Overgrooming, vets or not?

[Hemskis]

Lucy moved in almost two weeks when I adopted her and Jas from a local rescue. Lucy is a very scared cat but is starting to settle in and will take treats and have the occasional cuddle.
The rescue said she was allergic to flea bites but she is up to date in flea treatment. I think she has been overgrooming from the stress of moving and she now has bald patches by each ear and by one leg. One area is looking really sore.
I'm going to have to take her to the vet aren't I? The insurance isn't valid yet but I don't mind paying, it's the trauma for Lucy of going to the vet that I'm worried about. She is such a scaredy cat and I feel like this will really set her back. On the other hand I don't want her to be I'll or get worse. Giving her any treatment will be very tricky. I've tried calling the rescue for advice and they said they would call back but haven't yet. Any advice would be gratefully received, even if it's telling me to get a grip and brave the vets.

Just like humans can often go to the pharmacy before they go to the GP there are lots of things you can do for your pets at home before going to the vets (and resorting to steroids)!

I would try treating her with natural options for fleas like Billy No Mates. It will help improve her overall gut health too and gives pets such lovely healthy skin and coat.

Or if you wanted to stick to the pharmaceutical flea treatments then I’d suggest helping her skin & coat (and overall health) with something like Keepers Mix from Dorwest.

And to get to the actual cause of what’s making her overgroom in the first place: help her out with her stress levels while she settles in with some valerian. (Dorwest do both a tablet and liquid form of this.)

You can also put neem on sore patches. So if her skin is irritated anything with neem in will really help her. (And it also repels fleas.)

Basically, I’m saying jumping straight to the vets isn’t always necessary. (Especially when they prescribe steroids for itching/scratching/bald spots/dry skin/over grooming.) They definitely have their place but the thing with steroids is that suppress the symptoms and they don’t fix the original problem or improve health.

I understand what you are saying, but with bleeding skin and signs of infection I don't think it's appropriate to hold off. My beloved Ruby died in December and that started off as a simple ear infection. I'm doing all I can. She is being moved on to a grain free diet, I'm giving her fish oil supplements in her food.

Absolutely agree that with signs of infection you need the vet. I’m not convinced that steriods (before trying other things) are the answer though.

I'm doing all I can.
She sounds really lucky to have you. I bet she settles in in no time.

Check out the valerian if you get the time. It could help with her stress and therefore stop her overgrooming. My own cat is having it at the moment and it’s very easy to use: I just put a drop in her food.

Thank you, I'm finding this so stressful and it's bringing back my grief over Ruby.

I will definitely get valerian or similar to add to her food. I'm happy for her to have all the time she needs to settle and be happy as long as she isn't ill. At least she won't have to go back to get flea and parasite treatments, that's all set up and sorted now.

That’s the main thing. If it’s a flea allergy then preventing her suffering from fleas will prevent the problem. Hope she feels more relaxed soon.
You can get a feliway spray. I used to spray a towel and wrap it over the carrier. (Obviously making sure it doesn’t make them overheat etc!)

It is now recognised that most overgrooming is cause by a skin or pain problem in cats. This article from icat care summaries the possible causes.
My cat has atopy, but is caused by a food allergy and it is completely controlled on a hydrolysed diet.
In some cats it is pain, feline hyperaesthesia syndrome and bladder pain are very common causes.

A little update. 2 days since the vet visit and Lucy won't come downstairs yet so I've put a litter tray upstairs and I bring her, her dinner. It's got fish oil and calming drops in it so I like to see her eat. She is much calmer than when we got back from the vet and her bald patches look like she hasn't scratched them so I'm feeling cautiously optimistic.