Oct 17, 2024
We love our cats for their sleek, beautiful coats, and as owners, there’s nothing more satisfying than seeing them look their best. But when a cat’s skin becomes irritated, it can cause discomfort and huge changes in both how they look and behave.
Cat skin irritation is a common issue our best friends face. While some cases are mild, others can worsen if left untreated, making it important to address the problem early. Either way, it’s important to know everything there is about their skin and keeping it healthy.
Symptoms of Cat Skin Irritation
Cats are typically very good at masking discomfort, which can make it difficult for owners to spot issues right away. However, there are some subtle signs you can pick up to observe your cat’s skin problem. Here are some of the symptoms of skin irritation:
Excessive Scratching and Licking
One of the most obvious signs your cat’s skin is irritated is when it wants to scratch and lick themselves more than usual. While it’s good for cats to groom themselves, more frequent activity can mean that something is bothering them. This will be confirmed if they usually just lick one specific and localized area, such as their paws.
Redness and Swelling
Redness and swelling are huge signs that your cat is experiencing some skin trouble. Irritation can manifest in lots of forms, and a change to a red color with a swollen appearance is a big giveaway. This can be typically seen in areas around the ears, belly, or paws. Your cat might feel pain when these areas are touch, which makes it want to hide and be alone.
Hair Loss
Skin irritation often leads to hair loss, which can appear as thinning fur or bald spots. You may notice these patches on areas where your cat is scratching or licking excessively. Sometimes, the irritation itself causes hair to fall out, while in other cases, cats may pull their own fur out, trying to soothe the itch.
Scabs, Sores, and Lesions
In some cases, your cat’s skin irritation can develop sores, scabs, lesions, and other physical changes. These can come from your cat’s scratching and biting habits or if bacteria has played a role.
Dry Skin
If you notice your cat’s skin to be dry, flaky, and crusty, skin irritation could be the issue. Along with noticeable changes on its skin, you might also see dandruff-like flakes in its bedding. These rough, dry patches could stem from underlying causes like allergies, nutritional deficiencies, or even low humidity in their environment.
Behavioral Changes
When cats deal with skin irritation, they might become irritable due to the discomfort they feel. You’ll start to see them pacing more, being unable to just sit, and maybe hiding in dark corners where they can be alone. Some cats can also become more vocal to show their discomfort, which can be supported by body language.
Causes of Cat Skin Irritation
Your cat’s skin irritation can have different causes, from simple allergies to more complex and deadly infections. Knowing the cause is an important step to treatment and relief for your best friend, which is why our team always gives your best friend a comprehensive cat checkup. In the meantime, here are some of the common causes of cat skin irritation:
Parasites
Fleas are one of the most common culprits behind skin irritation in cats. These tiny parasites can be the reason for your cat’s severe itching and irritation, which can lead your cat to scratch, bite, or paw at the affected body parts.
Some cats are also allergic to the saliva that fleas bring, causing more inflammation and irritation to damage your cat’s skin. This is known as flea allergy dermatitis.
Other than fleas, ticks and mites are parasites that can jump in your cat while it takes a stroll outside. These parasites can cause irritation just from their bites.
Allergies
Just like humans, cats can develop allergies that affect their skin. Allergies can cause severe irritation depending on your cat’s genetics. Generally, there are three types of allergies that can cause skin irritation in cats.
Environmental Allergies
These are triggered by things like pollen, dust, mold, and dust. Cats with environmental allergies may experience seasonal flare-ups or have constant irritation depending on what they’re allergic to. It can be trigged the moment they go outside for a quick walk.
Food Allergies
Some cats are allergic to certain diets and this can vary from cat to cat. Foods such as beef, chicken, dairy, or grains are common allergens, but do not mean that every cat are allergic to them. Skin irritation caused by food allergies may appear alongside digestive issues, like vomiting or diarrhea, but the most visible signs are usually itching and rashes, especially around the face, ears, or paws.
Contact Allergies
Contact allergies occur when your cat’s skin comes into contact with something that its skin is sensitive to, which can be pollen, medications, furniture, and other objects. The irritants usually cause problems around a localized area where they come into contact with the skin. While this allergen is usually rare, it’s still a probable cause.
Dry Skin
Dry skin can be an issue for cats, especially in low-humidity environments. This dryness can lead to flaky, itchy skin that irritates your cat. Cats need a good grooming routine and a healthy diet to maintain their skin and prevent any problems.
Fungal Infections
Fungal infections like ringworm are a common cause of skin irritation in cats. While its name can be deceiving, it’s actually a fungus that causes the irritation. Ringworm involves symptoms such as circular patches of hair loss, scaly skin, and itching. Ringworm is highly contagious and can spread between animals and even to humans, so it’s important to seek treatment quickly.
Bacterial Infections
Bacterial skin infections, also known as pyoderma, can develop as a secondary condition when the skin has been compromised by scratching or other skin issues. The infections can bring symptoms such as redness, swelling, and inflammation. Cats with bacterial infections may require antibiotics and proper wound care to heal.
Stress and Over-Grooming
When cats are stressed, whether from environmental changes, new pets, or changes in their routine, they may start to over-groom as a way to cope. This excessive licking can irritate the skin, sometimes to the point of hair loss or open sores, a condition known as psychogenic alopecia. If the underlying stress is not addressed, the over-grooming will likely continue.
Treatment for Cat Skin Irritation
Once we’ve identified the cause of your cat’s skin irritation, our team can get straight to treatment. The treatment options usually involve medications that relieve your cat and help them recover. Here are the steps we take to treat your cat’s skin irritation:
Parasite Treatments
If your cat’s skin irritation is mainly caused by fleas, ticks, and mites, then getting rid of them is the first step. Our pet dermatologists will recommend topical treatments, oral medications, sprays, or flea collars designed to kill the parasites. To help keep your cat’s skin healthy, we’ll also schedule regular preventive treatments.
Allergy Remedies
While allergies can’t be fully treated, there are several ways to manage them. For food allergies, we’ll do an elimination diet to identify the main cause of your cat’s allergic reaction. We’ll start by using limited ingredients. To help provide a healthy diet in the process, specially formulated foods have great options that are also hypoallergenic.
For environmental and contact allergies, antihistamines can be a good start. To help support this treatment, regular cleaning should be done at home. Air purifiers are also a good item to have at home to help manage your cat’s allergy.
Infection Medications
For bacterial and fungal infections, topical treatments, oral medications, and medicated shampoos can work depending on your cat’s case. These are all available at our vet pharmacy, which means that after a quick checkup, we can get your cat the antibiotics, antifungals, and medicated shampoos it needs to recover.
General Treatments
If the cause of your cat’s irritation stems from a lack of proper grooming and care, supportive treatments will be your best bet. To help address the issue directly, medicated shampoos and professional cat grooming are good options to help your cat’s skin go back to its healthy nature.
To help support this, proper hydration and nutrition are important to keep your cat’s skin free from irritations. The essential nutrients your cat needs to have healthy skin and coat include Vitamins A, B, and E, Copper, Zinc, and fatty acids such as Omega-3 and Omega-6. Specially formulated food provides good options to help you start.
Conclusion
Your cat’s skin irritation can come from out of nowhere just to stress out your cat. As our best friends’ caretakers, we must take steps to help them feel happier and healthier. It all starts with a good amount of knowledge and care, both of which our clinic can help. Let’s keep our cat’s skin free from irritation and full of happiness.