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Indoor cat has sores and scabs: What's causing her skin problems?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Burmese | Female | spayed | 7 lbs

My cat is developing sores/scabs on her body. She's an indoor cat who lives with another cat. She hasn't been introduced to any new food or products. Please help me figure it out

5 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Ricardo Fernandez, DVM

Answered By Ricardo Fernandez, DVM

Veterinarian, Veterinary Oncology Resident

Published on January 30th, 2018

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!
Vote Icon2Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

  • Answered By Makenzie Kurth, DVM

    Veterinarian

    I’m sorry Gypsy is dealing with this! This could be a skin infection, allergies, or ringworm. Take her in to your vet who will ask some
    more questions and can recommend testing (skin scrape, ringworm test, other) or treatment as needed. Good luck to you and Gypsy!

    Vote Icon

    1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

  • Answered By David Elbeze, DVM, MRCVS

    Veterinarian

    Published on June 21st, 2017

    This is probably due to a severe allergy, although it could also be fleas or mites. First of all, in order to rule out skin parasites, you will need to treat Roxy with a high quality flea treatment (e.g. advocate or advantage), then get her to 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 discovering the cause of the allergy.

    Some medications can be given by the vet in order to repair the skin lesions (steroids and antibiotics). simultaneously you should start her on a prescription hypoallergenic diet for at least 2 months.
    Hopefully you will see some results after all this, if not you and your vet should consider putting her on a long term allergy treatment (Atopica ).

    Vote Icon

    1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

  • Answered By David Elbeze, DVM, MRCVS

    Veterinarian

    Published on July 13th, 2018

    This is probably due to a severe allergy, although it could also be fleas or mites.
    First of all, in order to rule out skin parasites, you will need to treat her with a high quality flea treatment (e.g. advantage), then get her to 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 discovering the cause of the allergy.
    Some medications can be given by the vet in order to repair the skin lesions (steroids and antibiotics). simultaneously you should start her on a prescription hypoallergenic diet for at least 2 months.
    Hopefully you will see some results after all this, if not you and your vet should consider putting her on a long term allergy treatment (Atopica or Apoquel).

    Vote Icon

    1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

  • Answered By Dr. Massimo Orioles, DVM, Cert AVP, MRCVS

    Veterinarian

    Published on March 16th, 2018

    This is probably 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.

    Vote Icon

    1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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