The week before last, after around five days of being clean, Louis Catorze started scratching again and his inner eye corners began to swell, JUST like this time last year. This time we didn’t hang around so, as of last Monday, he is back on one steroid pill a day, and this means that the day-long psycho screamathons have restarted.
This is completely the opposite of what is supposed to happen (see below), but that’s Catorze all over:
Cat Daddy, shouting to be heard over the screams: “I don’t know what’s wrong with him. He’s gone bloody demented.”
Because we don’t know what triggers his allergy and are highly unlikely to find out, all we can do for the moment is keep pilling him and blasting him with the beeswax candles, wear earplugs and hope for the best.
Over the last six years we have changed our minds about 9,052 times about what could be causing his problems. For a while we were convinced that it was some sort of household item, because Catorze’s worst ever episode* in January 2014 took place when he was an indoor cat, before he came to live with us.
*I had since referred to last year as his worst ever episode but, having compared photos, I can now confirm that January 2014 was, in fact, worse. The length of time in Le Cône may have made last year seem worse than it was yet, with hindsight, I think this may have saved him.
However, last year he was – and remains – an outdoor cat, and his eyes seem to look the weepiest when he’s just come in from outdoors, indicating that something outside is irritating him. We have noticed this on numerous occasions during the last few months, which is most bizarre considering it’s the time that most plants are asleep. Unless, of course, he’s allergic to soil. Or water. Or perhaps, several years on from when he was originally left behind by a UFO, his body is finally starting to reject our air, and what he really needs in order to thrive are the atmospheric conditions of his home planet, wherever that may be.
Please keep your fingers crossed that we can hold it off and stop it from turning nasty.
jesuisleroisoleil 
Leaf mold ? (from wet leaves in the environment) That’s seasonal but not pollen related.
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Ah, could be. There’s certainly plenty of it. Unfortunately I don’t think we’ll ever know.
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Poor Roi. I hope he feels better soon!
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Thank you! I hope we’ve acted quickly enough with the steroids this time. 🤞
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Wishing our dear LC all the best! Jimi sends his regards!
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Merci! Last year we definitely hesitated for too long, so hopefully we’ve now caught it in time.
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Fingers and paws crossed here. xxx
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Thank you! It’s just one thing after another with him.
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Maybe there’s a type of mold or fungus he runs across. (He may know and just won’t tell you 🐱)
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Yes, I’m starting to wonder if it might be that. Someone else suggested leaf mould, of which there’s plenty around. Of course he’s not telling. 😐
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DV and the gang send well wishes!
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Merci à tous!
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If your weather at this time of year is damp, it could be the mould in the soil and rotting vegetation. I know my allergies start acting up when it’s like that.
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Yes, someone else suggested that, too. If you don’t mind me asking, what are your symptoms? (Please don’t feel obliged to answer if you don’t want to!)
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No worries– I mostly have sinus-related symptoms. Sometimes I also get runny/itchy eyes and hives. I think everyone reacts differently, though– allergies are so fun (eyeroll).
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Oh, that sounds horrible. Catorze gets runny eyes too.
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Poor kitty 😦 Allergies are no fun for anyone. (On a side note, our black cat seems to be showing some signs of being allergic or sensitive to something. I wonder if black cats are prone to these things…)
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Oh dear, really? Has this just started? 😢
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Sort of. His main sign of something bothering him is that he licks off his fur in certain spots. At first we thought it might be anxiety, but we’ve since noticed it seems seasonal, so now we suspect allergies. Time for a visit to the vet… (Btw, have you tried calming treats on Catorze? They seem to help when our guys are agitated.)
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Catorze doesn’t really like food. 🤣 So I can’t imagine he would eat the treats. Plus he doesn’t get that agitated. Half the time he doesn’t know he’s unwell.
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Lol I hope he at least has a bit of the placebo effect working on his behalf 🙂
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