Expert: Jessica - 7/15/2009

Question
First of all my cat just got over having a bladder infection at the beginning of
the summer.  I had to take her three times due to antibiotics not working and
then she had wonderful mushy poop for about two months solid.  Poor thing
still eats, drinks, and plays perfectly normal for a 1.5yrs old indoor mix.  The
last time I took her I also had the vet check her ears as they were very full of
black gunk.  (My mom even helped me clean out her ears every second day.)  
They checked and said they were fine with zero traces of any mites, bacteria
etc.    I have been cleaning them out with natural cleaner for over 2.5 weeks
now and they are still dirty, barely getting any better.  Not to mention she
now has black scabs on her chi which just appeared.  Plus, (as if she needs
more), her tummy is red and itchy for her (the vet said 'heat rash').  Finally her
poor little bum is 'wet' and she has groomed all the fur off, after she sits
somewhere she leaves a little patch behind.  Her toes are very itchy and
scabby between them.  I think she might have allergies (she has had many
different types of food and was always fine with them) she is now on an
allergy formula.  Do you think she may have allergies and I should wait a
while for it to kick in? She is also having fish oil capsules as her skin is
terribly dry. My poor cat is falling apart but is perfectly happy so it can't be
too serious.  I'm also wondering if she should see a different vet? She has
insurance so it has never cost me a thing (Being a student I also like to have
natural alternatives.)
Thanks so much!
Samantha and Roxie

Answer
Hi Samantha.  Poor kitty!  If you feel your vet wasn’t on the ball, then there is certainly nothing wrong with seeking a second opinion.  Was there a skin scraping done, or any hair or skin cultures sent off to determine if she may have mites or a bacterial or fungal infection that could be causing her problems?  With the combination of her itchy ears and skin, allergies or some sort of auto immune disease is likely the cause, but it would be a good idea to rule these other things out, too.

If mites and skin infections are ruled out, you may want to consider a corticosteroid such as a cortisone injection to get potential allergy or auto immune symptoms under control.  This really helps out with any cause of irritation, but it’s best not to use it when an actual infection is present.  As long as infections have been ruled out, a cortisone shot can help her get some relief, and if food allergies are to blame, hopefully the new food will have helped out by the time the injection wears off.  It can take about 4-6 weeks for weeks before you’ll see any real benefit with a low-allergy diet, and cortisone injections usually provide relief for 1-2 months.

Cats who don’t respond to low-allergy diets might be suffering from environmental allergies or auto immune disease, and these kitties may need to have regular cortisone injections or take an oral corticosteroid to keep their symptoms under control.  Sometimes antihistamines are also used.  If the cat doesn’t respond or has negative side effects to any of these treatments, an anti-rejection drug for organ transplant recipients called cyclosporine can be used.  It’s a little pricey (around $45 a month online), but your insurance may pay for it.

I'm not sure why her bum is wet, if it's saliva or if she's leaking stool or mucus.  If she's got some sort of gastrointestinal infection going on, again, the cortisone or oral steroids would be a no-no.  But there are non-infectious inflammatory conditions of the bowels such as colitis and Inflammatory Bowel Disease which should actually be helped by the steroids or the cyclosporine.  So this is something to discuss with the vet.

I hope she’s feeling better soon!