At my wits end what’s wrong with my cat

[B3ck89]

Not an AIBU, but what can I do?

My cat has always been a bit of an over groomer but only ever to the point of being a bit bald by his tail ( no broken skin)
But for the last month or so my cat has been licking and biting himself to the point his skin is broken and very sore. So after vet trips, Steroids and anti biotics it’s no better and I have no idea what to do
Previous diagnosis have been stress and a flea allergy but nothing is clearing him up.
He’s waiting to get a biopsy done, but in the mean time I have got a litter tray and put the cone of shame on him.
He’s extremely annoyed to say the least, he will hardly move all day and is refusing to use the litter tray.
He let out some loud noises earlier and I assume he’s desperate for the toilet.
I don’t know what else to do with him, the second the collar comes off he is nibbling and making himself red raw.
Anyone have any experience with an outdoor loving cat that has to stay in? I’m literally tearing my hair out on how to keep him happy but stopping him from licking himself to the bone

My cat has milliary dermatitis which is basically a skin allergy reaction that can be caused by various irritants. We never got the specific cause from our vets and had tests/checks for fleas, mites, food allergies etc. but little luck with finding the reason for her flare ups. She doesn’t seem too bothered by it, she loses fur from her eyebrows, lower belly, base of her tail and hind legs.

After a fair few consultations with the vet we were advised that we can care for her at home with antihistamines as a preventative and sensitive skin cat shampoo when she does lose fur(we mix it with water, soak a small towel in it, wring the towel out and then gently wrap her in it).

Now we only have to take her in if she gets large scabbing patches (also normal for milliary dermatitis) that may be getting infected or if she scratches too much and makes them worse.

She goes through long stretches without fur loss, then it randomly flares up, lasts a few weeks and then goes away again. This has been happening since she turned 7.

Hope you get some results that are easy enough to deal with OP and hope your kitty feels better soon.

DP's shown a passing interest in what I'm wasting my time on.

He's asked, purely theoretically, of course,

'If one were to wish to place a cat sized animal into human infant clothing, say if they were heartily sick of picking a million Goosegrass seeds out of their fur every day, or simply wished to humiliate the bastards dress the darling creatures in a little suit for shits and giggles - what size Babygro would a theoretical purchaser need to order?'

I'm guessing 0-3 months, but I'm not sure.

Hypothetically I'd suggest 3-6 or 6-9, depending on the cat.

9-12 was just slightly too big for mine, but she is a curvy girl!

My cat gets allergic dermatitis in the summer, probably from something growing in the fields around us. After several years of having to take her to the vets for steroids and antibiotics we saw a vet who recommended that we feed her half a cetirizine hayfever tablet every day from April to October. We started doing that and haven't had a problem since. The tablet doesn't seem to affect her in any other way (it sends me to sleep!), it doesn't seem to taste nasty, we just crush it and sprinkle it onto her food. Why don't you ask your vet whether it might help.

Wait, are you saying he's a male that isn't urinating? Get him to a vet, now. This can be an emergency. Male cats urethra is very thin and can be totally blocked by inflammation due to stress and/or bacteria. Female cats get it too (had this a few weeks ago with mine) but because the urethra is wider they can typically still urinate so less a medical emergency but still an urgent care job. If you have a male cat that isn't peeing, you must get him medical attention immediately.

What a lovely cat @lellochip! I can also recommend greenies pill pockets. They're not cheap but saved y mum's cat (also an allergic overgroomer) from having to have a pill forced down every day.

I am astonished by all these cats in babygros! Mine went fucking nuts when we tried that after she was spayed, it was a bloodbath. Would be more than my life is worth to try that again. Or bathing. It takes two of us to hold her still to run a cleaning wipe over her.

One of my old cats had a flea allergy. Even one bite caused her distress so we swapped flea drops for a collar and that seemed to work much much better as it repelled them rather than killed them once they'd bitten. Maybe worth a try?

Get some stinky stuff cream it's amazing

Another one here for the plug in. Our severely pissed off cat who was terrified of the toddler has grown his fur back

My ex stray rescue boy was half bald when he adopted him last year. SSPCA said flea allergy. He is treated monthly for this which was keeping it a bay to an extent but the over grooming was still there and he'd go through phases of frantically over washing and then letting it settle for a couple of weeks.
I bought a Feliway and that seemed to make a huge difference very quickly. After a few months I changed his biscuits to a much higher meat content and lower grain content. The difference is remarkable. Last year at his best he still had a baldy belly and inner back legs. He now has full and luxuriant coat and seems so much happier. Good luck, hope it all works out.