In this Animal Expert article, we’ll talk about skin diseases in cats that occur most often in cats of all ages. Injuries, lack of hair, itching or lumps are some of the symptoms that should make you suspect the presence of a dermatological disease in your cat. It is important to go to the veterinarian, as some conditions can be contagious to people and many others can become complicated if not treated early. However, to give you an idea of what it might be, below we provide you with photos of skin diseases in cats.
If your cat has scabs, dandruff, skin sores or hairless areas, read on to discover the most common skin diseases in cats.
- It is perhaps the most well-known and feared skin disease in cats.
- As it is a disease that humans can also get.
- It is caused by fungi that feed on the skin and is more likely to affect younger or sicker cats because their defenses have not yet developed or are diminished.
- That’s why it’s common to find this skin disease in domestic street cats.
These fungi produce several lesions, more typically rounded alopecia. The skin may become inflamed and irritated. Wood lamp is often used for diagnosis and treatments include antifungals. For more details, do not miss this article: Teigne in the cat: contagion and treatment.
Dermatitis is another common skin disease in cats. This occurs due to a reaction to flea saliva. In allergic cats, a single bite is enough to cause injury to the lumbar, perineal, abdominal, flank and neck. These symptoms usually intensify during periods of high incidence of fleas, although sometimes we cannot see them. To avoid this skin disease in cats, it is essential to implement a suitable deworming program for all animals in the house, including the disinfection of the medium.
Scabies in cats are another of the most common and feared skin diseases. The truth is that there are several types, notoedric scabies and the most common otoclastic scabies in these animals. Both pathologies are characterized by their location, so symptoms do not appear throughout the body of the cat, only in certain areas.
The main symptoms of this type of skin diseases in cats are itching, redness in certain parts of the body, accompanied by faeces, wounds and scabs. In the case of scabies, signs develop in the ears, which show an increase in dark-colored wax, which can even cause otitis if left untreated. It is essential to go to the veterinarian to make the diagnosis and start treatment.
This alopecia is one of the skin diseases of cats caused by behavioral disorders. Lack of hair is self-induced by licking and excessive cleaning, which occur when the cat is anxious for reasons such as changes, arrival of new family members, etc. Alopecia can occur anywhere on the body that the animal reaches with the mouth. In such cases, treatments involve discovering what triggers stress. You can see an ethologist or a specialist in feline behavior.
Another allopenic problem is the so-called telogen effluvium, in which, due to a high stress situation, the hair cycle is interrupted and the hair ends up falling sharply when its formation restarts after overcoming the situation. Normally, hair falls on most of the body. No treatment required.
This skin disease in cats consists of an inflammation of the chin and sometimes the lips, which can occur in cats of any age. It’s a skin disease complicated by a secondary infection. At first, black spots are seen that can develop into pustules, infections, edema, enlarged nearby nodes and itching. The veterinarian will prescribe a topical treatment.
It is caused by hypersensitivity reactions to different allergens that cause a skin disease in the cat characterized by inflammation and itching, called atopic dermatitis. It usually appears in cats under the age of three and has variable symptoms with signs such as alopecia, sores and, in all cases, itching. There are cats that also have a respiratory disease with chronic cough, sneezing and even conjunctivitis. Treatment is based on itching control.
This skin problem in cats is caused by sun exposure and affects lighter, hairless areas, especially the ears, although it can also appear on eyelids, nose or lips. It starts with redness, flaking and loss. If exposure continues, sores and scabs appear that cause pain and scratches, making the situation worse. In the case of the ears, the tissue is lost and can degenerate into squamous cell carcinoma, which is a malignant tumor. Avoid direct contact with the sun, use protection and, in severe cases, surgically intervene.
Sometimes the injection of vaccines and medications triggers a neoplastic process due to irritants that these products may contain. In this skin disease in cats, inflammation occurs at the injection site, causing a subcutaneous mass that is not painful to the touch, with a hair loss that lasts weeks or months after the puncture. If the disease progresses, it can become ulcerative. Treatment is surgical and prognosis is reserved.
There are more and more cases of cancer in dogs and cats due to several factors. For this reason, skin cancer is already considered one of the most common skin diseases in cats. In this group, the most common skin cancer is called squamous cell carcinoma and often goes unnoticed until its condition is so advanced that there is not much to do. That’s why it’s so important to visit the vet for regular checkups.
This type of cancer develops in the form of sores in the area of the nose and ears that do not heal. So if you identify them in your cat, you should go to the specialist as soon as possible to determine whether or not you have a cancer case.
An abscess is an accumulation of pus that manifests as a mass. The size may vary and it is common for these nodules to reden and sometimes open, as if it were a sore or ulcer. It is not a disease in itself, although it is a fairly common skin problem, as it occurs as a result of an infection. It causes pain and it is important to treat it to prevent the infection from getting worse, as well as the condition of the abscess.
Although abscesses in cats can occur anywhere on the body, those that develop in the perianale region, those caused by tooth bites and bites are more common.
Warts in cats do not always indicate the presence of a disease, as in most cases they are benign tumors. However, they can also be a sign of skin cancer or a viral papillomatosis product. Although this disease is generally less common than the previous ones, it can occur. The virus that produces it is not the canine papillomavirus, but a specific virus that only affects cats. It enters the feline through skin lesions and begins to develop into a kind of skin plaque. Thus, what we see are not isolated warts, as in dogs, but those plates that show red, bulky and hairless areas.
In both cases it is important to go to the veterinarian to determine the cause and start treatment.
All of the above skin problems can affect all breeds of cats. However, Persian cats, because of their characteristics and crosses practiced for years, tend to suffer from a number of skin diseases. Thus, in this feline breed the following diseases stand out:
This article is for informational purposes only, in Animal Expert.com.br we cannot prescribe veterinary treatments or make any kind of diagnosis. We suggest that you take your pet to the veterinarian in case of any type of condition or discomfort.
If you would like to read articles similar to, we recommend that you visit our Skin Problems section.