itching/scratching/allergies/cortisone

My latest rescue is a neutered male (approximately 10 lbs) cat who has
some psychological problems. I found him living in one of my
outbuildings missing hunks of hair and was obviously a veteran of
quite a few battles. I'm not real sure just how old he is but he is
fully grown. After feeding and caring for him in the outbuilding, I
finally got him to a point that he would let me pet him and he
eventually got in my lap when, to my horror, I realized that he had
been declawed. Since then, I have been shutting him up at night and
he has slowly regrown most of his hair. I noticed a lot of scratching
so I applied Frontline to control the fleas. Although I am pretty
sure he has no fleas left, he continues to scratch constantly. I have
experienced this in other cats that I have owned and have had very
good results with an annual cortisone injection. At the moment,
taking this cat to the vet for an injection is pretty much out of the
question due to his wildness and psychological problems.

So, my questions a

May I give him cortisone in pill form?

What dosage would be appropriate for a 10 lb cat?

How often should I administer this dosage?

Any other suggestions?

TIA

John

From: John

My latest rescue is a neutered male (approximately 10 lbs) cat who has
some psychological problems. I found him living in one of my
outbuildings missing hunks of hair and was obviously a veteran of
quite a few battles. I'm not real sure just how old he is but he is
fully grown. After feeding and caring for him in the outbuilding, I
finally got him to a point that he would let me pet him and he
eventually got in my lap when, to my horror, I realized that he had
been declawed. Since then, I have been shutting him up at night and
he has slowly regrown most of his hair. I noticed a lot of scratching
so I applied Frontline to control the fleas. Although I am pretty
sure he has no fleas left, he continues to scratch constantly. I have
experienced this in other cats that I have owned and have had very
good results with an annual cortisone injection. At the moment,
taking this cat to the vet for an injection is pretty much out of the
question due to his wildness and psychological problems.

So, my questions a

May I give him cortisone in pill form?

What dosage would be appropriate for a 10 lb cat?

How often should I administer this dosage?

Any other suggestions?

TIA

John

Hi John,
Bless you for caring for this kitty. I would highly recommend against giving
him any human medicines of any kind. I know he may be wild, but he really
needs to be seen by a vet, not only for the itching, but for a complete health
check. I know some vets will make house calls so maybe you could try that.
Otherwise, since he is letting you pet him, I would definitely try to get him
in a cat carrier and take him to the vet.

Good luck and keep us posted.

Lauren
________
See my cats: http://community.webshots.com/album/56955940rWhxAe
Raw Diet Info: http://www.holisticat.com/drjletter.html
http://www.geocities.com/rawfeeders/ForCatsOnly.html
Declawing Info: http://www.wholecat.com/articles/claws.htm

From: John

My latest rescue is a neutered male (approximately 10 lbs) cat who has
some psychological problems. I found him living in one of my
outbuildings missing hunks of hair and was obviously a veteran of
quite a few battles. I'm not real sure just how old he is but he is
fully grown. After feeding and caring for him in the outbuilding, I
finally got him to a point that he would let me pet him and he
eventually got in my lap when, to my horror, I realized that he had
been declawed. Since then, I have been shutting him up at night and
he has slowly regrown most of his hair. I noticed a lot of scratching
so I applied Frontline to control the fleas. Although I am pretty
sure he has no fleas left, he continues to scratch constantly. I have
experienced this in other cats that I have owned and have had very
good results with an annual cortisone injection. At the moment,
taking this cat to the vet for an injection is pretty much out of the
question due to his wildness and psychological problems.

So, my questions a

May I give him cortisone in pill form?

What dosage would be appropriate for a 10 lb cat?

How often should I administer this dosage?

Any other suggestions?

TIA

John

Hi John,
Bless you for caring for this kitty. I would highly recommend against giving
him any human medicines of any kind. I know he may be wild, but he really
needs to be seen by a vet, not only for the itching, but for a complete health
check. I know some vets will make house calls so maybe you could try that.
Otherwise, since he is letting you pet him, I would definitely try to get him
in a cat carrier and take him to the vet.

Good luck and keep us posted.

Lauren
________
See my cats: http://community.webshots.com/album/56955940rWhxAe
Raw Diet Info: http://www.holisticat.com/drjletter.html
http://www.geocities.com/rawfeeders/ForCatsOnly.html
Declawing Info: http://www.wholecat.com/articles/claws.htm

From: John

My latest rescue is a neutered male (approximately 10 lbs) cat who has
some psychological problems. I found him living in one of my
outbuildings missing hunks of hair and was obviously a veteran of
quite a few battles. I'm not real sure just how old he is but he is
fully grown. After feeding and caring for him in the outbuilding, I
finally got him to a point that he would let me pet him and he
eventually got in my lap when, to my horror, I realized that he had
been declawed. Since then, I have been shutting him up at night and
he has slowly regrown most of his hair. I noticed a lot of scratching
so I applied Frontline to control the fleas. Although I am pretty
sure he has no fleas left, he continues to scratch constantly. I have
experienced this in other cats that I have owned and have had very
good results with an annual cortisone injection. At the moment,
taking this cat to the vet for an injection is pretty much out of the
question due to his wildness and psychological problems.

So, my questions a

May I give him cortisone in pill form?

What dosage would be appropriate for a 10 lb cat?

How often should I administer this dosage?

Any other suggestions?

TIA

John

Hi John,
Bless you for caring for this kitty. I would highly recommend against giving
him any human medicines of any kind. I know he may be wild, but he really
needs to be seen by a vet, not only for the itching, but for a complete health
check. I know some vets will make house calls so maybe you could try that.
Otherwise, since he is letting you pet him, I would definitely try to get him
in a cat carrier and take him to the vet.

Good luck and keep us posted.

Lauren
________
See my cats: http://community.webshots.com/album/56955940rWhxAe
Raw Diet Info: http://www.holisticat.com/drjletter.html
http://www.geocities.com/rawfeeders/ForCatsOnly.html
Declawing Info: http://www.wholecat.com/articles/claws.htm