ajcpets

Chewing cat, Sniffling cat

Posted by PetDish
Monday, September 22nd, 2008 at 8:19 am

7 Comments

We found some of the best pet experts in metro Atlanta. Look for your answers every Monday. Today’s advice comes from Dr. Drew Weigner of the The Cat Doctor. See all the AJCPets experts. And feel free to submit questions in the form of a comment today.

Q: My 4 year old calico has been biting her front leg obsessively for many years now. She has been on and off three types of medication (they work for a while and then she starts up again). We have had to put a cone on her, but she is so down and out with it on, and it still doesn’t keep her from chewing on the bottom part of her legs. I’m assuming that its an OCD issue, but wanted to see if you had any thoughts.
A: Chewing, itching, and hair loss are fairly common symptoms in cats. The causes tend to fall into three categories: fungal infections, diseases that cause itching, and those that do not. Fungal infections (also called “ringworm” but has nothing to do with worms) are easy to diagnose by performing a fungal culture, a simple test that can be done in your veterinarian’s office. The treatment is straightforward and usually results in a cure.
Itchy skin diseases, like hypersensitivities and autoimmune diseases are more complicated to diagnose but respond temporarily to long-acting anti-inflammatory injections. If she improves from the injection (and the fungal culture is negative) something is causing her to itch and further tests can be done to identify exactly what is causing the problem. If she doesn’t improve, the likely cause is psychologic. These conditions respond poorly to drug therapy and can be frustrating to treat. They sometimes respond to pheromones or behavioral therapy.
Two other uncommon causes are skin parasites (such as mites) and endocrine diseases, such as Cushing’s Disease. The test to diagnose mites is simple but frequently negative, even when mites are present. Diagnosing endocrine diseases requires a complete medical work up but often appears with other symptoms, such as increased thirst and urination.
Finally, if nothing else works, ask your veterinarian to refer your cat to a board certified veterinary dermatologist. These specialists are trained in the most advanced diagnostic methods and treatments and can often help in frustrating cases.

Q: My 3 year old Abyssinian has a “nasal fungus” that he’s had since he was a kitten. Two doctors and thousands later, there is no change - he still sounds like Darth Vader! I give him prednisolone every couple of days but I think this is more for my state of mind than anything else. Have you any thoughts on this?
A: Sinus infections are one of the most frustrating diseases veterinarians see in cats. There are many possible causes including viruses, nasal tumors, and allergies, but many cases go undiagnosed despite complete medical workups and intensive therapy. While fungal infections are not the most common cause, they are one of the few that can often be cured with proper diagnosis and therapy. A complete medical workup includes x-rays, cultures, and biopsies but once a fungal infection is diagnosed, a long course of antifungal medication is usually curative if the proper medication is used long enough.
It’s also possible for a fungal infection to occur secondary to another underlying disease, such as a nasal tumor or an unrelated disease affecting his immune system, such as Feline Leukemia, diabetes, etc. In this case it can be difficult, if not impossible, to cure the infection. The bottom line is if he really has a nasal fungus and it isn’t getting better, why not?

This entry was posted on Monday, September 22nd, 2008 at 8:19 am and is filed under Cat behavior, Ask an expert, Pet Dish. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.