My cat has recurring scabs on her nose. What's wrong and how to help?

I would recommend having Sharon examined by your vet and have your vet do some simple skin tests to determine what might be going on with Sharon. We do sometimes see some different types of mites (I have attached a link to a handout below with more information on one type of mite) that can cause skin problems in cats as well as bacterial or fungal infections. so your vet will need to determine the cause of the crusting in order to determine the best treatment option. https://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=512 Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using PetCoach.

Dark scabby areas on the head and necks of cats are often attributable to a complex known as eosinophilic plaques. Many are allergic in origin, and respond to a change in diet (hypoallergenic diets such as those made with "novel" protein and carbohydrate sources or hydrolyzed diets such as Hill's z/d) and treatment with immunosuppressive drugs. Some studies also point to a tie-in with feline herpes virus. Diagnosis is made via biopsy. These lesions can occur on the lips, inside the mouth, just about anywhere on the head or on the pads of the feet. I've also seen them on the abdomen. Again, it's really important to get a biopsy done, because the appearance can mimic some cancers (squamous cell carcinoma) and also some fungal diseases that are quite serious.

She could have an infection, auto-immune disease, or allergic dermatitis. Since she has had the condition for about a week, she should be examined by your vet to determine the cause. She may need an antibiotic, anti-histamine, and/or an anti-inflammatory to treat the problem.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Blossom! Her skin on her ears looks bad. I think she should see a Vet to diagnose the cause and start treatment. Possible causes are food allergies, ringworm, mites. You can play with her diet and see if changing the protein helps for long term management. If an animal has a food allergy chicken tends to be the most common allegen. But that won’t help her feel better in the short term. Ringworm is diagnosed on fungal culture and mites on a skin scrape. An infection is treated with antibiotics and steroids. I hope this helps and I wish Blossom a speedy recovery!

I would be really suspicious of ringworm. Although there could be other causes as well such as stick tight fleas, frost bite, infections, etc. I would encourage you to have him evaluated by your veterinarian soon. In the meantime please practice good hygiene after handling him as ringworm is contagious to people as well. Best of luck and thank you for using Pet Coach.

The mark on Cleo's nose looks like a bit of crusted fur. This could be due to a scab from scratching herself, or could be the start of a mild bacterial or fungal infection. As long as it doesn't seem to be bothering her, it's perfectly reasonable to keep an eye on it for a week or two before taking further action. If it gets better - problem solved! If it stays the same or gets worse, it would be best to have it checked out by a vet. During the exam, your vet may need to scrape a sample of skin cells to be examined under a microscope to get to the bottom of this issue. I hope that everything goes well!

It sounds like Mibaowa may have scratched at her nose, causing the scab to come off. It does need to heal, or it could get infected from her continually scratching at it. I would put an Ecollar on her, which will prevent her from scratching at it, and will allow it to heal. You can get an Ecollar from a pet store or your vet.