Cat injuring self with scratching

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DCat has gone mad in the past few days/weeks. First she scratched a bleeding wound into her neck and it took ages to heal because she wouldn't leave it alone. Then gradually even as the first wound improved, she's been scratching more and more little wounds on her shoulders. The past couple of days, she's gone totally scratch-mad and there are now several bleeding patches on her body. I hardly ever catch her scratching, it's something she seems to carefully do in private.

She is old, maybe 16-ish, has gone slightly deaf over the past year, but otherwise has been perfectly sprightly. She's regularly treated with Advantage and checked thoroughly for fleas.

Haven't changed her food brand or litter brand or routine in months. Having said that, I bought some Anicura gel for when she scratched the first wound, and it seemed to work a treat for getting her to stop scratching it so it could heal. So I guess that is a change in diet/routine (licking it up during grooming?).

Can't get a vet appointment for almost two weeks. After today's scratch-fest, I'm not sure there will be a cat left to attend the appointment by then.

Can you get a bodysuit to stop the scratching? My parents cat is currently in one and being surprisingly good about it.

My cat used to do this and needed medicine from the vet each time it happened ( once a year or so). He also had terrible dandruff and it was worse on cheap food

We had this with my youngest cat as a kitten, I tried taping up his back feet individually, homemade cone shaped soft collars, cut up socks to make rings around his neck, trimmed nails. Vets were no help. It took nearly a year for him to stop scratching huge bloody holes out of himself and for them to heal, he's been fine since. With an older cat I'd go for vet advice. If they can't help, try every I tried I guess.

My cat does this in warm weather. He can’t seem to cope in summer (obvs not your cat’s issue). He gets into a bad over-grooming and scratching and takes lumps out of himself. Injection (can’t recall if antihistamine or steroid) from vet sorts it out...till the next year.

Just been through this with our 13 year old cat. It was treated as wet eczema took about 4 weeks, the cone of shame and £££££ but it's healed up nicely and her fur is starting to grow back.

Thanks for the replies!

So for now after reading the suggestions, I have dressed DCat in an old baby vest. I'm going to order a cat outfit and maybe some little socks. I just want something to ease her wounds until the vet appointment, poor old threadbare creature.

Mine had a cone of shame put on by the vet as it was her face and she spun the thing around and around and around until the bandage had created wounds 🤦🏼‍♀️

This is what she did to her own face by over grooming the scratches she had given herself

Ring your vet again and tell them it's urgent. There will be appointments available.

Or ring around other local practices. She'll be itchy and painful and needs to be seen

Intense itchy ness in the neck is usually an allergic response but that odd in a 16 year old cat that's never had those signs before

In the short term ask them for advice on antihistamines for cats, and order a soft fabric buster collar from Amazon

Thanks Vetinari - I called when they opened this morning and said it was urgent, and have got an appointment for later this week.