overgrooming and scratching

[sdra]

Hi
I've a gorgeous rescue cat, female 8 years. She's quite scared but now has grown to trust me and is just lovely and friendly with me. We've had her for 3 months now. She's been overgrooming and scratching to the point she was bleeding on her legs. We took her to the vets a couple of months ago and he put it down to stress and gave her antibiotics and steroids. No fleas. Suggested feliway, which we have. Anyway, she's still doing it. It improved a bit but she's doing it loads again. She sicks up massive furballs. We still have feliway and I've started using Zyplene (sp?) in her food. She has a safe space under our bed. She's very scared of our two children (6 and 8) but has improved since she first got here. She has all day in a quiet space and can go out when she wants, though she seems to be more of a housecat. I am in all day. Do I take her back to the vets? I've read through threads on here and some people suggest grain free or prescription diets. Can anyone recommend any that I can try before going to the vets again? I'm also wondering if it's linked to her bladder. She drinks a lot, but doesn't seem to have any pain when going to the loo though. No fleas. She's up to date with that. It seems to be her ears which she scratches a lot. They are quite dirty and I have some ear cleaner from the vets but she won't let me anywhere near her to do it, and it's supposed to be 2x day, which is never going to happen! Anymore advice before I book another appointment? I'm happy to go to the vets but it will stress her more so if I could try a food first? I thought maybe the excess drinking could also be linked to the food not agreeing with her. She's on Purina Senior 1 and felix As Good as It looks, which is what she was one at the cat rescue place. Thank you!

Just place marking as we have the same problem!

Unlikely to be diet related. This will be stress. Anxious cats don't do well in households with children. They really don't like the sudden unpredictable movements of children and loud noises. Try to train you children to move slowly and deliberately when near the cat, and to never try to pick her up, all contact with the cat should be initiated by the cat, she should eventually learn to trust them.
Zylkene is good, she might just need more time (my rescue took 6 months to properly relax). If not then fluoxitine is used very successfully in anxious pets.
Excess drinking needs investigating though, firstly measure her daily intake to see if she really is drinking excessively (should be about 50ml/kg/day, some of which can be from food if on wet food). Cats on dry food do drink quite a lot. Ears, might be ear mites, would need treatment from the vet, prescription flea stuff usually works for ear mites too. Good luck and thankyou for giving a rescue kitty a home (I work in cat rescue).

Thanks @CatOclock I'll keep an eye on her legs and give it a bit more time then take her back to the vets after xmas I think. And I'll check her water intake. She just drinks more than her mate I've noticed. But yes perhaps it's not excessive. It probably is about 50ml a day. She drinks her whole bowl each day whereas Mog drinks probably half a bowl a day.

Though saying that perhaps she does have ear mites. The vet did look before but just said they were dirty and gave me drops. I'll try and look later and perhaps go pre xmas

It's like having another child to worry about! (Though I do so love her😍)

Some cats just don't cope well in noisy households unfortunately.

Does she get on well with the other cat? No arguments over resources or space?

I know you say no fleas but my normally happy sociable cat became withdrawn and was over grooming when he last had fleas. The vet couldn’t find any but said flea treatment was the first line of treatment and come back if it doesn’t work. He was a different cat a couple of days later. If you haven’t treated recently with a vet prescribed flea treatment I would try that first.