What are the most common skin conditions in cats?
It depends. In young cats, we see more infections. Ringworm is always a possibility in younger cats. You can see it in older cats, but more commonly in younger cats. One of the most common skin conditions I see is allergic dermatitis, whether it be to a season, to their food, or to fleas.
Do I need to see a specialist if my cat has skin problems?
Not initially. Initially, most general practitioners like myself can handle cat recurrent skin issues, but if it gets to the point that we're not getting to where we want to be, we're having recurrent issues, a lot of times we'll have you see a dermatologist.
What causes my cat to itch and scratch excessively?
It could be fleas. Fleas can be very difficult to find on a cat because they groom a lot. If you see one flea on a cat, you found a gold mine because there's probably a lot more, but they've been licking and chewing them off as they groom. You can also look for what we call flea dirt. It looks like little specks of pepper and is closer to the skin if you part the fur. If you wet it, it will have a blood-like color to it because it's basically dried blood. It's poop that the flea leaves behind.
Also, infections or allergies can cause your pet to itch or scratch. Allergies in cats and dogs typically show as skin and/or ear infections, whereas for humans, we typically have sneezing, sniffles, itchy eyes, that kind of thing. Allergies can cause them to scratch.
How can I tell if my cat has a skin infection?
You're going to see scabs, redness, and hair loss from where they've overgroomed themselves.
What are the signs of skin allergies in cats?
They're going to overgroom, lick the fur away, and cause sores. Typically, you're going to see it on the underside between the back legs on the belly. You might see it down their back, and then you may see it around the neck, where they can get their claws and scratch.
How is feline dermatitis diagnosed?
Dermatitis, which is inflammation of the skin, is diagnosed on a physical exam. To determine the cause of the dermatitis, a lot of times we have to do an impression smear to see what kind of bacteria or yeast is there. Sometimes we have to do skin scrapings to look for parasites. On very rare occasions, we have to do biopsies to look at the skin to see if we have something serious going on, like maybe an autoimmune disease.
Can diet affect my cat's skin health?
Absolutely. Cats can have food allergies, and they will show up as itching and scratching all over the body. There are ways we diagnose that through rule-out. There's no test for food allergy to see what your pet's allergic to. It's a diagnosis of rule-out, and we put them on a specific hydrolyzed protein diet. If they improve on that diet, then we assume it is a food allergy and go from there.
What are the signs of mange or mites in cats?
It's very rare to have mange or skin mites in cats. Demodectic demodicosis gatawawaii is a mite that you will see and is extremely itchy in cats. It's very rare, but sometimes we have a very itchy cat, especially on the face. We will do a skin scraping, looking for that mite.
What are the symptoms of flea allergy dermatitis in cats?
A flea pattern is where you're going to have a lot of hair loss, itching, and scratching along the back towards the back end of your cat, around the rectum, the base of the tail, and in between the legs. This is a typical flea pattern.
How can I prevent my cats from getting fleas and ticks?
Use monthly or every other month heartworm, flea, and tick prevention. There are certain products on the market that are monthly and some that are every other month. You need to use it as it's labeled all year round. We do not get cold enough in North Carolina to have a non-flea/tick season. I see horrible fleas in January. Put the flea and tick prevention on your cat every month or every other month, depending on the product. There is no injectable flea tick prevention for cats currently on the market.
What should I do if my cat has bald patches of fur?
Speak to your veterinarian. They may or may not need medications, but we also need to look to see if there's an underlying issue for it. Could it be stress? Could it be an infection? Ringworm is a fungal infection, not a physical worm. It's a fungal infection of the skin. It leaves a circular-like pattern. It is contagious to humans. We can catch it. Cats can be non-symptomatic carriers, meaning they can have it, and we can still catch it. It's very important that the doctor does some tests to look for ringworm to make sure, because you can catch it.
What are some common causes of hair loss in cats?
Overgrooming, infections, allergies, and ringworm.
How often should I bathe my cat to maintain healthy skin?
Personally, I don't bathe my cat. I want to live. Cats don't take too kindly to bathing. If you can bathe your cat and your veterinarian recommends it, it depends on what's going on, but you're usually going to use a prescription shampoo for the condition that your pet has.
Talk to your veterinarian. Typically, we don't bathe cats just because they don't like it. People can get bit and scratched up pretty well.
What should I do if my cat has a hot spot?
Get an e-collar, put it on your cat, and call your veterinarian.
Are there any home remedies for minor skin irritations in cats?
You can try putting on topicals like triple antibiotic ointment cream or Benadryl cream, but they're just going to lick it right off. Typically, pets need oral or injectable medications. Cats are very sensitive to a lot of medications that humans or dogs can take. I never recommend any at-home remedies typically for cats because there are so many out there that can have bad consequences.
If my cat has skin issues, should I be worried about cat skin cancer?
Skin cancer is always a possibility, but it is extremely rare. That's where biopsies would come into play, and that's after the pet's been seen several times and we've gone through the workup. Skin cancer in cats is very rare.
Is a cat skin tag a cause for concern?
It's rare for cats to get any kind of growths on their skin. If your cat has a growth, you need to see your veterinarian right away. It's very rare for cats to get growths. They need to be removed and analyzed. They can get cysts from time to time, and your veterinarian can look at those and aspirate them to tell you it's a cyst.
But if it is a true growth with a solid center, it needs to be removed and sent to the lab to see what it is. When cats get growths under their skin, a lot of times they are some form of cancer that needs to be addressed.
If you’re looking for veterinary care you can trust, call us at (704) 827-0616 or email [email protected]. We’re here to keep your pet healthy, happy, and thriving!