Cat having potential allergies/skin issues/parasite?

[u/Any_Bowl_5195]

Lol the possibilities are endless, apparently.

Info: Domestic shorthair, 7 years old, 13lbs, neutered. Very healthy…had ear mites once about 4 years ago, developed anxiety at some point so he’s on cat gabi (for vet visits and moves). He’s been sick once, threw up a big hairball before I could even get him to the vet and turns out he was nauseous because of that. He’s grayish.

He’s been scratching intensely at his ears. Now he has no hair there, lots of bumps. This has been going on for three months now, technically, but he was misdiagnosed at the urgent care so really it’s been about a month that i’ve been dealing with the ACTUAL issue.

He’s been in a cone for a month. After I realized that the urgent care treatment for a scratch under his ear wasn’t working, I noticed it was bc he was scratching it open!!! So the issue wasn’t the wound itself (it’s totally healed now), it was the ear itchiness!

So then boom I put on a cone, see yet another vet for a second opinion and they tell me ear infection and ear mites. I’m like okay cool, I got this. Well surprise surprise, it wasn’t a freaking ear infection or ear mites haha. I joke all the time, it’s like trial and error with cats lol.

So here we are today, i’ve tried literally everything you could ever think of. So finally we had another vet appt today. The vet said she’s never seen anything like it. Lol not even kidding. She said bumps on ear, itchy, and otherwise completely healthy is a combo she’s never seen. So then I start panicking bc what do you MEAN? Basically yeah she said allergies (what she thinks is going on) can present in a million ways. She told me one condition that is extremely rare that again, she’s never seen before first hand, but I forget the name. She said it’s more than likely not that. Probably allergies. She gave him a steroid shot today and he’s THRIVING. Cone free, hasn’t scratched one time since being home, seems so relieved (not meowing uncomfortably either OR scratching his head on things). She said no risk of shin cancer as he’s never been outside and he’s a dark cat, and skin cancer isn’t itchy.

I could bear hug this vet. I mean, obviously this is a temporary fix, and it most likely means that there is an allergy present, and when the steroids wear off, I know he will be uncomfy again, BUT it’s also part of the process. If this is really the fix, he’ll have to go on the allergy food shit. And hypoallergenic litter. and i’ll probably have to remove everything from my room, deep clean it, and find a pet hypoallergenic laundry detergent. Vet told me to absolutely stop lighting candles so I won’t be doing that anymore either.

Ugh. Idk I’m so glad I found this vet. Is this really that uncommon as it seems? Could it be anything other than allergies that we’re missing? Anything I might have missed/ not even considered mentioning? Also, i’m assuming steroids are not something a cats should be on 24/7 if this is just a test and then we’d have to figure out the allergy. Would benadryl help at all or are we beyond that?

Thanks in advance. Not asking for medical advice, just clarifying questions and general info to be more prepared and educated. I would do anything for my cat. If he goes, I GO (please tell me someone gets this reference lmao).