Kitty Eczema - a safe approach

**columbine** · 12-22-2006, 12:07 AM

Of course you don't want to put anything on a cat's dry itchy patches that you don't want the cat swallowing. I get eczema myself, and used to glop Desitin ointment on the tops of my feet when they were rendered huge itch patches by dry weather. And if you take the zinc and petroleum out of Desitin, what do you mostly get? Cod liver oil. A cat can eat that, right?

Smudge had a big eczematous lesion above and beside his eye for months - the moment it would start healing (and itching) he'd start whacking at it. So one night I volunteered to "rub his itch" - after dunking my finger in cod liver oil.

Well, he washed for about 45 minutes, torn between "You got goo on me!" and "This goo sure tastes good!" And it looks less red and angry today. I don't know if I'll get away with it again, but I really think it helped.

Love, Columbine

**lvpets2002** · 12-22-2006, 03:40 PM

On My girls I have used olive oil {just a dab} & or {just a dab} of petroleum jelly..

**columbine** · 03-29-2007, 09:16 PM

I'm so proud of Smudge! Yesterday he had a really big hot lesion under his ear. I put a bit of cod liver oil in a dish, stuck my finger in it and gave it to him to smell - and instead of cringing away or running off, he turned to show me his ouchie so I could rub it. I rubbed lots of yummy stinky cod liver oil into it, he spent 45 minutes washing it off (but hopefully rubbing it in too) and we did it again tonight. I am going to GLUE him back together with cod liver oil if I have to! And he's my number one co-conspirator.

Love, Columbine

**saphira** · 04-27-2007, 04:45 PM

HI! I'm giving Yazzmyna cod liver oil on top of her yogurt and ground dried liver. I haven't thought of rubbing it into her "Persian Dirty Face" but I'm going to. Thanks for the idea- maybe it will help!

**columbine** · 04-27-2007, 06:58 PM

Originally Posted by saphira

HI! I'm giving Yazzmyna cod liver oil on top of her yogurt and ground dried liver. I haven't thought of rubbing it into her "Persian Dirty Face" but I'm going to. Thanks for the idea- maybe it will help!

I've since learned that cats can overdose on vitamins A and D (like are in cod liver oil) so I tried rubbing straight vitamin E oil on Smudge's face, since there's no known toxic dose in the cat. Well, the only hard part was getting it onto his face before he licked it all! He liked it BETTER than cod liver oil. I wouldn't recommend it if Yazzmyna's small and frail, though, as in sufficient quantity it can be an appetite suppressant in cats.

After all this, I took Smudge to the vet, and she gave him an injection of Depo-Medrol and all his lesions cleared up immediately. Even his chin, which I'd thought was just normal cat acne. I think he's allergic to humans! But right now he's a happy little fellow, growing the soft fluff & whiskers back on his handsome face. If the only way to keep the lesions away is to keep hauling him back for shots, I'll do that; but his mostly gets the ouchies in spring and fall, which are the times for his regular checkup anyway.

And here's His Gorgeousness himself, chillin' in his den! OK, so I sprayed the towel liberally with Feliway, but that was weeks ago...

Love, Columbine

**saphira** · 04-27-2007, 11:17 PM

Wow! he is a hunk all right! Yes Yazzmyna is small tho I wouldn't say frail. She weighs six pounds. She does have alot of hair. she is silver shaded. Wouldn't they make cute babies? Mine is spayed tho. Maybe I should switch fron Cod liver oil to Vit E. The cod l. o. is very low dose. I'm willing to try anything!

**columbine** · 04-28-2007, 08:45 AM

Originally Posted by saphira

Wow! he is a hunk all right! Yes Yazzmyna is small tho I wouldn't say frail. She weighs six pounds. She does have alot of hair. she is silver shaded. Wouldn't they make cute babies? Mine is spayed tho. Maybe I should switch fron Cod liver oil to Vit E. The cod l. o. is very low dose. I'm willing to try anything!

Smudge is neutered too, but the imaginary kittens would indeed be lovely! He's 13.5 pounds - not overweight, just large in general (I think he's mostly Maine Coon with a dash of Angora) so carrying them might be kind of overwhelming to little Yazzmyna!

Anyway, if you're trying to get a good balance of skin/hair nutrients, try 3V caps. healthypets.com has them, and it's Smudge's second favorite treat after his nightly CET fish chew - he's gonzo over those! It's a tooth-cleaning treat that, while it smells really fishy itself, totally cleared up Smudge's bad breath. They come in chicken flavor too, but Smudge is a first-rate fishaholic.

Love, Columbine