Why is my older cat's skin peeling and tearing on his back?

If Sottey is truly 19 years old, the cause of what you are seeing is likely known as skin fragility syndrome. The most common causes of this condition are endocrine conditions such as Cushing's disease or Diabetes Mellitus. It can also be caused by overuse of certain steroid drugs. Other times, the disease just manifests for reasons unknown. This is referred to as idiopathic skin fragility syndrome. The treatment for this condition is entirely dependent on the cause of the syndrome. If caused by an endocrine condition, treatment of said condition will be necessary. First, Scottey will require some blood testing in order to rule these in or out. Your veterinarian will be able to tell you which tests should be prioritized based on the physical exam he performs.

This is probably due to an allergy, although it could also be infection or mites or it could be stress related. First of all, in order to rule out skin parasites, you will need to treat with a high quality flea treatment (advocate or advantage), 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). If allergy is not identified this behaviour could be purely stress related. Some medications can be given by the vet in order to repair the skin lesions (steroids and antibiotics). 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.

It sounds like Fatsy may be overgrooming due to stress and causing hair loss and sores. He also could have an allergy causing the symptoms you are describing. This does not sound like cancer. Usually with cancer the tumor is under the skin, feels like a hard irregular mass and is often attached to the underlying tissue. The medication should reduce the skin itch and inflammation and help the raw area heal. Make sure there are no fleas, and using a Feliway diffuser sometime help cats relax, reduces stress and the overgrooming. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Fatsy.

HI, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! A lot of times older cats have harder times grooming themselves, whether it be from arthritis, obesity, or underlying medical problems. I think it is important to be sure she isn't suffering from fleas, ringworm, mites or a skin infection. Since she is almost 15 years old I recommend having some blood work done. Be sure she isn't pulling her own hair out which can be a sign of allergies or behavioral issues. I think scheduling an exam with your Vet is the best thing since this is a new medical problem. If all things check out normal then you can try an Omega 3 fish oil supplement to see if that improves her coat. I hope this helps and I wish Lilabit the best!

Canned salmon is not a good food for a cat and could be the reason for the flaking. He likely is not grooming due to either pain (cats older than 7 years usually start getting osteoarthritis and will groom less the worse the arthritis pain gets) or being so stiff, that he cannot reach everywhere. You should also check his teeth and gums. If they are red, if he smells bad from his mouth and/ or if you see brownish crusting on his molars (cheek teeth) , then he may have a tooth ache and not groom because of that. Besides brushing, you may also want to take a moist towel and wipe him down. Most cats like that. He may have mites, which causes crusting, flaking and thinning of the fur. These would not necessarily be itchy. I suggest you make an appointment with your vet for a geriatric exam, some base line blood tests, to make sure he is healthy.

This may due to an extremely severe allergy, a burn injury (so the skin which has fallen off died) but it could also be infection (bacterial or viral) or mites. An immediate check up is absolutely needed as antibiotic treatment and pain relief medications will be needed. 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.

I really do not know what that is from. If he has been over-grooming or scratching a lot I would be worried about fleas. If he has no other symptoms you can try this wound spray gel on that area to see if it helps. I do see some red bumps in that hairless area. If no improvement after a few weeks then you should have him to the vet for an exam. It should have nothing to do with renal disease or diet. ( https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/vetericyn-cat-wound-and-skin-hydrogel )