My cat is chewing her skin raw. Is it fleas or an allergy?

I'm sorry your cats (and you!) are dealing with you. Unfortunately, once a cat has a flea dermatitis, the itching and skin problems can continue even once you get rid of the fleas. The degree of which really depends on the severity of their sensitivity to flea bites. Often, we have to use antihistamines or steroids to resolve the inflammation. Sometimes we also have to incorporate antibiotics if there is an infection. For dogs, there are topical shampoos we can use, but those are often not a good option for cats. So, I would recommend having your veterinarian examine your cats' skin to determine if there is a secondary skin infection or just inflammation in order to help you determine the best treatment. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

It sounds as if your cat has a skin infection, most commonly caused by an allergy or fleas. The allergy could be a due to a protein in Muffin's food or an environmental allergy like to dust, pollens, grasses, etc. The allergy causes your cat to itch and chew at the skin which breaks down the skin barrier. This then leads to infection. Muffin will need antibiotics to help clear up the infection and possibly an anti-itch medication like steroids to give some relief while the infection clears up. A medicated shampoo may be beneficial as well. I would also recommend she be on a good flea control too. I can totally understand it may be hard to catch Myffin. But hopefully you can get her into the vet one time and everything will be able to be given injectably and she will be able to get cleared up. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck!

I'm sorry to hear Momo isn't feeling well. It does sound and look like there is an underlying allergy. First , make sure she is on a flea prevention from a vet that is given every 30 days. After that, talk with your vet about allergy testing for things in her environment like grasses, weeds, pollens, mites, etc. Allergies are not cured but they can be managed. Good luck and kisses to Momo!

This is probably caused by an allergic reaction. first of all make sure you de-flea Beauty Rose Winborne regularly every month with a high quality spot on (ex. Advantage) as fleas are by far the most common reason for these reactions. If the fleas are not the problem, it could be an allergic reaction to food or an environmental factor. this is more complicated to treat and will sometimes require medications such as Steroids, anti histamines or cyclosporin in order to stop the allergy.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is possibly due to allergies as opposed to being behavioral. This is possibly more specifically due to flea allergies. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing his allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. There are many things that can cause allergies though in most cases they can be broken down into 3 big categories: flea, food and environmental allergies. Allergies are usually worked up in a stepwise fashion starting with flea allergies as this is the easiest and cheapest to take care of. If not on a flea preventative, then it would be a good idea to get started on one. If already on one then it would be a good idea to change to something else (there are many new products out in the market). If not improved in 1-3 months then it is time to move on and check for food allergies by switching to a novel diet (new protein and new carbohydrate). If that does not seem to be the issue then you are left out having to check for environmental allergies which require blood and/or skin tests. Allergies can be very frustrating to deal with at first but so rewarding at the end when we are able to treat them effectively!

Hi there. It sounds like Fifi has allergies. This could be to due to food or something in her environment but her symptoms are typical of allergies. I would recommend having her checked by your vet. If she does have allergies medications like apoquel can help immensely but best to make sure nothing else is going on. I hope that helps! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Persistent and recurring itchiness without obvious physical cause such as fleas is a red flag for allergic skin disease. It would be impossible to assess the case fully without a complete review of all previous tests and response (full, partial or none) to previous treatments and diet changes. My general approach would be a full physical exam and skin scrapes to rule out infections, ringworm and parasites such as fleas or mites and treatment of any of these as required. Following this, a diet trial of a hydrolyzed food such as royal canin hypoallergenic for 8 weeks to rule out adverse food reactions or sensitivites. If no response to food trial, skin biopsies and allergy medications would be considered, as well as blood tests for allergies and underlying medical causes. Referral to a specialist, certified dermatologist is always worthwhile in complex skin cases