[Doreen]

About a week ago I noticed Mitsi's forehead was a little pink, it has been like that a few times, but usually in addition to a red and swollen eye, probably due to allergy. We don't know what causes it, but it seems to happen at this time each year. Her eyes have been clear this time, just the skin above the eye has been a little pink. I just noticed about 20 minutes ago that she must have been scratching it, and has caused it to bleed, and has scratched out a hunk of hair as well. So far I have been keeping a close eye on her, she has not scratched that area at all, but something has changed today. We have a vet appointment at 3pm today. Does anyone have any experience with this kind of thing, we can't work out what she is allergic to, if that is it. In the past few years she has never scratched herself like this either.



Paranoid Mum here...

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[Cuddleton]

Inca who lives with my SIL gets the same thing in the same place. We believe she is alergic to something that flowers in spring. She gets better when she goes to my MIL to stay so we think it is something in the garden or the neighbours garden. Inca can go into the courtyard. She never rubs on anything though. It gets bad then goes away.

[CatsRU]

Poor Mitsi.

Doreen, do you have any mossies at the moment?

[Doreen]

No Rosanne, I haven't seen mossies around. It seems a general pinkness above the eye, the one that usually gets swollen and red, but this time the eye is fine. Thanks Pamela, good to know that maybe it is just an allergy, but I have never seen Mitsi scratch the area like that before, or at all. I wonder if the vet might have a cortisone cream, but she would probably lick that off. Roll on 3pm....

[Winscar]

Winnie used to get this too in the same spot. Again the vet put it down to something setting it off at this time of year. Winnie was known to have really sensitive skin, never liked to be brushed and always had a reaction to whatever flea treatment I used. It would look like that he would scratch and then it would go away.

Wonder if the dust from the other week is playing havoc still.

Good luck with the vet visit.

[Kicol]

Poor Mitsi Doreen and poor you. I think I remember last year you were posting about the same problem, so maybe as others have said, it's an allergy to some Spring plants or flowers, or even fertilizer - although not sure if you use any in your garden. Hoping you get some answers and some medication to treat this problem.

[Doreen]

Thanks Trish, so maybe I am being paranoid... but I'll get it checked out just in case.

Yes Alicia, last year she had a swollen eye with it, but this year so far her eye has been fine. Fingers crossed whatever it is will go away soon. I haven't planted anything new in my garden for 2 months, I have only just bought seedlings for summer this morning, but she was scratched and bleeding when I got home with them, so it wasn't the seedlings that caused the irritation.

[Kicol]

Do you have any bulbs in the garden that come back every Spring?

[charleycat]

Ooh, poor Mitsi - it looks very irritated and must really annoy her. Sending and hope the nasty irritant is found and eliminated!

[burgie]

Oh no, poor Mitsi.

Hopefully it is just an allergy, with all this wind blowing around she may have just picked up something.

Let us know how the vet trip goes.

[Furkidz]

Doreen - have a check on her tummy too - under the arms, groin etc.
One of my boys had something similar and I never believed it - but it was a flea allergy!
I honestly didn't belive he had fleas until the vet found one - just one!
He had been on an allergy diet, creams etc too.

I would have a good guess it's an allergy to something - finding the source is the hardest part.

[furball]

I agree, allergy too. As Heidi said, finding the culprit is the difficult part.

Good luck with the Vet and give Mitsi a cuddle from me.

[Wizzard]

Poor Mitsi. Hope you find the culprit that is making Mitsi itch and sore.

HUGS to Mitsi.

[Doreen]

Thanks everyone, the vet had a really good look at every little speck on her. He found a few patches all on her upper body, nothing underneath, so he assumes air-borne allergy. He couldn't find any sign of fleas, but he was picking anything off he could find with tweezers and carefully inspecting it, only scabs from where she has been chewing or scratching herself. He has seen quite a few allergic animals since the big dust storms a couple of weeks ago, he thinks when the wind blows from inland it might bring in pollen or something that she is allergic to. He gave her a cortisone injection to stop her scratching, hopefully it will last 2 weeks and her reaction will be gone by then. She was shaking most of the time, and just wanted to hide her head in my armpit - if she couldn't see the vet, he couldn't see her lol. Panic over, she came home and meowed and everyone came out to see her and enquire how she is, now she is sitting in the garden and Harley is sniffing her big time...

[Winscar]

Sweet Mitsi .... no Im not here Mr Vet LOL

Hope the cortisone makes her feel a little better.