I have a 2 year old indoor cat that has been scratching his neck so much that he has an open sore on it. Trust me, he has no fleas. I put one of those funnel collars on him to prevent him from scratching and used a topical antibacterial salve on the open sore. That spot is healed but now when I take the collar off he is doing it again. Anyone have any ideas why he might be doing this?
He may have some sort of an allergy. Get him to the vet because it could become infected and then you'd have a whole other problem and he could get really sick. (09/08/2005)
By Maryeileen
My cat was scratching and chewing his front and back legs in the same way (no pests). The vet concluded he is either allergic to something, or he is stressed out. Try de-stressing your cat, especially if you just moved or someone new is living there or something like that.
Also think about whether you might be feeding your cat something new, or maybe you brought in a new piece of furniture or clothes recently that may be made of something or have something in it that he is allergic to (maybe something as strange a throw cushion from a house with a dog, and the dog's dander is still in the cushion -- that's what it was for my cat!!) (09/08/2005)
By
My cat suffers from Feline Acne and often scratches his neck to an opened wound. It is quite common among cats. My cats acne only acts up certain times of the year, under his chin, on his little fluffy cheeks and around his neck. Hope this helps and good luck:) (09/09/2005)
By Lisa
Are the insides of his ears dirty? He may have ear mites. When my cat had ear mites he scratched his neck and shoulders raw. A good oatmeal pet shampoo may help him also, make sure it's one that's made to use on cats. (09/18/2005)
By wendy
Our cat does the same thing. Traced it back to fragrance in her litter (we switched brands and went to the cheaper clump kind). She is fine with non-fragrance and non baking-soda litter. (10/09/2007)
By John Smith
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My cat is scratching her neck so much that she made holes in both sides of her neck, no fleas, not sure what it is. I am taking her to the vet tomorrow, but my advice is to every one that wants to know how to keep the cat from ripping a hole back in it's neck (or make it bigger from the constant scratching). A sock doesn't work, and the cat's probably hot; and who wants a satellite disk around the cats neck?
It's simple, at your local Petsmart (or other pet store), there is a product that is sold to prevent your cat from clawing up the furniture, carpet, etc. that is made as an alternative for declawing your cat. In a nutshell,they are little rubber "caps" that are super glued on each one of the claws encasing them to prevent the sharp part from penetrating anything. (yes, it looks like the cat has French tips) well when she scratched holes in her neck, I said why not glue them on the back claws.
It worked, the wounds healed, but she hasn't stopped scratching at it, which is why she's going to the vet. The "caps" are harmless, but don't leave them on indefinitely, because the nail won't wear down like normal, and could grow in a circle pressing back into the paw , causing discomfort to the cat. To remove them simply cut off with nail clippers, but be careful you don't cut the cats "cuticle". So just keep a watch periodically for the cat to have pulled one or two off, just reapply the glue inside a cap, and stick it back on.
By the way, this process is simple with two people,one person holding the cat and the other person preparing the caps, one at a time, and then with one hand pressing the paw to reveal a nail, and using the other to slightly pinch the rubber cap top and bottom to spread the sides open to make it easier to push it all the way on quickly before the super glue sticks to the nail. Then pinch the sides onto the claw to ensure good adhesion.
It's helpful to have a little cat nip handy so when you hurry up and stress out the cat by messing with her feet, she forgets about it as soon as you get done, plus your supposed to hold the cat for five minutes after you glue on the last cap to allow it to dry, and so the cat doesn't pull them off right away.
Good luck with this step after already holding the cat for five minutes gluing stuff on it's feet. Do yourself a favor and buy the $2.00 cat nip while your getting the cat's "booties". (12/09/2007)
By Tim
Even if the cat's ears look clean, clean them with a q-tip gently and then put a pinch of boric acid powder in each ear. Do this twice a week and see if the cat stops scratching. Often if a cat has no fleas and is doing a lot of scratching for no obvious reason, ear mites may be the underlying cause. (09/19/2008)
By Spiritwolf
My cat has been scratching her neck for what seems like years now. She doesn't have fleas, and she doesn't have ear mites. Every year I mention this yet again to her vet during her annual visit, and every year he has no answer as to why she scratches. He says some cats just have sensitive skin. The scratching isn't constant, but it is usually fairly aggressive. It tends to bug me, possibly more than it does her. The amount of scratching is the same year round. Our home is pretty clean: litter box, food bowls, cat perches etc. about as clean as you're likely to find. Dust may be the only thing that ever collects more than a tiny bit. Who knows? (09/28/2008)
By Mel
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