Itchy Skin in Cats

When cats are itchy they may scratch themselves or overgroom. You might witness your cat doing this or if they are doing it when they are alone you might notice scratches, wounds and patches of hair loss.

Your cat might be itchy for a number of reasons including:

Parasites like fleas, mites or lice
Allergies
Immune mediated diseases

When you bring your cat to see your vet they will examine your cat. Certain skin diseases have a typical distribution and appearance which your vet will be familiar with. Your vet will check for external parasites using a combination of a physical exam and microscopy. Your vet will also look under the microscope for bacterial and yeast infections.

Depending on your pet’s diagnosis, your vet might prescribe allergy medications, prescription antiparasitic treatments, antibiotics or topical treatments. Sometimes further diagnostics like blood tests and skin biopsies might be indicated and your vet will discuss this with you if necessary.

Allergic Dermatitis

Allergic dermatitis is a general term to describe the itchy skin cats can have due to a large variety of allergies.

Itchiness can occur anywhere but most commonly affects the head and ears, along the back and base of tail, and sometimes the paws.

In most cases it is not possible to tell what the exact cause is by looking at the skin reaction- reactions to all allergens will look more or less the same. However, allergies most often occur due to flea bites, then environmental pollens, followed by food allergies as being the least likely cause.

In the case of a one off allergic reaction the standard treatment is:

ensure there are no fleas present by using a licensed flea medication such as Advocate or Bravecto
treat any secondary skin infection, as this is a very common complication
treat the itchiness itself with an anti-itch medication

Recurrent Itchiness

When a cat has recurrent skin itchiness, it should be investigated further as we like to avoid ongoing medication if at all possible.

A step by step process is necessary, firstly to rule out food allergies, then blood testing can be done to isolate potential environmental allergens. Once we have a narrowed down diagnosis, we can decide on the most appropriate treatment and prevention strategies.