My cat has scabs all over her body. Is it allergies or something else?

It does sound like she is having an allergic reaction to something. This can be an insect bite hypersensitivity (such as fleas or mosquitoes) food or environmental allergy. A vet visit would be a great place to start if she is itchy or any of the lesions appear to be infected as she may need medication to feel better. I would recommend stopping the milk as this may be a cause and typically is not good for most cats. Discuss your concerns with the vet and they may also recommend a diet change but as long as she is on a good quality cat food I would not immediately change it. Make any changes one at a time so you can evaluate her response. It can take up to 4-6 weeks to notice a difference after resmiving a possible allergen. Good luck and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This may be due to allergies. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing her 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 and thank you for your question on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! When you are petting her and your feel little seeds or what feels like little millet seeds, then it is very possible she could have miliary dermatitis. The #1 cause of military dermatitis is actually an allergy to fleas. It is only takes one flea to induce a flea allergy and the adult fleas can be hard to spot! Eggs and larva can be hard to see as well. Fleas find cracks and crevices to enter your home making household cats susceptible to acquiring fleas. If going to a vet is not an option, you can try bathing her in dawn dish soap (that will get rid of the adult fleas). You can then purchase an OTC flea treatment and preventative product such as Frontline Plus or Advantage to use monthly to ensure your are taking care of the entire life cycle of the flea. If the itching does not subside in a few weeks with the flea preventative, then it may be possible she has another environmental allergy or a food allergy, but I would rule out an allergy to fleas first. :) Thank you so much for your question and I wish you and Ishiban the very best!

Hi there! The most common cause of excessive itching like this in cats is allergies - either food allergies, or an allergy to something in the environment. You may want to talk with your veterinarian about allergy testing to help identify the source of the problem so that you can put together a treatment plan based on this information. If he's allergic to something in his food, he may need to be on a prescription diet like Hills z/d or Purina HA to help resolve the itching. If he has environmental allergies, you could consider hyposensitization injections or long-term daily medication like prednisolone or Atopica.

The first thing I would do with Bonnie is put a flea prevention on her. Even if she doesn't go outside and you do not see fleas she can be very allergic to them. The reason I jump to this first is the two locations for fleas to go are at the base of the tail and the belly. Cats typically you cannot see the fleas or flea dirt since they groom so much so you will just see hairloss and sometimes scabs. If she has scabs or she is licking a lot, a veterinarian can give medication to make her feel more comfortable. If this does not help then I would pick a salmon based formula food and gradually wean her onto it. It can take up to 12 weeks for a food to help. If either of these doesn't work then it is most likely behavioral and your veterinarian can prescribe medication. If this is a new thing then it is more likely a flea jumped on her at one point creating an allergic reaction. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hi, and thanks for your question. This could be due to an allergy, although it could also be infection or mites. First of all, in order to rule out skin parasites, you will need to treat with a high quality flea treatment, 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, pollens, dust etc etc). Some medications can be given by the vet in order to repair any possible skin lesions (like steroids and antibiotics). Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!

This is probably caused by an allergic reaction. first of all make sure you de-flea Ciciregularly 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. This isn't an emergency by any means.