Hi Jessica,
Thanks for sending in your question.
You bring up a few separate issues here, so I’ll address each. If there is a flea problem, it is indeed important to deal with that first. If you are not happy with the current treatment plan, then you can certainly ask your vet for an alternative. When it comes to how to treat fleas on cats there are a wide variety of options available and they come in many forms (topical or oral, given at different intervals, etc.). It is also important to consider the home environment if you are dealing with a flea problem. Most of the flea life cycle happens in the environment, not on the pet. You must follow your vet’s recommendations for cleaning the environment and ensure all pets in the house have been treated for fleas. As a side note, please be cautious with over-the-counter treatments and home sprays, as some of these are not safe to use around cats.
The next issue to address once you have the flea situation under control would be to address your cat’s discomfort and itching. In theory, if this is a true flea allergy, then eliminating the fleas should resolve the itching. If this doesn’t happen, there may be other things triggering her allergies, or another disease process altogether. There are many skin disorders aside from flea allergies in cats that can cause itching and over-grooming. Sometimes there is also a behavioural component. You may want to consider a referral to a veterinary dermatologist as a further step to determine how to help your cat with this issue.
Finally, you are correct in that steroid injections for cats or any steroid medication can come with some significant side effects, especially if they are used long-term. However, some pets are so uncomfortable that this is the only way to get the inflammation under control. There are alternatives to steroids that can be used in treating cats with allergies, but I would encourage you to discuss this with your vet to know if they are the right choice for your cat.
Wishing you all the best.
Dr. Kim Hester
