# My kitty is mysteriously cured after 8 years of illness **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 28, 2008, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-kitty-is-mysteriously-cured-after-8-years-of-illness/454524 "2008-06-28T00:18:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2008, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-kitty-is-mysteriously-cured-after-8-years-of-illness/454524/1 "2008-06-28T00:18:19Z")
At about six months old, my kitty Annie developed a skin condition. She yould just scratch and scratch and bite and bite at a patch of skin untill the fur was gone and the skin was torn and bloodied. Then she would move on to another patch. I spent a small fortune trying to get it diagnosed. I always assumed it was some kind of allergic reaction, and several vets agreed, but we could never pin down what it was. I went to the UW vet school and they did this elaborate (and expensive!) test on something like 40 common allergens, but they all came up negative. I tried I don’t know how many dietary changes – all to no use. I gave up. I just couldn’t afford to keep testing, as as she seemed an otherwise happy kitty, we left it there. I declawed her so she wouldn’t injure herself so much. Basically she was this way for 8 years – always with 2 or 3 bare patches and scabs on them. I have to admit I didn’t even hardly register this anymore. And it was only today that I realized – the scabs are gone, the skin is healed, and the fur has grown back. She looks like a normal cat again. This means of course that she’s probably been healing for a couple of months and I didn’t notice. I feel especially stupid because she often lying on my chest when I wake up on the morning – ok, Mr. Observant I’m not. There’s nothing major that has come into or gone out of my home. I haven’t changed her food recently. Maybe nothing changed in the home – maybe she just finally adapted to whatever it was. I’ll probably never know. Whoo hoo! ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2008, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-kitty-is-mysteriously-cured-after-8-years-of-illness/454524/2 "2008-06-28T02:04:59Z")
How weird! That’s great, though. Yay Immuno-Annie! (Don’t feel bad, either.) ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2008, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-kitty-is-mysteriously-cured-after-8-years-of-illness/454524/3 "2008-06-28T02:08:39Z")
Been visited by Edgar Catce, by any chance? ---
**Author:** ![Risha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/5fc32e/32.png) [@Risha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Risha)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2008, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-kitty-is-mysteriously-cured-after-8-years-of-illness/454524/4 "2008-06-28T02:28:30Z")
Yay kitty! (Are you sure it wasn’t psychological? Some cats will lick all of their fur off when nervous.) ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2008, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-kitty-is-mysteriously-cured-after-8-years-of-illness/454524/5 "2008-06-28T02:34:26Z")
Mum had a silky terrier that had a similar allergy, though it seemed to be seasonal and would flare up in the summer. We always thought she was allergic to some kind of grass. Once Frontline came on the market and we started using that on her, she never had fleas and the skin condition disappeared. Turns out she was allergic to fleas. The treatments we’d used in the early years just weren’t as effective as Frontline which eradicated them completely. Anyway, that’s great news for your cat! Congratulations Itch-Free Annie! ---
**Author:** ![bufftabby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/77aa72/32.png) [@bufftabby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bufftabby)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2008, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-kitty-is-mysteriously-cured-after-8-years-of-illness/454524/6 "2008-06-28T03:07:28Z")
Congrats! My kitty with leukemia was looking pretty rough for a few months, but he’s really perked up lately. It’s good to hear that your fuzzbutt is doing well too! ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2008, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-kitty-is-mysteriously-cured-after-8-years-of-illness/454524/7 "2008-06-28T03:51:02Z")
There are a bunch of evangelical Christian TV programs that can induce dramatic healing like that. Chances are that you left the TV while you were out (or she just turned the TV on herself) and she converted without your knowledge. Kitty water bowls make oddly good baptismal fountains. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2008, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-kitty-is-mysteriously-cured-after-8-years-of-illness/454524/8 "2008-06-28T04:18:48Z")
[QUOTE=Shagnasty] There are a bunch of evangelical Christian TV programs that can induce dramatic healing like that. Chances are that you left the TV while you were out (or she just turned the TV on herself) and she converted without your knowledge. Kitty water bowls make oddly good baptismal fountains. [/QUOTE] She has always had a ‘holier than thou’ attitude. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2008, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-kitty-is-mysteriously-cured-after-8-years-of-illness/454524/9 "2008-06-28T04:19:58Z")
[QUOTE=bufftabby] Congrats! My kitty with leukemia was looking pretty rough for a few months, but he’s really perked up lately. It’s good to hear that your fuzzbutt is doing well too! [/QUOTE] And now, with actual fuzz! ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2008, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-kitty-is-mysteriously-cured-after-8-years-of-illness/454524/10 "2008-06-29T01:45:14Z")
We had a pair of scabby kitties (grandmother/granddaughter) and our vet treated them for dust mite allergies when they started pulling their fur out and biting themselves. It _would_ work, but it always flaired up again later, meaning another round of tropical skin treatments. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Shayna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shayna/32/17976_2.png) [@Shayna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shayna)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2008, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-kitty-is-mysteriously-cured-after-8-years-of-illness/454524/11 "2008-06-29T03:16:36Z")
Great mews for kitty! ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2008, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-kitty-is-mysteriously-cured-after-8-years-of-illness/454524/12 "2008-06-29T03:19:47Z")
I had a cat who would pull her fur out due to stress. This sounds psychological to me. But the insect/mite allergy is an interesting idea. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2008, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-kitty-is-mysteriously-cured-after-8-years-of-illness/454524/13 "2008-06-29T03:22:55Z")
[QUOTE=foolsguinea] I had a cat who would pull her fur out due to stress. This sounds psychological to me. But the insect/mite allergy is an interesting idea. [/QUOTE] What constitutes stress for an indoor cat when every day is pretty much the same as every other? What would change that would suddenly relieve the stress? ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2008, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-kitty-is-mysteriously-cured-after-8-years-of-illness/454524/14 "2008-06-29T04:34:08Z")
Cats are weird. I have a cat who was diabetic for a year. Then at a checkup after another illness, the vet said he wasn’t anymore. Weird. He sure is glad not to have to have needles jabbed in him several times a day, though. ---
**Author:** ![Charger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df788c/32.png) [@Charger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charger)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2008, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-kitty-is-mysteriously-cured-after-8-years-of-illness/454524/15 "2008-06-29T20:25:11Z")
Maybe the cure was simply for her to age 8 years. This could be a new philosophy of medicine, that of the “Age Cure.” Got an illness? Wait for a significant percentage of your life to pass by and it will go away. I’m suddenly considering writing a book on this. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2008, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-kitty-is-mysteriously-cured-after-8-years-of-illness/454524/16 "2008-06-29T21:57:44Z")
[QUOTE=Charger] Maybe the cure was simply for her to age 8 years. This could be a new philosophy of medicine, that of the “Age Cure.” Got an illness? Wait for a significant percentage of your life to pass by and it will go away. I’m suddenly considering writing a book on this. [/QUOTE] I’ve considered a similar book myself – “The Death Cure” ---
**Author:** ![TPWombat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbce88/32.png) [@TPWombat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TPWombat)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2008, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-kitty-is-mysteriously-cured-after-8-years-of-illness/454524/17 "2008-06-29T23:14:29Z")
[QUOTE=Boyo Jim] She has always had a ‘holier than thou’ attitude. [/QUOTE] And that’s so rare in cats. Hee. Big hugs to you and your kitty 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Caught\_Work](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/919ad9/32.png) [@Caught\_Work](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caught_Work)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2008, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-kitty-is-mysteriously-cured-after-8-years-of-illness/454524/18 "2008-06-30T04:01:48Z")
Are you sure it’s the same kitteh and not a “replacement” ala when my goldfish died? ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2008, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-kitty-is-mysteriously-cured-after-8-years-of-illness/454524/19 "2008-06-30T07:16:28Z")
[QUOTE=Caught@Work] Are you sure it’s the same kitteh and not a “replacement” ala when my goldfish died? [/QUOTE] I don’t see any large empty pods sitting around. ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2008, 7:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-kitty-is-mysteriously-cured-after-8-years-of-illness/454524/20 "2008-06-30T07:20:51Z")
it was a Kevin Trudeau infomercial! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-kitty-is-mysteriously-cured-after-8-years-of-illness/454524.md?page=2)