As you are aware, we have lots of Special Needs cats at Tabby’s Place and we are used to worrying about our cats and keeping a close eye on them.
But there is something about Alex that particularly tugs at our hearts.
It is partly the double whammy he faces of FIV and heart disease.
But there is more to it than that.

Maybe it is because Alex seems so timid.
Or, maybe it’s because he tends to be a “whiner”.
Maybe it’s because he seems to have difficulties with so many things and requires extra attention.
For example, he won’t eat dry food, so he has to be kept in a crate while we feed him his wet food twice per day (the other cats only get wet food as a treat, three times per week).

Sure enough, this past month Alex developed another problem: miliary dermatitis, the appearance of multiple, crusty lesions on the skin.
Miliary dermatitis is not a disease, but only a symptom, which can be caused by many things.
Hypersensitivey to food is a common cause, so we decided to start conservatively by ensuring that Alex ate wet food that was made for cats with food allergies.

But, true to his problematic nature, Alex would not eat any of the foods that are “good for him.”
So, we had to give up and put him back on his previous diet (common wet food) and discuss next steps with one of our vets.
Our vet examined him today and fortunately, Alex seems to be having something go his way: it appears that his skin is clearing up without a change in diet.
We are thinking/hoping that his problem was caused by the stress of the change in social dynamics in the FIV+ Suite: the introduction of Wanda and Jenny.
We’ll know more next month.