My indoor cat is scratching, biting, and sleeping more. Is she sick?

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.

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!

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 and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sorry to hear about Sweetiepie. Scratching can be due to external parasites (fleas, ticks, mites, etc), insect bites/stings, bacterial infection, dry skin, and some extreme cases are due to Feline Hyperesthesia Syndrome, where parts of their bodies become extremely itchy. Sounds like if this persists or worsens, you will need to get her examined by your vet. They can get a history, perform an exam, and advise a diagnostic plan and/or treatment plan based on physical findings. Skin tests including a skin scrape, fungal culture, skin cytology may be needed or even some blood work to rule out an internal organ problem. Treatment would be based on the cause. Good luck with Sweetiepie.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is possibly due to allergies. She does have a very large open wound that does require therapy and warrants veterinary evaluation as soon as possible. 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!

This could be a sign of several things including environmental allergies, mites, ringworm, and food allergies. Without doing a physical examination on Shyannne it's difficult to say what it causing her to itch. Even if you are not seeing fleas, if she is not currently on a good quality flea preventative like Revolution you may want to start. You may want to try bathing with a soothing shampoo. Once a veterinarian checks her out they may prescribe a medicated shampoo. The Douxo line makes medicated shampoos and also mousses for animals that are more difficult to bathe. Omega-3s are naturally anti -inflammatory so these may help as well. If Shyanne's symptoms persist then she should be taken to your veterinarian. Her skin can be tested for mites and other types of infections. There are many treatments for allergies available as prescription medication. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach and I hope Shyanne's skin issues resolve quickly!

I am sorry to hear about Jewel. Fleas are definitely a possibility in any pet who is itching, even if they are supervised when outdoors, a flea can easily jump onto a pet without our notice. They can also be very difficult to find on a pet if there are just one or two fleas. In addition, some pets are very sensitive to flea bites and just one or two bites can make a pet very itchy. Other possible causes could include allergies to things in the environment such as grasses/pollens/dust. If your kitty has red lesions/spots/scabs/bald patches on the skin I would recommend an examination by your vet. If you don't see any skin lesions you could try using a flea preventative (your vet carries several types such as Comfortis, Bravecto, Revolution or you can purchase a product such as Advantage or Frontline at the pet store- be sure to purchase a product specifically for cats). You can also try a fatty acid supplement which can decrease inflammation in the skin, such as Cutaneo trubenefits which you can purchase online at: http://www.vrshealth.com/feline-products/?petcoach=1977956 If the itching persists or skin lesions develop then a vet exam is needed.