This is a cat health problem question posed by a visitor today. It is reproduced verbatim. This is the link to the comment.
My cat has skin scabs, have used flea products, sprays powders and carpet treatments. none of which have helped. I have not found any fleas ,and our two dogs do not have any.could you please give me suggestions as to what else may be the cause,and cure. thankyou so much.
The obvious answer is to see a vet. However, the lady, Holly, who posed the question has asked PoC so what I will do is provide all the possible causes from good books.
Firstly it pays to eliminate breeding issues. The comment was made on a page about the Ragdoll cat although I don’t think Holly has a Ragdoll. Although she might. The best book on genetic health problems in purebred cats does not highlight any genetic causes for scabs in Ragdoll cats.
Next I’ll look at the more usual suspects:
Flea bite allergy. Even though you have not found any fleas it only takes one to bite your cat and cause an allergic reaction. This shows as red crusty bumps and it drives your cat to scratch. This breaks the skin and scabs form. Fleas are very hard to get rid off entirely despite doing all that you do. Try Frontline drops and stick to the regime if a flea bite allergy is diagnosed by your vet plus a thorough flea elimination program. See also cat flea products.
Feline Scabies or head mange causes intense itching. It is caused by the head mite. A tiny parasite. The itching drives the cat to scratch which leads to the inevitable scabs if not treated. Is your cat scratching and is this causing the scabs. That is the first question. Treatment: the vet will tell how.
Harvest mites or red bugs can also be on your cat’s skin. Cats collect this bug when prowling around grassland and fields etc. They irritate and itch. The larvae suck on the cat’s skin. Red draining sores and scabs form.
Ringworm, a common condition causes scabs and crusts sometimes. Also the skin may itch and the cat may scratch causes wounds and scabs.
Ear mites are commonplace. They are not confined to ears. They are uncomfortable for a cat. The cat scratches and this as usual causes scabs eventually. They are easy to diagnose. You vet can do this and prescribe a treatment.
The above are the usual reasons for scabs on cats. You can see that often the scab is caused by self-mutilation from scratching.
Feline acne also comes to mind. You might check this out too. See feline acne treatment.
Hope this helps. However, there is no substitute for a good vet.
I am sorry for the misspelling, I was using my mobile device to type. I will try to edit to correct the text.
Hello everyone one, My name is Giselle, I gave a one and a half years old rag doll blue point. After a year old he started developing some kind is rash or bites or similar, I had take him to two different vets, they tested him for parasites but all negative, no fleas neither, they prescribed me Blue Buffalo hydrolyzed fish based food, I am feeding him only that specific food fir about a month now, he obviously had lose weight. I am worry The vets told me that I must be patient and keep trying different foods because it could be food allergies but It is so stressful to see him suffering and scratching him self at all times, my dog is healthy dog, we have no carpet I am careful with what I use on the floors to maintain clean, I think sometimes he maight have food allergies or maybe not, I am worry he eats less than a quarter of a cup daily and only dry food, please help me with any suggestions,, what type of oil can I add to his food or what else can I do? What is the safe way to prevent him from getting fleas, even know they both indoor animals and now honestly I don’t even walk my standard size schnauzer outside as I used to dye to the pandemic,, instead we play a lot indoors so he can have some exercise, the cat is more calm, I bathe him once when he turned one year old, and maybe a coincidence but soon after I bathed him I started to notice these rashes on his face neck first and then back, his private area and finally one or two kind of bumps on his Tommy. I am so worry for him. I bought zimox topical spray with hydrocortisone that seems to help, but lately I had been applying just coconut oil because I don’t like to use so many chemicals like grugs.please with us the most natural or best food for rag dolls but with no chicken please advise. Any suggestions ? Thank you for your help
Yes natural remedies are by far the best and I agree this poor cat probably has an allergic reaction to an overload of chemicals.Only a vet can sort out her problem now.
People can overdo things. Natural remedies are best as far as I am concerned and for the cat, ideally. Prevention is best too.