Ask the Veterinarian/Cat scratching

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Expert: - 1/18/2011


Question
My 3 year old female tabby digs under her neck to the point of creating a raw spot about the size of a quarter.  As soon as the area scabs over, she digs at it again, as I'm sure it itches.  She has no other symptoms.  I took her to my vet who gave her a shot of cortisone.  It didn't seem to have any affect.

I know it hurts when she scratches the area because she vocalizes, but can't seem to stop herself.  I've tried putting Neosporon on the area, but that makes her even more irritated and she digs the area raw again.  As soon as the scabs begin to form, she opens the area up again.

HELP!

Answer
Take your cat back to the vets. She sounds like she has milliary dermatitis and this is generally caused by fleas and/or inhaled allergens.

She needs more than one injection of cortisone. She will probably need a short course of prednisone as well.

Make sure her back claws are trimmed as well so they don't cause as much damage.
This is not an uncommon occurrence but it needs to be addressed as soon as possible.

Some cats have this condition on and off all their lives but it will have long periods of not acting up.

Another possible cause of this is a collar and/or name tag irritant. My daughter's cat had a similar digging/scratching issue from her name tag which had nickel in it. I had an all aluminum one made for her and the problem went away completely.

Good luck!  

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Jana Connell RVT, CVT

Expertise

PLEASE READ BEFORE SUBMITTING TO ME: I am NOT a vet and do NOT diagnose diseases. That is only for a licensed Veterinarian to do. I will give you suggestions and steer you toward calling your vet for help. You can call the vet's office and talk to the technician there or the vet at times. Don't be afraid to call them! If you have a serious issue with your pet please post it to one of the veterinarians in here- I will tell you the same thing in my answer. IF your pet is injured or in an emergency situation, CALL YOUR VET- Do not wait and post in here. Just call the vet's office and get them in to see the vet right away. Critical treatment time is lost if you seek answers here when you should have your precious pet at the vets!! Don't sit at home waiting for an answer when your pet is critically ill or injured!! I can answer most questions about small animal and wildlife care as well as small animal nutrition. I can also answer questions about all phases of dental care for small animals. I DO NOT answer questions about birds (unless it is wildlife or songbirds) or HAMSTERS/GERBILS/CHINS/GUINEA PIGS/REPTILES/FROGS/RABBITS/PET BIRDS OF ANY KIND so please submit these questions to the appropriate sections. I, as well as other experts in here, do NOT do homework questions- that is for YOU to do! Please respect these rules for all of us. Thanks!

Experience

I have over 35 years experience in the field of veterinary medicine. I specialized in small animals and did wildlife rehab for over 25 years, mostly raptors, squirrels and opossums. I am a Small Animal Nutritional Consultant with 6 certificates from Hills Pet Foods, CNM and Purina. I also specialized in Small Animal Dentistry which is a field I truly love.

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Audubon,World Wildlife Federation, American Society of Veterinary Dental Technicians.

Education/Credentials
Licensed with California and Oregon, RVT and CVT. Certified Veterinary Dental Technician Have over 500 logged hours of Continuing Education Credits(that means I keep up to date!).

Awards and Honors
Nominated for Expert of the Month for the last 5 years.

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