Pet Skin Doctor

If your feline friend has been acting oddly lately; perhaps she’s constantly scratching, licking, chewing or biting.  Maybe you’ve noticed a little more shedding than usual?  It’s very likely your pet has a cat skin problem if you’ve noticed any of the above or worse.

Cat skin problems are not something that should be ignored.  They will not go away on their own, because they are typically a sign of something worse.  The problems will turn into nasty hot spots or open sores.  Excessive loss of hair can take years to grow back.  It’s time to take action!  The above signs are symptoms of an underlying cause most commonly known as skin allergies.  Your cat may be allergic to their food, fleas or another parasite, grass or pollen, or even her favorite resting chair!

 The first sign that your cat may be suffering from a skin problem may be what is referred to as a hot spot.  A “hot spot” may be a crusty, red and possibly even ooozing patch of skin.  In some cases, hair loss may occur as well. 

The most common conditions which can cause cat hot spots are abscesses, bacterial infection, eosinophilic granuloma, eosinophilic plaques, flea allergy dermatitis (also known as flea bite hypersensitivity), miliary dermatitis in cats, pyoderma-deep, ringworm, and squamous cell carcinoma.

As a cat owner you may be aware that when a feline has a health issue or skin disorder it will often reveal itself through the condition of the skin and coat.  Therefore dry skin may be a sign of a more serious underline cause such as allergy, or it may just be dry skin.

Excessive self-grooming may cause your cat dry skin.  of course, excessive grooming is a sign of an underlying problem as well.  Some cats just like to be clean or groom themselves.  The tell tale signs of a more serious underlying health problem, such as an allergy will manifest itself through numerous signals.  These include all or any number of the following; abnormal behavior or attitude, biting, chewing, hair loss, constant scratching and itching of the face or hind legs, rubbing and hot spots.

The most common cat allergies are caused by allergens in the air, food, medication or fleas/insects.  You must properly diagnose the underlying cause prior to treatmenteliminating the irritant.

Since most feline allergies affect their skin, cat skin conditions due to allergy may occur at any time and may seem to appear from out of no where.  A sudden allergic reaction to cat food they’ve been eating for long periods of time is not that unusual.

If you have noticed ”hot spots” on your feline, you may take him to the vet only to pay for the visit and possibly a steroid shot.  The hot spot may disapear only to reapear shortly after.

This is evidence that the cat hot spots are a symptom of a deeper problem.  “Hot spots” are patches of red, inflamed skin.  This moist, raw skin disorder has a variety of causes but the most consistent factor is bacteria.  It’s important to document location of the hot spot and when you noticed its appearance.  As these are helpful things to know while trying to diagnose the underlying problem.  In the mean time, using a natural skin therapy lotion on the hot spot will help the area to heal faster without the expensive, time-consuming trips to the vet or the long-term ill effects of steroids.

If your cat is showing symptoms of having an allergy, your primary concern should be proper diagnosis.  Since symptoms of an allergy include skin conditions that are often symptoms of other cat health problems, it’s important to begin documenting your cat’s behavior and schedule a visit to your vet.

Cat skin allergies are difficult to diagnose and even after diagnosis, “treatment” is more typically prevention then cure depending on the allergen.  Your vet will be able to provide the tests sometimes necessary in proper diagnoses of your cat’s problem should it go that far.  These tests can be expensive and time consuming so it’s best to avoid them if possible.