Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My cat was diagnosed with a rodent ulcer today. She is 8 yrs old and has been having itching of her face and biting her feet. The vet gave her a long acting steroid injection (lasts 1 mos) and recommended a hypoallergenic feline food which they sell made by Science Diet. I switched her to the otc sensitive skin dry food by science diet last week and thought I will try that. Any suggestions for foods like the natural brands. I heard of using only china or metal instead of plastic (I use styrofoam plates). Poor cat I hate to see Molly with her scratched nose. She also has lost alot of whiskers on the side of the nose irritation. She has had skin issues in the past requiring steroids and antibiotics.

Hi There,

It sounds like Molly has multiple allergy problems going on, the rodent ulcer being one of them. The good news is that she should respond quite well to the long-lasting steroid injection. Unfortunately rodent ulcers will sometimes recur, so additional treatment may be needed once she heals from this one.

I highly recommend a canned food natural diet for Molly. Most dry foods for cats are full of grains that she might be allergic to, and also contain additives such as food dyes. I would go to a large pet store and start reading labels. Fish should be avoided in allergic cats so I would look for something with chicken, lamb, or turkey as the first ingredient. Rice and oats are ok grains for cats, corn and wheat should be avoided. Rabbit and venison are good protein sources but not available in many OTC cat foods. I think that Nature's Recipe still makes a rabbit and rice diet. If you can find that one it might be a good choice.

Take care, and please keep us updated on how Molly does.

Regards,
PHKitkat

It HAS BEEN 1 WEEK SINCE mOLYY GOT THE STEROID SHOT. yesterday evening I noticed some sneezing and today it is alot of sneezing plus watery eyes. I called the vet and the tech told me it could be allergies and she might need a antihistamine down the line. I thought her problems started around 2 weeks ago when the Christmas ornaments went up so today they are coming down and the entire place will get a thorough cleaning incase of dust allergies. I have tried various 'natural food' sold at petco and am going to try 1 can of the hypoallergenic prescribed cat food sold at the vet for a hefty $4 / can. I can see the rodent ulcer which seems to cause discomfort ( she holds her tongue out). I hate to see animals sick. I though of buying a air purifier . Any suggestions? Can vets do a allergy panel?

Hi Again,

One of the downsides of steroids is that they suppress the immune system and this can be why Molly got sick. Ironically, rodent ulcers are autoimmune so that is also why steroids work for them.

If Molly is eating normally, she probably will not have to be treated for her upper respiratory problem and should be recovering. Yes, vets can do allergy testing in cats, but some don't like to because the results are not as accurate as in other species. An air purifier certainly cannot hurt no matter what is causing the congestion, but food allergies tend to manifest in skin issues and gastrointestinal problems, not URI.

I am in the process of moving and haven't been online as much so I didn't see your second post until today. Please let me know how Molly is doing now.

Regards,
PHKitkat

It has been nearly 1 month since the steroid injection and i can see a rodent ulcer developing on the lower lips, each side. They are gross looking. I believe last time the ulcer was on the upper lip. I can tell that she has discomfort when eating but does still eat well. I picked up the Science Diet Z/D dry food which she does eat although one of my other cats seem to have developed diarrhea from it ( they all eat together). I tried the canned Z/D cat food and nobody would eat it. I have tried the natural cat foods and Wellness seems to be a favorite but they all seemed to prefer the cheaper cat foods. Does anone know about the hoslistic herbs/vits for cats? I am taking Molly back to the vet on MOnday. I am afraid on the steroids. Do cats have similar side effects from steroids as do humans?