Advice please: My kitty has itchy ears. Have been to 2 Vets,

[Paper Roses]

Both vets have told me her ears are fine, no infection, mites etc. Both have told me she has allergies.
I have 2 prescriptions, Tresaderm and Tritop. Neither seem to be helping.
The last trip to the Vet, 3 weeks ago, I was told to eliminate dry food from her diet. She has been constipated...to the point where she cried when going to the litter box. Since the elimination of her 'dry treats' she is back to normal in that department. The elimination of dry food seems not to be the problem in regard to her ears.

If her current food is causing the allergy, I have a real problem. She is a fussy eater, will only eat Fancy Feast Elegant Medleys, shredded white meat chicken fare with garden greens. I have tried everything to find another food for her. Price of Fancy Feast is about a$1.00 a can. Would like to find something else, perhaps something less expensive but everything I try goes down the disposal. She will eat nothing else, not even people food.

Do any of you have the same problem?
Can't change food because kitty will not eat anything else, can't seem to find a cure. She is constantly scratching her ears and I feel so bad but can't find a cure.
Any suggestions will be appreciated.

[MindMover]

1. we use yogurt and swab with a q tip ... works every time ...

[hamsterjill]

6. You swab yogurt into the ears?

Sorry, just wanted to understand. I have a cat with an ear issue. Tresaderm was prescribed and is not helping.

I've also heard of using apple cider vinegar.

What kind of yogurt? Obviously just plain, but any particular brand?

Thanks in advance.

[MindMover]

7. the cheapest plain yogurt with as little sugar as possible ...

works everytime ...

[hamsterjill]

8. Thank you!

I'll try this immediately!

[TygrBright]

2. With our kitty it was eyes.

Vet suggested a couple of things, but partly because we walk him outdoors, which exposes him to irritating substances out there. He has less trouble in the winter, when he goes outdoors much less.

Anyway, one of the things the vet suggested was to wipe him down with a slightly damp cloth after he comes in, being careful to include face, ears, and paws. Also when grooming.

Vet also suggested a fish oil supplement. Comes in little capsules with a twist-off tip, squirt it over his dry food. Omnommy! He loves that.

If kitty's constipated, the fish oil might also help with that. Another thing to do is be sure she's getting plenty of water. A little salt on her food, or some of that fancy flavored water for kitties might help. You might also try moistening the dry food a bit with plain water.

As far as the food goes, what you're feeding your girl sounds a bit like the FussieCat chicken & veg flavor the Feline Overlord loves so much. It's probably MORE expensive than Fancy Feast, though, not less.

Good luck!

helpfully,
Bright

[LibGranny]

3. My dog had itchy, red ears

with small bumps and I cleaned them daily with straight vinegar on a cotton ball. Couple of days and they were clear.

[LiberalEsto]

4. I know this sounds hard, but look for cat foods without corn or wheat

One of our dogs had diarrhea for months when he was a puppy. Then I read something about corn in dog food causing digestive and other health problems. As soon as we switched to a dog food that contained no corn or wheat, he was fine.

Your cat will eventually start eating what you give her if the only other choice is no food at all.

[tencats]

5. Two of my cats with chronic "itchy" ears

With one 12 year old male cat his itchy ears are worse seasonally May through September. The other cat a senior purebred female is a year round problem. With both cats the Dr says it likely/possible that they suffered badly with ear mites early in life and the inner ear membrane never fully recovers. Or they just have a abnormal sensitivity to something in the home environment. Whatever the cause we have never identified mites, fungus or a yeast infection. Best and only treatment over the years has been to keep the ear canal clear of excessive exudate by use of an OTC ear cleanser followed with application of Panalog ointment as needed. Never had any good results with Tresaderm.

Also I have two other cats that I intentionally feed FF Elegant Medleys although I believe its a low quality food. I only have use for the FF because its one food that I can add the cats twice daily medication and they reliably will eat it. I have to to careful not to let the other cats get into the FF because its likely to put them off the more healthy foods. I never serve the FF straight up though. Always supplement with my home made cats soup or one of the select few good canned cat foods. For example today I baked fresh chicken livers early this morning making a simple thick soup and added a spoon full of Pet Guard's Fish Chic Chic Liver formula. The baked livers or chicken meat I process to a baby food like consistency using an immersion blender. That along with the daily 1/3 can of FF + meds is put out for the two target cats. One cat is a 13 yr old that suffers with IBD and the other is a 18 yr old hyperthyroid.

Possibly you should try a kibble that I have a long time success with in combination with the FF. One is a Halo Spot's Stew indoor-cat Wholesome Chicken. Also the same in the grain-free formula. Another that I use with the FF is Fromm's Chicken À La Veg formula. The Fromm is a smaller sized kibble that the target cats seem to take to well. Never do a free feed routine or feed treats. My everyday cats soup supplement to the FF is a plain baked Chicken thighs that I make-up every 5-6 days. Keeps well concentrated refrigerated and made ready by adding a little hot water to thin. Add one full tbs or more to FF formulas. The added quality protein and water content to the commercial formulated diets I believe is important to my indoor cat's long term health.