My cat bites himself raw, has scabs & matted fur. What's wrong?

Those spots on your kitty could be just dry skin causing itching bad enough to lose hair (do know that dry skin alone should not cause hair loss) but there are several things including fleas, allergies, skin mites, bacterial infection or endocrine disease which could also look the same way. There are a couple things you can do at home and they can help but they may not address the underlying cause. That's great that you are using an omega 3 fatty acid supplement this can help improve the skin health. Make sure it is a formula for pets (better absorption) and you may need to squirt it directly in his mouth. You may also try changing his diet to something like Royal Canin or Nutro as they are aimed at skin health. Also protect the area from trauma by having your kitty wear an elizabethan collar at all times. If the skin does not start improving within 2-3 weeks or if it is getting worse, have him examined by the veterinarian to look for other causes. Unfortunately, lotions and sprays don;t tend to moisturize as well as supplements and diet. There are some moisturizing sprays and your cat will need to wear an elizabethan collar at all times because otherwise he will lick the product. Moisturizing shampoos and conditions for pets are also an option but not all cats enjoy baths and may bite and scratch their owners. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Lilly! I would have Lilly rechecked. At a bare minimum she needs medications (prednisolone taper) to relieve the itching. I would request that a skin scrape be performed to rule out skin mites. They are microscopic and need to be looked at under a microscope. I would also culture the area for ringworm. She may have allergies and I would suggest trying to change her diet first. Chicken is the number one allergic protein so try to change her to all venison or salmon diet. You will need to give the diet 2-3 months to see if it works. If mites, ringworm and food allergies have been rule out then I would consider it behavioral and start her on prozac. I hope this helps and I wish you and Lilly the very best! Happy New Year!

The most common problem causing Milly's symptoms is a severe flea allergic dermatitis. Regardless I recommend brushing her to remove the old fur and skin, giving a bath with a hypoallergenic shampoo and using Advantage flea prevention on her. You can purchase it at PetCo. She may need antibiotics to heal the skin and your veterinarian will do an exam to determine the cause of her problems. They may run a blood panel in addition to determine if she is anemic or has a metabolic problem. Once they have a diagnosis they will give her the appropriate treatment and hopefully she will recover quickly. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Milly.

Poor Baby! I would talk to your vet about whether a long acting steroid like depo-medrol may be beneficial as long as he is healthy enough and they don't think it will cause it to get worse. I would also make sure he is staying on a monthly high quality flea preventative as this can be a major cause for allergies in cats. Another option would be to ask for a referral to see a dermatologist or to find a alternative vet to discuss acupuncture or herbs as an option. I hope this helps and he starts to feel better really soon!

Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. What you are describing could be due to allergies or a skin infection. I would recommend starting a shampoo such as Douxo PS chlorhexidine combination shampoo and bathe twice weekly. I would also recommend welactin omega 3 fish oil, essential 6 spot on by dermoscent and malacetic conditioning spray. If this does not imprive the current problem or it worsens, i would have a veterinarian look at this for further trestment recommendations. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns. I am also available via consultation if needed.

This is probably due to a severe allergy, although it could also be fleas, infection or mites.

First of all, in order to rule out skin parasites, you will need to treat with a high quality flea treatment (advocate or advantage), then ask the vet to perform a skin scrape - this might reveal an infection or a mite infestation.

 If all of those came back negative, the next step is to treat the allergy symptomatically and try to discover the cause of the allergy.

 Three main type of allergies are usually affecting pets: food allergies, flea and parasite related ones and environmental type (allergens coming from trees, pollins, dust etc etc). Some medications can be given by the vet in order to repair the skin lesions (steroids and antibiotics). Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation (where you can post pictures ) if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

Ideally, take Buddy in to see your vet, so they can do a general physical exam and determine if there is suspicion for a problem with his skin itself such as an allergy, or if he seems to have any health issues that may be causing him discomfort (since he is meowing strangely). Cymric cats by nature have thick hair and a thick undercoat, so shedding is going to be more dramatic than in other cat breeds. It is sometimes difficult or impossible for these cats to groom themselves (lick their fur) well enough to prevent matting. Additionally, if he is painful anywhere (arthritis, etc) it is more difficult to groom. If his hair is matted, that can very uncomfortable because the matts pull on the skin. I suspect that is probably why he is biting at his hair. This discomfort could also be the cause of the pained "meowing." It may be helpful to get Buddy in to a groomer. He may need to be shaved to get the matts off, and often this may require sedation. Therefore a groomer that works at a veterinarian's office would be ideal. You can try to gently brush out the matts at home if he will let you, but if it causes him a great deal of discomfort or stress, don't overdo it at home. Again, my first recommendation is to take him to the vet--if no reason for this behavior is found, I would recommend getting him groomed. In the future to try to prevent the hair from becoming matted, brush him regularly at home (at least once a week), and you can try a product such as this: https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/well-and-good-shed-reducing-cat-wipes Thanks for asking PetCoach!