Since Little Miss came into my life last October, she has had her
share of vet visits. She first had to get over her URI, and eye-gunk
infection. As soon as she got well from that, the next thing I know she
started have bleeding sores on her back, right between her shoulder
blades.  So off to the vet we go. At first they thought it was
ringworm, but the culture was clear. So then, the vet says that it is a
vaccine-related problem, and he has me put on this anti-itch cream for
six weeks. After six weeks of that treatment, she is still itching and
scratching and itching and scratching. Luckily, by this time I've
discovered that she prefers wearing doggie shirts to the e-collar, so
the damage to her back is minimal. By the time this whole ordeal is
over, she will have a much better wardrobe than I do. But, I digress
    So, she's been itching and scratching for over six weeks and the vet
is now worried. He says we need to have a biopsy cause there are
kitties who get vaccine associated saromas (VAS) and we need to be sure
she does not have cancer. He says that if she is still itching by the
time he does her spay surgery, he'll just do the biopsy at the same
time, that way it won't traumatize her so much.
    But wouldn't you know it? By the time of her spay, she's looking
much better. There are no lumps, and she hasn't scratched for a day
or so.  That means he doesn't do the biopsy. Of course, as soon as
she gets over that surgery, she starts itching and scratching again.
So, three weeks after her spay surgery, she's back at the vets and
this time, they shave her upper back and do major surgery. I stopped
counting the stitches at 20. This will stop her scratching, the vet
says. The good news, no cancer. The bad news: she's still itching and
scratching.
    Well, by this time and about $1000 poorer, I think I need a second
opinion and I need a vet who specializes in cats. So off we go to the
next vet. The surgery was necessary, they say, but she needs special
kitty topical cortisone. So, we try that for a while. No such luck.
She's still itching and scratching and bleeding. So back to the vet
we go. This time they say, go to a cat dermatologist. She may be
allergic to something, and she needs allergy tests. By the way, they
say she may have a food allergy, so here's some food to start her on.

    But then I don't think she has a food allergy. It's only one spot,
right between her shoulder blades that she scratches until she bleeds,
but we try the food for a week or so until I can get her to the vet. So
this vet says that it's probably vaccine-related. They don't know
for sure, but he's seen lots of kitties that have this sort of thing,
and he knows just what to do. He does not put her through the allergy
testing, but gives us Altopica, an anti-inflammatory drug. I end up
spending far less than I thought I would have to and am amazed at the
conservative approach and wish that I had come to this vet first. It's
the first vet who has seemed to know what the problem was right away,
at least this is a start.
    The hitch.  I have to give her a pill a day for 30 days.  Luckily, if
she doesn't take it from me, I can cut it open and squeeze out the
gell and put it in her food. Of course, wouldn't you know she was a
doll for the vet tech. She opened her mouth, not peep as she obediently
swallowed the pill. I laughed to myself knowing that I would have no
such luck. When I try the next morning, she simply sits there, closes
her jaw tight as can be and simply refuses to open up. So, *sigh* every
morning I cut open this little tiny pill and squeeze out this precious
little medicine and then coax her into taking it.  Smart cat! She knows
she's got me and plays this little power trick every single morning.
"No, I'm not going to open my mouth, or no, I don't like that
food."  *sigh* I never knew a 7 pound little cat could make me go
through such contortions, just to get her to take a pill she needs.
    But, this pill seems to have done the trick. I'll know the results
in a couple of weeks after I take off her shirt and see whether or not
she goes after that spot. In the last two weeks, her scratching has
decreased a lot and I'm hopeful for the first time since this saga
began that she can become a cat again, instead of a dressed-up cat,
although I have to admit she is rather striking in her red and yellow
shirt, or her faux fur sweater.
    She is a dear, though. If I had to spend the money to take care of her
again, I would gladly do so, and the upside is that I have become an
expert at cutting open little pills and squeezing out the middle.

Have a great day!

--JayJay, Cat Mom to the ever endearing Little Miss