My cat Squiggle is not well

My cat has gone to the vets twice because he has a pain in his back. He is constantly licking surfaces, himself and also scratching, digging, and biting himself. It’s definitely a discomfort, but the vets can’t find the answer, and it’s so frustrating. If you stroke the lower part of his back, he will start to lick and/or bite you to tell you it’s hurting. His hair looks dandruffy and is falling out easily, yet it doesn’t look like he has mites or fleas.

He is eating and drinking normally and all signs point to healthy livers and organs, yet we still don’t know the cause. He eats hypoallergenic food which means the vets can’t pin it on his dieting. The whole thing is horrible and a bunch of guess work. I wish they would take his bloods for lab tests rather than guessing with medication.

So far we have given him Metacam and Omega 3 oil with zero luck. The next thing they would like us to try is a course of steroid which may or may not help him. I’m keeping my fingers crossed, but without any lab data, I’m not feeling too positive about the end result. I wish animals could talk to us, to let us know what kind of pain they’re in, it would make life so much easier.