Alternative allergy treatment for cats

Question
Hi...& help! My 6 year-old cat has a rather severe allergy going on where she obsessively licks her butt area, so much so that she has licked off the fur. There are also many tiny bumps on the skin there. She has also licked off fur on her legs at times though now the problem is predominantly her rear end.

This problem has been going on for many months & I have tried many remedies. My vet diagnosed the problem as allergies & prescribed prednisone. Reluctantly, I agreed to a prednisone shot & amazingly this did resolve the problem for the duration of the shot. The vet then Rx'ed prednisone pills daily or every other day. I did this for a few months & saw no real change. The vet upped the dosage amount & I did this for a few weeks but became more & more distressed with this treatment because a) the whole pill-giving process was so stressful for my kitty, and b) despite my vet insisting that ongoing prednisone is safe, I have a strong skepticism about this. Ultimately, I dc'ed the prednisone & have been trying to take care of this with more natural treatment.

BTW, I considered doing an allergy panel to determine the source of the problem, but this is costly. So, I have tried pinpointing the issue by other methods. I twice changed her food: first, for several months feeding her a limited-ingredient diet (pea & venison, kibble & wet food) rx'ed by my vet. This produced no change. I went back to her regular food (Innova kibble) for awhile then switched a few months ago to another high quality kibble that is grain-free. This seems to have made no change.

Until recently, I have been treating my cat with Advantage flea medicine regularly. Though I have not seen any fleas on her nor ever have we seen flea dust with my cat on the vet's exam table. Nonetheless, I have kept up the Advantage treatment...until this past month when I dc'ed it wondering if this was causing irritation.

I've also been trying some pet essences & color spray essences, primarily for skin irritation, immune system/thyroid deficiency, & anxiety/fear issues (she's skittish & lives also with our two dogs who aggravate her at times) (other times ok & more harmonious).

Also of note...my cat goes outdoors as she wishes, in a safe area spanning small adjoining backyards in our quiet residential city neighborhood. She has a healthy appetite & energy level, is intermittently playful, & besides this irritating itching situation, seems perfectly fine.

I would very much appreciate your take on this...& any alternative treatments you can suggest for treating this condition. Thank you so much!!  

Answer
Wow Marty:  What a great pet parent your are... You have done so much!!
Not too much more you can try besides the steroid treatments.

NuVET Plus makes a cat formula - this is an immune booster... You can try this - If it doesn't help they will refund your $$$.
The cost is about .30 cents per day ...
Here is the link - make sure you get the CAT formula - not the dog one:
http://www.nuvet.com/81098
or my site :  http://www.apluspetcare.com/untitled4.html

Also, you can try a probiotic for cats... It may help too.
I bet your little one has Environmental allergies... They can develop them at anytime.  NuVET will help with this


A probiotic link is here;  You can find probiotics in the pet stores.
YOU can NOT find NuVET for cats in any pet store... Only sold thru vets, groomers and the Company .... ok

http://www.flintriver.com/Probiotics-Overview.htm




BEST of luck - Sorry I can't be of more help - sounds like you could be an expert on this site!!!!


Marie of Doggie Chalet Hotel and NuVET Plus