I got my cats back what? a little over a month ago? Hell, I can't remember.

My tortoiseshell has what seems like some kind of dermatitis issue (or it could even be mange or some mite-related thing) that appeared to clear up when I brought her home, but it's back...and it seems like with a vengeance. Until I can get time to take her to the vet, I need to try to wash and groom her, but she's pretty difficult to handle. Any suggestions?

Are there any mild sedatives that you can give a cat prior to this kind of job (and with Roo, it will be a JOB)? Seems like I've actually heard about diphenhydramine (active ingredient in Benadryl and often used as a sedative) being used with animals, but obviously NOT in 25mg doses like we as adults use.

Or should I suck it up, take time off of work, and take Roo to the vet ASAP? I'm actually planning on doing it next Saturday (when the vet here is open) if I can wait that long.

7/13/2007 10:03:42 AM

How severe is it?

My cat has skin issues as well, and my vet was like 'well, we can just give her steroids on a regular basis'. It's not that bad. I only care because
1) the constant scratching is irritating
2) at some point, she may inadvertently open up her skin, and things go rapidly downhill after that.

No thx.
So I'm looking into alternatives, and elise works at a vet, and named a shampoo that is escaping me right now, but in the meantime (my cat also doesn't like baths. That might be exacerbated by my thinking that giving a cat a bath while drunk is a good idea) I give her tuna for the fatty acids, and it has REALLY helped.

You could also give her fish oil.

[Edited on July 13, 2007 at 10:18 AM. Reason : alsjd]

7/13/2007 10:17:24 AM

A couple of good ideas...I have both tuna and fish oil. I think I need to spoil her a little more, anyway. Daytona's the biggest attention whore, and he hogs it. Of course, the only thing that gets on my nerves when scratching or petting Roo is that she feels like she has to reciprocate and washes my hand and arm constantly.

I either get drooled on by a big orange cat or I get licked by a petite tortoiseshell cat. But it's better than a dog any day.

7/13/2007 10:30:08 AM

Mindy ALWAYS licks me. At first I thought it was because she liked the salt or whatever on my skin, and then it hit me that, oh, she loves me, and is doing me a 'favor' by 'grooming' me I just try to get her to lick my elbows and exfoliate those, instead of pushing her away, because she comes right back.

Damn cat

It has helped. I just gave her her first tuna two weeks ago today, and haven't given her any this week (), and I could tell a difference in ~4 days. I just give her a heaping tablespoon's worth.

BTW, credit for this goes to seedless.

7/13/2007 10:32:44 AM

I own mindy's mom, and she has skin issues and i developed an allergy to her when she got so dandruffy. i bathe her in relief shampoo and creme rinse and her dander goes away and so does my allergy! :-D

7/13/2007 11:36:20 AM

Roo's isn't so much dander as it is rash or breakout. I haven't seen many, if any fleas on her, and am reluctant to put Frontline on her, as my ex-wife has said she doesn't handle it well (no real elaboration, and I really don't care to call her).

I'll wash her this evening; oughta be really fun.

I'll leave Daytona to the pros...that's worse that wrestling 'gators, I swear. I've washed him ONCE and came away looking like I'd flown through a brier patch.

7/13/2007 12:01:06 PM

yeah i would def. take roo to a vet. they might find an underlying issue that needs to be addressed.

a good medicated shampoo couldn't hurt though. not the flea/tick kind if you know she doesn't have them.

petsmart has a good selection of them.

also have you tried the dry shampoo? that's what i use on my cats before their monthly baths. it works really well and the cats tolerate it since they think it's me loving on them by petting.

it comes in disposable cloths and in a bottle.

have you been brushing them frequently? both a bristle brush and a cat comb to get out loose hair.`

7/13/2007 12:51:03 PM

I brush them at least a couple times a week. Daytona has the greasy streak in the middle of his back because he's so damn big he can't reach it when he's washing himself. His skin is also very sensitive in this area, so I brush him to help work loose the dirt and dander. Otherwise, his coat is beautiful. He's a really awesome looking cat. Fucker is big as hell. 20 lbs.

I will definitely get Roo to the vet soon, though. Her fur is really beautiful when it's in good shape, and I think that in the last couple of months, the moving situation and her former living situation stressed the hell out of her. And it shows.

7/13/2007 1:49:32 PM

Well, you could bring him to my grooming shop and we'll shave them for you... that would probably help with the dander issue, and if you needed to get a medicated shampoo on him more frequently, it wouldn't be as hard to bathe him/dry him due to the coat.

7/14/2007 9:25:46 AM

I had my medium/long haired tabby shaved last week and it's really helped with dander and skin issues, plus he really loved it and his fur is soft (feels like velvet)

7/14/2007 11:00:51 AM

My mom has a cat named Priscilla with really long, cream-colored fur (white belly)...she almost looks like a Ragamuffin, if you're into the breeds and whatnot. She's very short, and even appears kind of petite...until you try and pick her up. SOLID. She must weigh almost as much as Daytona...

But anyway, Mom doesn't have time to groom her (and she needs it FREQUENTLY) so she just gets her shaved. She looks funny as hell.

7/14/2007 1:50:49 PM

I can say one thing for certain, no cat likes to get groomed. I have the scars and the stories. Fish oil, good for skin and coat.

dew it.

7/14/2007 10:48:51 PM

fish oil as in the stuff that comes in the clear pills?

or is there something better?

7/14/2007 11:33:51 PM

Ahaha, what a creepy cat guy. You know, calling them by name and everything in this thread.

7/15/2007 2:04:56 AM

^ How is that creepy? Did your parents not let you name pets when you were a kid?

7/15/2007 3:08:09 AM

To answer your original Q: You can get a small syringe (10ml or less), fill it with about 2.5 -3.0ml worth of benadryl for a normal sized adult cat. Wrap the cat in your choice of armor and squirt it into the side of their mouth a little at a time.

It may work as a sedative, but the big thing is that diphenhydramine is also an antihistamine and should help with the itching/scratching.

7/15/2007 2:39:12 PM

I feed my cat Nutro Indoor cat food.... then I got a roommate who had a cat and we chose to go with a cheaper food and my cat's fur got rougher and he got dandriff. As soon as she was gone I switched back and his coat got alot better....

just my $.02

7/15/2007 10:01:31 PM