Worried After Vet Visit

[DaddyTo2Cats]

I returned a few hours ago from my vet, having to leave my four year old cat there for at least two days. I originally brought her there two Fridays ago, after coming home from work and finding a small wound above her right eye. I had thought she must've gotten clipped by my older and larger male cat during some roughhousing while I was at work. They gave me a cream and some pills to give her, which I did. I noticed a couple of small rashes over her eye (I've seen rashes there in the past, but they always went away in a few days on their own) this past week, but both the rashes and most of the wound seemed to have disappeared by last night. However, when I woke up I saw the wound had opened up again. She's been eating normally, her behavior is normal. At any rate, after looking at the wound today, the vet is keeping her at the hospital so they can do an allergy test, a biopsy and I guess just see generally what's causing this problem (I think he saw some rashes or something in her right ear). I think he saw a tooth abcess problem, so they were going to treat that too.
I'm very worried at this point. Because I don't understand why she'd be having an allergic reaction to something. I've been trying to think of changes in her environment which have taken place in the past two weeks (that's when I first saw a couple of rashes over her right eye). The only things that make sense is this is a reaction to the heat. Late last December I bought humidifiers because the dry air seemed to be making her more prone to sneezing. Perhaps the heat is still causing problems. I also wonder if it's the humidifier or the white particles which I see on certain furniture. I had the carpets cleaned, but I could swear I first saw rashes over her eye the day before the carpets came back. There was also a bad odor problem two floors below me for a few weeks. Some of the odor from that problem seeped into my livingroom to varying degrees. The problem seems to have corrected itself in the past week, although there still may be a hint of a weird odor in my apartment.
I haven't changed the food she's eating, so I can't see how it could be related to that. I'm just very worried that there's something seriously wrong. I know cats are individuals just like human beings are, but my older male cat is fine.
Have you ever encountered this in your cat? Is there anything reassuring you can say? I'm supposed to call the hospital tomorrow afternoon to find out the latest.
Thanks in advance for any advice or help.

[special]

Welcome to PetLovers, though I'm sorry it's such a problem that brought you here.

I am not a vet.

I understand your worry. It's terrible to leave them, isn't it? And even more terrible when you don't know what's wrong.

Cats can develop allergies where there were no allergies before, like you say, just like people.

For instance many cats are allergic to fish flavored cat foods, or even certain brands of food. There may have been a slight change in the formula of the food she's been eating, which triggered an allergy.

If it is a food allergy, improvement may start while she is being kept at the hospital, eating different food. If it starts up again when she comes home, you'll have to start changing her food to see if there is improvement.

Do you use different flavors of the same brand? That would explain why the rash comes and goes. When she gets the flavors that she's allergic to, she gets the rash. I am just speculating.

Do you use plastic dishes? many cats are allergic to plastic, too. That usually shows up on the chin, but there isn't any reason why it can't show up somewhere else.

It's even possible that the whole problem is related to the abcessed tooth. Are they going to take that tooth out, once she's been on antibiotics for a couple of days? I hope, for you and her, it's that easy!

I mean getting a tooth extracted is a painful business, even for cats, but once she's healed up the problem would be gone, if that was the reason for the rashes.

Are you keeping the humidfier filter clean? That's very important.

have you talked to your landlord about the odor? If something is seeping up through the floors, that very well might be the cause too, who knows what it is down there? Cats are so sensitive, even if you don't smell it as much, you can be sure the cats can.

What are the white particles you are seeing on the furniture? do you think it's flakes of her skin? (dandruff) Could it be coming from the humidifier? Try using distilled water in it instead of tap water.

I wonder if she's picked up a yeast infection in her ears and she's having a reaction to that?

You must realize I'm just guessing of course.

It would be a good idea for you to start writing anything down when you think of it, to tell the vet. And when she comes home it would be useful to keep a log to track her symptoms in case the problem returns so you can know for sure about things like whether the problem started before or after the carpets were cleaned. Those little details are diffiuclt to keep straight as the days pass.

Have you changed litter? Laundry detergent? Fabric softener? Aftershave even? Are there other people in the house and have they made any changes in their toiletries?

The main thing just now is that she is where she can get treatment and help.

If she's going to be there a few days I suggest you go visit her every day so she knows you're still there, in her life. Since it's a possible allergy problem, ask first, but if the vet says okay, bring in a shirt you have slept in so she has your smell around her. You probably won't get it back so don't bring in anything you value.

Please stick around and let us know how things progress. Allow your other cat to give you comfort while she's in the hospital. He'll be missing her too, so you can comfort eachother.

[Felinefriend]

You've certainly done the right thing by bringing her in quickly, especially when the eyes and/or ears are involved. If you have faith in your vet, then you must let him/her guide you. Good luck to your cat and you, and keep us posted! I certainly agree that bringing in something that your cat is comfortable with can help. I often bring in my cat's favorite petbed to be put right in the cage with him/her. (Just make sure you have your name on it, and make sure it goes home with your pet when all is well.)

[special]

Originally Posted by Felinefriend

You've certainly done the right thing by bringing her in quickly, especially when the eyes and/or ears are involved. If you have faith in your vet, then you must let him/her guide you. Good luck to your cat and you, and keep us posted! I certainly agree that bringing in something that your cat is comfortable with can help. I often bring in my cat's favorite petbed to be put right in the cage with him/her. (Just make sure you have your name on it, and make sure it goes home with your pet when all is well.)

Welcome to Petlovers! Good idea about the bed except most vet clinics will tell you they can't guarantee the bed will come home with you. for instance if it becomes soiled, they'll toss it without a second thought.

[Jennicat]

Also, just wanted to throw in, our cat has issues with scratching himself next to his eye during the winter. From the best we can guess, the low humidity due to the heater makes his skin more sensitive and itchy. It isn't a rash, he literally scratches it until it looks like a rash.