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When human skin has problems, it’s easy to tell in most cases.
You just have to look for patches, spots or rashes. But, what
about your cat’s skin? With all that hair, visible signs are hard
to look for. However, an easy way to know if your cat’s got skin
problems is to observe him/her for repeated chewing, licking, or
scratching.If your cat’s doing any of that, there’s likely some
skin condition affecting the little guy/gal.Speaking of skin
conditions that affect cats, here are some of the most common
ones.
Ringworm
Ringworm is a type of fungal infection. Symptoms for this
condition include hair loss, scaly patches, and inflammation. You
will also likely come across lesions on or near the paws, head or
ears. In some rare cases, the symptoms don’t even show
up.Ringworm is highly contagious, so make sure you take your cat
to the veterinarian as soon as possible. If untreated, ringworm
can spread to your other pets and even humans as well.
Ear Mites
An ear mite infection can be spotted by observing the cat’s ears.
If there seems to be redness and itching near over the ears, then
there’s a strong chance our cat’s got ear mites. You will also
come across a substance that resembles a coffee ground in the ear
canals.
Mange Mites and Lice
Mange mites and lice cause severe itching, which eventually leads
to scaling and flaking.
Fleas
Fleas are known to cause heavy skin irritation. Common symptoms
include repetitive scratching, hair thinning over the base of the
tail, raised and red skin lesions, and crusts. Some cats are
highly sensitive to fleas and only the best
flea
treatment products
must be used.
Allergies
Allergies can cause problems for your cat in the skin department
as well. There are mainly 2 kinds of allergies that affect cats –
seasonal allergies and food allergies.The former might be a
result of your cat being allergic to mold, grasses, and other
allergens from tress.As for the latter, food such as poultry,
corn, milk and beef may not work well for your cat. Similarly,
your cat’s immune system might detect food coloring and fillers
as foreign objects. This can lead to certain food allergies.
Environment
If your keep or use a lot of chemicals at home and find your cat
scratching often, there could be a connection. Your cat may have
issues with the chemicals you’re using. This could be your floor
cleaning lotion or detergent etc.Apart from that, your cat could
also be sensitive to excessive heat or cold.These are some of the
most common skin related issues that affects cats. If you suspect
that your cat may be affected by any one of the above mentioned
conditions, get in touch with your veterinarian immediately.
How to improve your feline’s skin?
One of the many things you love about your cat is its shiny,
sleek fur. Nothing can be more frustrating to you (and your cat)
than a bad fur day. Nutritional deficiencies, parasites,
bacterial infection, fungal infection, and environmental
allergens could create problems which range from dry and brittle
hair to open wounds and even baldness. One thing good though:
these are common problems and eminently treatable. Most of them
can quickly recognize, treated, and ultimately resolved.
Either skin disease or
diarrhea
Food is not the cause if a cat is being fed a nutritious diet and
it can absorb what it is given to eat. In case the cat suffers
from abnormal absorption or suffers from the gastrointestinal
disease, or being fed unbalanced home cooked or "people food",
the problem will be exhibited as either diarrhea or skin disease-
but not both. If the cause is an allergy, then an investigative
work should be in the offing. It is hard to figure out whether
the allergy is due to food, pollen, or drugs. There could be
other sources as well.A few cats could be genetically predisposed
to allergic dermatitis which occurs as a result of environmental
allergens. It is observed that pedigreed cats have a higher
tendency of skin problems than the general population. Food
hypersensitivity is fairly common. Dry cat food is contaminated
by storage mites and dust mites. These usually pose no threats to
health unless the kitty is allergic to such sources.
Treatments
Regular treatment will reduce the intensity of the symptoms but
it will not completely disappear. Consult your veterinarian to
find the cause and if needed, the professional may further refer
you to a specialist. The latter could be expensive but is a
cheaper option in a longer space of time.If the diet of your cat
contains less fat, make it consume fatty acid supplements. A
combination of omega-3 fatty acids commonly available in fish
oils and omega-6 fatty acids available in many cereal grains acts
as a low-level anti-inflammatory agent. It means the cat will
scratch less. The fatty acids function as botanical aspirin.An
excessive amount of fatty acids can actually harm your kitty. It
is an excellent idea to add Vitamin E supplements to the diet as
well. This is especially suitable if the cat suffers from itchy
skin. Do understand that results are not instantaneous. It may
take a month to see the positive effects of a better and
healthier diet.
