Why is my cat itching, losing hair, has a sore, and sleeps by litter box?

Youch! Those are some nasty looking wounds your kitty has created. While I am uncertain of the drug your veterinarian prescribed, no drug is 100%. It is still possible that a flea issue could be the cause of Private's problems. I would invest in a flea comb from your local pet store and comb him down, taking a look for any live or dead fleas, or flea dirt. If you see any, it may be time to start thinking about remedicating. In terms of allergies, in theory a cat could be allergic to anything at all, cat nip included. If those are areas where you feel Private has been rubbing himself on the cat nip, it's certainly possible that it is the cause of the derm issues you are seeing. In regards to treatment, it looks they are scabbing up pretty well. If you chose to use antibiotics at this point, it would most likely be to prevent any secondary infection. What you really need to do is prevent the itching. You may need to invest in an e-collar from your vet or a pet store to accomplish this. Also, medication to prevent the itchiness will be equally as important. Typically, antihistamines and steroids are the drugs of choice to control this sort of thing in kitties. You will need to see your vet to figure out which is the best one in this case. As for sleeping in the litter box, this could be an indicator that he simply isn't feeling 100%. Cats tend to do oddball things when they aren't themselves. Hope this helps!

This is likely either skin mites or ringworm. Poor kitty. He needs to be seen by your vet for skin testing to determine which is likely so that he can start treatment for this right away. Best wishes at the vet and I hope his skin clears up soon. Take care.

You will need to take your cat to a veterinarian for a skin exam. Your cat could be suffering from an allergy, mites, fleas, a bacterial or fungal infection. each of these requires a different treatment, so it is important to find out what is causing the itch. Your vet will do a thorough exam and maybe a a skin scrape. He will then discuss the options with you and then prescribe medications, possibly give an injection to stop the itching.

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.

I'm so sorry to hear that Loki is having this problem. The most common reasons that we will see a cat have sores and be itchy are due to allergies, a skin infection, or parasites such as mites or fleas. I am attaching a handout about itching in cats below. https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4952664 Since Loki already has sores, I would recommend having your veterinarian examine him to determine if he has any evidence of secondary bacterial, fungal or parasitic infections. If not, then you can discuss using anti-itching medications such as anti-histamines or steroids short term to resolve the itching and chewing. And if those techniques are unsuccessful, then the final step might be a diet change. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using PetCoach.

Your cat may well have ear mites, which are contagious and extremely itchy, causing cats to scratch their ears raw inside and in front of the ears. I would have an exam done right away so your veterinarian can start the appropriate treatment. You'll have to figure out how to get him into a kennel to go for a vet visit!

Skin problems in cats are usually secondary to an allergy. Puttie might be allergic to something that is in the air in your area over the summer. The best thing for him is have a good skin exam done by a veterinarian. Allergies can lead to secondary problems such as bacterial and fungal infections. Allergies can't be cured, but can be controlled with different medications. Allergies are difficult to treat, so be patient as your veterinarian finds the right combination of medications that will keep him comfortable. Your vet can also make sure that there isn't something else going on instead of allergies. They will check the lumps to make sure that it isn't something more serious like swollen lymph nodes.