What is causing my cats allergy?

[dancingfox]

My cat Rowan has an inflamed wound, a bite in the neck with an allergic reaction which comes out as eczema. The wound is big and itches like hell, so she scratches it open and then tries to lick it. So the wound remains raw and open. I went to the vet two weeks ago and after taking a biopt and a culture I am not any wiser. I have to keep her inside for 8 weeks and give her hypo allergenic food, give her cortisone and antibiotics. It's all very frustrating, expensive and basically really, really sad for Rowan.

Since the lab results aren't any help in finding the cause... Perhaps the I Ching might be of help.

What is causing Rowans allergy? Hex 18.2 to 52
Line 2
'Ancestral mother's corruption,
Does not allow constancy.'

Is this about stress? I was looking for a scientific explanation but I have been at home with a burn out since december. Is she picking up on me? Have I been neglecting her needs?

How to treat the eczema? Hex 59.6 to 29
'Dispersing blood.
Leave, far away, get out.
Not a mistake.'

This is about keeping distance. Containing something. Makes me think that I need to keep her inside, at a distance from whatever is causing the harm. Oh lord. And she is an outside kitty.

Any thoughts?

 

[my_key]

Hi dancing fox
Sorry to hear the demise of your cat. I am sure it is a major frustration for you as for her. There is a sadness that you are experiencing about the carrying through with the solution, prescribed to you by the vet, of keeping her inside for 8 weeks; feeding her hypo allergenic food and treating her with cortisone and antibiotics.

As I read your post, it sounds like you feel that your burn out and the stress you are experiencing are contributing to her reduced levels of wellness. In my experience pets do have a high level of empathy and tune in easily to their 'parents'.

1) Hex 18.2 to 52 : Gaining stability from resolving corruption through becoming centred and still.
18.2 - calls for a need to deal with issues of nourishment, nurturing and care, for that is where the mothers corruption manifests.

2) Hex 59.6 to 29 : A call to breakthrough and scatter the bad blood that has become manifest through confronting what is held in the depths.
59.6 - Disperse the things that are being harmful and causing the unrest by distancing from them. Then the situation will feel less burdensome.

So, if you feel you are a part of the allergy equation then the way you are caring for and nourishing yourself may be a factor. As well as doing the things the vet has asked you to do you, may be able to add to her recovery by really focussing on ways you can bring about some improvements in your own wellbeing.

... or it might mean nothing like this at all.

Good Luck

 

[dancingfox]

Hello my_key

Yes I do feel like I am part of the equation. I started taking better care of myself this month but December was a real son of a b* for me. You are saying what I am feeling. By improving my own well-being I believe my cats well-being will improve. And with the medical help from the vet ofcourse. I think it works both ways.

I just hope she starts recovering from that nasty wound soon She means the world to me.

 

[redoleander]

Was there anything you weren’t willing to do that the vet offered? Like I know, for example, that sometimes they put on a cone so that they can’t scratch and reopen the wound. They don’t like it but it also protects them. 18.2 made me wonder if, due to a totally understandable and well-intentioned desire not to see Rowan unhappy, there is hesitation to just do the harsher measures and resolve the emotion around it so the healing can happen. Restriction really is a kindness right now seeing as there could be a more severe outcome without that. Seems like Rowan does need distance from the harm and that’s a good thing because it means there’s a way to get better. If there’s a way to help keep Rowan from the wound that might be what 59.6 is referring to (so as to get out of the repeating cycle of 29). Or, perhaps, it’s simply a matter of patience and settling your own heart to trust Rowan will heal.

Really hope she is feeling better soon! Sounds like you’re doing lots of right things for her with food and medication and time inside, so that’s really good.

 

[redoleander]

Could also be as simple as an allergy she was born with? An ancestral allergy? Which would maybe mean needing to monitor her a lot to make sure nothing she’s being given now is contributing? I know that sometimes with hypoallergenic food there’s maybe a need to try a few brands etc. Sorry the lab results weren’t more helpful, it can be challenging when you’re not clear on the cause.

 

[Liselle]

Are you and the vet sure this isn't an infected abcess? When I hear "bite wound," an abcess is what comes to mind, not an allergy. Although she could have both at once, of course.

59.6 to 29 sounds like an abcess. 29 is Repeating Chasms, something deep, maybe deeper than you know. "Dispersing blood" sounds like a deep abcess that needs to be opened properly by a vet and drained and so forth.

I think 18.2 could indeed mean her caregivers are off on the wrong track.

Could she be examined by a different vet? I'm worried about the allergy diagnosis, with those readings.

 

[Trojina]

Sorry to hear the demise of your cat.

The cat isn't dead mykey. The 'demise of' means the death of

 

[Liselle]

I think 18.2 could indeed mean her caregivers are off on the wrong track.

It could, and we do have to say what we think the reading means, but I also want to make sure to add first of all that of course I don't know for sure what's wrong (not a vet, etc. etc.) If it is an abcess, vets are human and can make mistakes. Also - important - you're doing what you can for Rowan. You took her to a doctor. You're noticing that it's not getting better, so you're getting advice. If it is a misdiagnosis, it won't be your fault, and anyway the important thing isn't to blame people, it's to get it taken care of.

 

[dancingfox]

Was there anything you weren’t willing to do that the vet offered? Like I know, for example, that sometimes they put on a cone so that they can’t scratch and reopen the wound. They don’t like it but it also protects them.

She couldn't wear a cone but she had to wear sort of an immobilizing full body harness. She wasn't able to walk or eat in it properly. Because of the placement of the wound a cone was not an option (in the neck). She didn't like the harness and I had to take it off her to treat the open wound two times a day. After taking it off the second time I couldn't get it back on, she almost scratched my eyes open and hid under an old antic closet, out of reach. I rang the vet exasperated and she basically told me to get a grip and helped me with finding an alternative. Now I put on a sock with some holes cut in it for legroom. She equally hates the sock but it stops her from the worst scratching.

I have to admit I had trouble in the beginning with being this harsh. But seeing the damage of being too 'tender' was a quick eye opener.

 

[dancingfox]

Are you and the vet sure this isn't an infected abcess? When I hear "bite wound," an abcess is what comes to mind, not an allergy. Although she could have both at once, of course.

This was the first diagnoses but it turned out to be something else entirely. The first time I went to the vet it was late at night, so I went to the vet on call. He thought of an abscess, in which case the treatment would have been clear. The next day I went to my own vet. My vet called the other vet and together they ruled out the possibility of an abscess. They both suspected my cat has a skin infection with an allergic reaction. So my vet decided to take a biopt to see what would come up.

I think 18.2 could indeed mean her caregivers are off on the wrong track.

Not entirely on the wrong track... But since my first post the full results of the biopt and the culture came in... and it really was more complex then anyone could have guessed. Turns out my cat has eosinophilic dermatitis, a severe type of skin allergy that causes eosinophils (a type of blood cell) to gather at the surface of the skin and cause problems. And there you have a different explanation of hex 59

"Dispersing blood" sounds like a deep abcess that needs to be opened properly by a vet and drained and so forth.

It's a condition that is usually triggered by a reaction to something encountered in daily life, such as fleas, pollen or certain foods. Aside from the skin allergy, there was also a very rare bacteria that is infecting her blood found in the culture. One that is usually only found on plants, and rarely infects cats. It probably took advantage of her weakened state and jumped on the rampant infection.

The vet explained the skin allergy coming out as eczema is typical for cats. Eczema is the immunity system basically doing overtime.
Doesn't that sound like hex 18.2? Perhaps the 'mothers corruption' lies in not letting go (Hillary Barrett - I Ching)
But I do recognize my own role in line 2. As Redoleander puts it

18.2 made me wonder if, due to a totally understandable and well-intentioned desire not to see Rowan unhappy, there is hesitation to just do the harsher measures and resolve the emotion around it so the healing can happen.

 

[Liselle]

Oh my, what a mess.

Sorry I jumped to conclusions, and thanks for the information. I hope this turns around soon.

 

[redoleander]

I have to admit I had trouble in the beginning with being this harsh. But seeing the damage of being too 'tender' was a quick eye opener.

It sounds like you’re taking great care of her! Thanks for sharing more about the results — I’m glad they were thorough. Let us know how she continues to improve.

 

[Liselle]

Doesn't that sound like hex 18.2?

It's taken me a while to get it, but yes it does! The immune system is the mother.

Poor Rowan. I have asked my kitty to send some purrs her way.