Our little Tink. In case you are new here, Tink was shot by someone a few years back and shortly after her miraculous recovery started scratching the fur and then the skin from between her shoulder blades. Our solutions have mostly revolved around various cat armor setups: KHCS 1 & 2, and #3.

There was even a period last year when she was "nude" and went for months without self-flagellation. But all good things come to an end and Tink, for unknown reasons, started scratching again. We've tried lotions and cremes, acupuncture, diet changes, and even long heartfelt talks but nothing seems to do the trick.

We've been considering de-clawing the back paws, which is a pretty nasty option. In the process of thinking and exploring we got x-rays taken. You can see the little white blobs of lead from the bullet in her back (another is up the neck line). None of them seem to be in the area she tends to scratch though.

The vet says maybe a little increase in calcification around the spine in that area. Hard to say. Any cat x-ray experts out there?