thursday, January 20, 2005 - 1:56 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
ut oh...back to Petco I go to get a better bowl.lol!

SBG, an e-collar aka Elizabethan collar goes around kitty's neck and they can't lick themselves. You've gotta take it off so they can eat and drink. It's certainly not the most pleasant contraption.
a

Sweetbabygirl
Member

08-31-2002

Thursday, January 20, 2005 - 2:02 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
Oh God, that seems almost cruel....but, does it work?

I dunno, I can see myself getting all teary-eyed, especially since he'll likely meow like a wounded animal.

Hippyt
Member

06-15-2001

Thursday, January 20, 2005 - 2:06 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
<runs through throwing tissues>

plastic?
metal?
ceramic?
maybe we should just throw the food on the floor

Lucy
Member

10-08-2002

Thursday, January 20, 2005 - 2:14 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
It works, but at first you'll feel horrible about putting it on. Lucy is actually very quiet with it on. She can even eat and drink if the bowl is filled up to the top. We made the collar out of plastic drawer liner and attached it to her own collar. You can buy them at the pet store for around $10.
a

I think Landi's "heater theory" might be right...at least for Ms. Lucy. Good luck!

Sweetbabygirl
Member

08-31-2002

Thursday, January 20, 2005 - 2:19 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
(takes tissues from fleeting Hippy, blows nose)....oh man, Harpo would be beyond pissed, I can see it now!

Lucy
Member

10-08-2002

Thursday, January 20, 2005 - 2:20 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
LOL!!

Puppylov3
Member

01-26-2004

Thursday, January 20, 2005 - 2:25 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
My casper gets 'crawly skin" in the winter IF I don't run a humidifier. The dry air dries his skin out faster than mine. I typically run one for my blasted sinuses and have some cheap humidity guages. Sometimes his skin in crawly even though the humidity is fine. I run the humidifier - his crawly skin goes away - just an idea.

in other news I have two new babies :-)

They're from two different litters. Both adorable. I've got a baby gate set up keeping the big boy (currently hiding under my bed = they've come face to face without histerics, Casper turned and walked away after a bit of sniffing). I'll prolly switch sides later on (casper up front, the girls in the back). Still thinking about names for the girls. Kaki (respelled correctly) might be workable but I'm not feeling the love for the name Meg.

"kaki" (her shelter name) on the left (the other kitten in this pic was already adopted)
kaki


"meg" (also a shelter name)
meg

Lucy
Member

10-08-2002

Thursday, January 20, 2005 - 2:29 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
Kaki and Meg are adorable...congratulations, Puppylov!! Good idea about the humidifier.

Sweetbabygirl
Member

08-31-2002

Thursday, January 20, 2005 - 2:40 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
Awwwwwwwwwwwww!! The killer is, D.P.'s healthy as a friggin' horse!

Puppylov3
Member

01-26-2004

Thursday, January 20, 2005 - 2:45 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
oh yeah - and I use metal bowls in a wire rack because Casper had this obnoxious habit of sticking his big honking paw in the water dish, trying to move it and tipping it over instead. Went through several iterations of bowls to find one he couldn't move.

Sweetbabygirl
Member

08-31-2002

Thursday, January 20, 2005 - 2:52 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
LOL! D.P. does that too, only he doesn't knock the bowl over, it is too big....but for some reason he likes to put his paw in it, then give himself a bath.

Littlebreeze
Member

02-18-2001

Thursday, January 20, 2005 - 2:56 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
SBG.... according to our vet, the worst food allergies cats suffer are to seafood. That surprised me because when you think cats you almost automatically think fish, like they go hand-in-hand. Just wanted to get that out to you seeing you mentioned looking for Iams seafood.

Speaking of plastic, ceramic, etc., when we made that initial visit to the vet, I asked him if it could be plastic that Callie was allergic to. He said it could be plastic, vinyl, something metal, something painted, carpeting, detergents, anything, anything at all in the house. (Callie's an indoor only cat). That's why I worry about Harpo because there are countless things that may be the culprit. I hope you find a solution as easily as we did.

I feel very lucky that the vet's initial diagnosis was right and it was a food allergy. BTW, Callie was always very picky too so I worried about the lamb but she loved it right off the bat and scarfs it down still.



Juju2bigdog
Member

10-27-2000

Thursday, January 20, 2005 - 8:24 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
Puppylov3, remember to keep in mind that Juju is a simple yet elegant, always stylish, name for a cat.