Urgent Help needed for my cat Please.

Hi All,
Please can anyone help? This afternoon I have to take my cat Sam to the vet's as he has once again licked his tummy raw.I have only just finished paying for his last hospitalisation & treatment (over £200!!)for the same thing.Has anyone any experience of this? and can suggest anything to help my poor cat? Does anyone know of any treatment that works? The treatment my vet gives is on with an elizabethan collar and treats the sore spots with cream(Fuciderm & an anaesthetic cream) which does improve things but takes such a long time(last time 3 weeks)and Sammy has to be hospitalised as I can't cope with him like this at home as he has to be kept in of course,which he does not like,and he will not use a litter tray,just goes round & round the house crying and wailing all day and night,and as we live in a small bungalow we can't cope.So as you can imagine it is so upsetting for him and us. So any suggestions anyone can make I will be so thankful for.Please,please help us if you can.Sorry for such a long post but I'm desperate.Thanks for reading,Judo.

Hi Judo, did your vet say why your cat licks his tummy raw?

Is he a 'highly strung' individual, doing this as a stress reliever? Perhaps a DAP diffuser might help? http://www.wormers.co.uk/acatalog/Behavioural.html
I've no personal experience, so can't actually recommend but it might be worth a try.
Perhaps other DWs have used and can tell you more?

Hello and welcome to the site btw!

Hi Hevvur,
Thanks for replying. The vet did a blood test for allergies but they came back negative so we don't know why he does it.I know it's worse in the spring & summer when he goes outside more,so I think even though the tests came back neg. that it is something he gets in which makes him itchy and then he overlicks to relieve the itching.

Some animals are allergic to grass - which would explain why it could be worse in the spring and summer, if he is going out more?
It could be an allergy to his food?

Hi Dinahsmum,
Thanks for the reply and the welcome.I've just had a look at the link you gave,it seems more for dogs,would it work for cats too?
Sam was a rescue cat and had a pretty horrendous time of it before we adopted him so he is quite nervous still even though we've had him for 7 years,so I guess it could be.I'll suggest it to the vet,see what she thinks.Thanks,Judo.

Hi again,
It's not his food as he was on a special diet and it made no difference,and I think the test covered grass allergy,although that's not conclusive.Thanks for the suggestions though.It's very worrying.

does he lick it and cause the area?
what did the vets call the problem. is he causing hot spots.
if so the only treatment i know is the creams to clear it.
has the vets done any tests to find out if /what he is sensative too?

The 'Feliway' is specifically for cats. There are probably others if you do an internet search. Can't do any harm, won't react with any medicines and it might just calm him enough to break the 'overgrooming' habit, which is a classic symptom of stress in cats.

Good luck

Hi Judo
sounds a bit like a stress related over grooming if allergies have been ruled out. I had a cat have a temporary problem like this when we brought a new cat into the house, once they worked out the pecking order it stopped. The DAP diffuser is a good idea - you can get feline ones. Also it might be worth visiting your local health food shops for a herbal remedy, it was a while ago and I can't remember what exactly we used but it was something with a calming effect, I know it wasn't Rescue Remedy, but they should be able to give you advice on what to use