Anyone with Maine Coon cats? My two part-MC cats seem to

[Flaxbee]

develop skin problems when the temperature rises -- little scabs all over, though one of them gets pretty bad breakouts and needs a shot of cortisone usually once or twice a year. The scabs don't really seem to bother the girls unless they get bad in the middle of summer, by which time I"ve tried to head off the worst of the breakouts with a cortisone shot as recommended by the vet.

They're not purebred, they're just part Maine Coon(or so I assume; MommaKitty brought me her three girls 3 years ago; I kept the whole family but two of the girlcats look NOTHING like their momma or sister - they're BIG, long cats, with long fur - the corona MCs seem to have, big, plumed tails, really furry feet, etc.)

Just wondering if anyone else has had this issue, or has any suggestions (aside from moving to much colder climates). Thanks for any input.

Cross-posted in the Pets forum.

[GreenPartyVoter]

1. I have two half (or less) coons with short hair. No scabs but my girl baby chews off

all the fur from the base of the tail up 2 or 3 inches. This happens at least once a year. I'm not sure what that's all about. :(

We did have an English setter who got "dandruff" and scabs who needed prednisone. Turned out she was allergic to cat fleas.


The vet doesn't have any thoughts about your kittehs other than the cortisone shots?

[Flaxbee]

3. well, when it first happened last summer (2007), the

vet just wanted to see if cortisone and antibiotics would help; it did, and then September and October rolled around and the breakouts almost went away, so we assumed it was either heat or something airborne / allergen specific to the summer. Otherwise, my babygirl would have had to undergo a huge series of allergy tests re foods, allergens, etc. As the scabs went away when it cooled off, we thought we knew what the problem was, and that I'd just keep her in the house (as opposed to letting her sun herself on the enclosed porch) during the summer months.

Mostly, it's worked. But we had a heat wave a week or so ago and the one worst affected by the problem now has little scabs all over. Not bad, and they'll go away b/c it's cold now, but I just wondered if anyone else had heard of Maine Coons (who seem to have evolved/been bred for mild summers and cold winters) that reacted so adversely to high outdoor temps.

[MineralMan]

2. We have one female

About 2 years old now. No problems with her skin. Big problems with her stupidity, though. Dumbest cat I've ever owned. And fat? Let me tell you about fat. The vet shudders every time he sees her, but has no real suggestions for us. He just laughs and says, "She is a big girl, isn't she?"

Big lovable clown she is, though. Furry feet, furry ears, furry everything. Did I mention that she's huge?

[Flaxbee]

4. hmm, sounds like a loveable girl!

ours aren't noticeably dense - they seem pretty tuned in to us and responsive. And they both are, oddly enough, very sleek. Their momma and sister are ROTUND, but the MC girls are careful about their figures :D

Definitely furry, though. Huge ear feathers, long hair between the toe pads, etc. So long that sometimes they lose their footing and skid across the floor.

[Haole Girl]

5. My Tabby had the same exact sort of skin problems...

for years. The Veterinarian kept trying different kinds of cat food... she suspected the problem was allergies. Sure enough, the very LAST kind we could try (see pic below) worked!!



Good luck. Maybe IVD, green pea & duck formula could work for your kitty!

Here is what the package looks like:



It's expensive... but no more trips to the vet for skin allergies for Pumpkin! :hi:

[Flaxbee]

6. huh. I'll give it a try! Thanks, KC2!

These cats (there are 7) are mine and my husband's children; we figure we can spend a little more on cat food (when possible) b/c we're not saving for a college fund :D

[lizziegrace]

7. Gracie had chronic ear infections caused by allergies to grains

and fillers put in food. I finally put her on Core Wellness and she hasn't had an ear infection in 2 years. She's so finicky and it took months and months to find a food she'd even eat.

Like KC2 found out, the fewer starches/grains/fillers, the better.

See if you can get samples to try.

Good luck!

[Flaxbee]

8. thanks, lizziegrace -- I'm going to bookmark this

thread for my next cat food shopping excursion... :hi: