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[animalangel1]

I would never put a cone on the poor little thing even with the itching.... you could try a topical over the counter anti-itch cream (check with your vet which might be ok for kitties if accidentally ingested).  Also, the vet may tell you it would be ok to give her some generic Benedryl (half a tab or something - again - VET approval needed first) and that would be far less expensive than a prescription. 

If it's an allergy - it could be related to the season that you are currently experiencing where you live and may pass when the seasons change again.

In any case, I am glad that Gelsey is feeling better.  It is NOT coincidental that she stopped- it IS due to the steroids and when the steroids wears off - it MAY come back again (the itching).  A blood test to determine WHAT she might be allergic too might not be possible now that she's on a steroid med.... you could ask the vet to be sure though.  Again - you do not want to keep her on steroids for an extended period of time as long term use will cause other problems. 

[gelseymisha]

Oh I know it's bad long term... I only have 6 pills cut in half (12 doses) and she took 2 halves the first 3 days, 1 half the next 3 days, and then she will take 1 half every other day til it's gone.  We only used it as a test to see if it was a skin/contact allergy (as opposed to a food allergy) and obviously it was.  The vet said to do this first as a test because it would be cheaper than a full blood test and the fastest way to make her comfortable if it is a skin allergy.  If she needs long term allergy meds they will definitely be non-steroid.  She's supposed to call me back in a week (Tues) so I'll bring up the blood test and the possibility of using Benadryl as a cheaper alternative.  Thanks for that idea! :-)

[animalangel1]

Ok, good.  I was able to use Benedryl for my dog that had skin and seasonal allergies.  I am not sure if you can use it on cats but it's worth asking the vet about.  The generics are cheaper and work just as well if she says you can use them.

[gelseymisha]

I just realized that her grooming problems (in the year and a half that I've had her) have been summer and winter... Isn't that kind of the opposite of humans who usually experience allergy problems in fall and spring?...  Thinking back I always thought it was just anxiety because summer and winter are high stress times for her as my boyfriend and I aren't around and she was by herself for a little bit (neighbors fed and played with her, don't worry).  But now I wonder if summer and winter can cause allergies...

[animalangel1]

Well..... I live in New York and my Border Collie's allergies used to flare up in the winter.  Her skin would get dry and flaky and that's when I needed her on Benedryl and bring up the humidifier.  I seem to recall that summer was bad for her too but that's flea season and though we never had any actual fleas on anybody she was highly allergic to flea bites (and likely any other biting insects).  My dogs were indoors all the time but went out to potty or be with us while we did yard work and whatnot. 

I do feed feral cats who DO have fleas so it could be that the ferals or the deer (or the bear) that come into our yard might have had fleas that jumped off and bit her at some point.  I did find ONE tick on her one time too.... but that was it in the 7 years we've been here.

Winter issues could also just be very dry skin (that in itself is itchy) and in summer - there's a multitude of things that can cause allergies.

[gelseymisha]

Hmm I suppose that makes sense... I think I mentioned before that I did notice a lot of dandruff on her back around the time she was overgrooming.  It's kind of abated recently... I live in St Louis and our winter has been unseasonably warm (like 50s and 60s) some days and then will drop into the freezing range.  I think it's messing with her skin since it'll be kind of warm and then all of a sudden be really cold and dry. (Heck, it's messing with MY skin!)  Anyways, good to know that it's not uncommon for the kitty to have summer/winter allergies.

[animalangel1]

I have 6 cats and they ALL have dandruff right now. The air is dry here in winter and I really do need to bring the humidifier up from the basement.