by Janet Farricelli CPDT-KA

Created on: May 18, 2008

Feline skin conditions may be pretty challenging to diagnose, a series of tests may often be needed since there may be an extensive list of possible causes. So do not be surprised if your scratching feline may leave your veterinarian scratching his head as well.
Common signs of a skin condition include but are not limited to:

Itching
Scratching
Hair-loss
Excessive licking

Scabs
Redness
Patches
Infection

In order to shed some light on these annoying and frustrating conditions we can take a look mostly at those commonly diagnosed.

Skin conditions known to cause itching:

FOOD ALLERGY
More and more cats are presenting at vet offices due to allergies. Cats will be itching and scratching all day long even until they are raw and hairless in some areas. Owners may notice scabs and blood crusted areas throughout their coat. Diagnosing which food your cat is allergic to may be a challenge for your vet, he/she will have to rely on his/her strong investigative qualities. Usually, the cause is found by exclusion. Your vet may ask you to put your cat on a special diet and monitor for several weeks. Unfortunately, all the tests and trials may turn out pretty costly and there is no guarantee that the food culprit will be found. In most cases, treatment starts by prescribing anti-histamine medications and in severe cases by giving a steroid shot.

ATOPY
This is an allergy to something present in the environment. Culprits may be just about anything your cat gets into contact with. Common causes are dust, pollen, chemicals used in the yard, household products and so forth. Again, finding the exact cause may prove challenging. In seasonal cases, the allergy may be easily associated with pollen.
Intra-dermal skin testing may at times bring good results.
Antihistamines and steroid shots may be used as well to alleviate this annoying skin condition.

SCABIES (Notredic mange)
Tiny mites are the cause of this skin condition. Cats will be particularly scratching the area around their head and neck and they will also exhibit hair-loss. Sometimes they spread as well to the abdominal area and feet. Humans may be affected as well but the symptomatology would be only limited to itching. Diagnosis is pretty easy as they patches of hair-loss are pretty typical and the skin scrapings will confirm. Treatment consists of hair clipping followed by a medicated shampoo and finally a series a Lyme dips.

FLEAS (and their saliva)
Fleas may cause itching but when a cat is allergic to a flea's saliva there may be much more

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