Thursday, March 28, 2024

Skin Conditions for Cats

Many owners’ number one problem is skin disease in their cats. Personally, this kind of problem is something that hunts you in the evening, especially seeing your cat endlessly scratches its skin. The most common disease why a cat is sent to the veterinarian is due to skin problems. There are many skin conditions for cats that may arise.
Anyhow these skin conditions for cats may indicate some serious health conditions. Otherwise, there are some skin conditions for cats that are easy to cure.
Let’s discuss today some of these skin conditions for cats:

Fleas

Cats are susceptible to fleas. Fleas make cats itch a lot more and scratch their skin. Though flea is the most common issue of skin problems for cats, some cats are hypersensitive due to flea saliva even if it’s only a small bite. This hypersensitivity causes cats to drastically scratch themselves.
There are some topical, oral, and environmental products that can be used to remove fleas from your cat.

Ear Mites

Aside from fleas, ear mites are another most common skin condition for cats. Most of the time, younger kittens are affected by ear mites anyhow, cats of any age can catch it.
Your cat may be pawing, scratching at their ear, or shaking their head to remove the itchy matter from their ear. Cats that have ear mites have thick reddish-black discharge in their ears.
Ear Mites is a treatable skin problem. Your veterinarian can prescribe you with ear drops that can kill ear mites. When this is done, a follow-up cleaning of the ears with cotton balls is required.

Abscesses

Does your feline love to go out and can’t avoid getting into a fight? Then would come home with bite marks caused by some cats outside your house?
You better need to check those bites and clean them right away otherwise, it may result in a skin problem. Abscesses are a collection of pus in the bite area or puncture wound. This is a painful skin problem, as time goes on the wound, becomes soft and spills out discharges. If you think that your cat is suffering from this, bring it immediately to your veterinarian to be treated.

Feline Acne

The presence of Comedones or blackheads forms under the chin or in the edges of your cat’s lips. Mostly the cause of feline acne is water dishes, rubber goods, or plastic.
This is a treatable skin condition. Some were prescribed with food supplements of Omega-6 or Omega-3 fatty acids. For some severe cases, your veterinarian will prescribe shampoos containing benzoyl peroxide at 3% concentration or it can be in the form of gels that break down the excess oil in your feline’s skin.

Food Allergies

This is the 3rd most common skin disease for cats. The main culprits of having food allergies to cats are seafood, beef, and dairy. Cats with food allergies experience the head and neck as the itchiest. In severe cases, cats can have GI issues like diarrhea and vomiting.
To know if your cat has food allergies, you can put it on a strict hypoallergenic elimination diet for eight to ten weeks. If confirmed seek advice from your veterinarian to know more on how to manage and keep your cat from allergens.

Alopecia

Our little feline friend usually sheds hair all year round. It is called molting, however, during the hot weather season this becomes out of hand. The worst scenario is alopecia. Your cat may have severe hair loss through the presence of fur thinning, patchy fur, and almost complete baldness.
There are different causes of alopecia in cats, it can be an environmental, skin infection, or psychological while others get it as a hereditary disease.
In some cases, alopecia is curable. Your vet will determine the main cause of alopecia in your cat and will advise you on the treatments that can help your feline friend.

What are the tests used to diagnose my cat?

About the dermatological issues of our cats, there are many types of tests that can be done. Some of these tests are:

  • Common testing is swabbing the ear of your feline and putting it under a study of a microscope.
  • While other vet takes some scraping of hair follicles or skin debris of your feline friend. Then they put this into a microscope to check whether it’s bacteria or mites are damaging your cat’s skin cells.

Treatments

Getting an early diagnosis of the skin problem can help resolve the issue immediately. There are many types of medications that can be prescribed by your veterinarian. Once he made the diagnosis, the following treatment may be prescribed:

  • Anti-itch medication
  • Antifungal topical or medical treatment
  • Antibacterial injection
  • Flea control medications
  • Switching of cat food and diet.
  • Immunosuppressants

It is very important to work closely with your veterinarian once you suspect that your cat has skin problems. Your accurate details of symptoms may help him immediately identify and give the right treatment needed.

Proper care

Your cat is your precious buddy. It’s sad to see them feel so annoyed because of the itch they’re feeling. Once you notice that your cat is overgrooming, itching, and patching, immediately examine and observe your cat. Take note of the symptoms and schedule an appointment with your veterinarian.
Once prescribed with the proper medication. Strictly follow your prescriptions to help your feline friend recover quickly from the annoying skin problem.

Summary

Taking care of our kitties is so much rewarding. It is painful for us to see them suffer any skin problem that causes them too much itching and baldness. There are many probable causes of skin problems in cats, it can be environmental, disease, or psychological. That’s why monitoring the early onset of the skin problem is very important. This can help us and our vets to identify the skin problem and address it with proper treatment.
Did your cat have any skin problems? What did you do? What did your veterinarian prescribe? Share your experience!

Serina Russow
Serina Russowhttp://smartcatlovers.org
Hey there, I'm Serina, your friendly feline fanatic! As the proud founder of "Smart cat lovers," I'm on a mission to share my passion for all things cat-related. With years of experience in cat behavior and health, I'm here to provide expert advice on nurturing happy, healthy kitties. When I'm not tapping away on my keyboard, you'll find me curled up with my four adorable furballs: Whiskers, Luna, Billy, and Charlie.

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