Cat covered in little scabs

[SunshineRoo27]

Hi, I'm looking for any advice or experience if someone has had this with their cat please.

For the last couple of weeks my cat has been getting more and more little scabs over her body. We're at the point where we are going to take her to the vet but I'm not sure if it's going to be something serious or as simple as flea bites and wondered if anyone has experienced something similar.

She's 11, she does go outside and is regularly flea'd. She's on a special diet and has been for over 5 years with no change.

She doesn't seem bothered by them but I know cats hide how they feel.

We assumed fighting when we first noticed them but then she got more. So thought fleas, but no sign of fleas and we flea'd her. They are not actively bleeding when we notice them and she's 'happy' if we touch them. No big changes elsewhere in life.

She's not great on vet trips so I avoid at all costs but I'll be calling up in the morning to get her booked in.

Any advice would be appreciated, I have added a photo of one, they aren't big and no trend on where they are. Seems mostly on back end but found one by her ear just now

I had a rescued cat who had this- it was a flee allergy and got so bad that he had bald patches where it was really bad ( was neglected by previous owner) - look up flea allergy dermatitis.

i would try a flea comb and thoroughly check for fleas, or signs of fleas. Check everywhere ( find fleas can sometimes clump under the chin and lower back)

Not all flea drops are effective- so may be worth trying an diffferent one, as even the odd flea can bite.

My old cat used to get these, she didn’t go out or have fleas. It turned out to be an allergy or reaction to something but we never quite worked out what. She got a fat lip sometimes too. The vet tested for eosinophilic granulomatous disease (? Sp) but it was inconclusive

Anyway they never bothered her and the vet wasn’t worried.

Thank you both! She's sitting with me so I've been combing her and definitely no fleas but she likes going out so not to say she didnt pick one up as I've had a Google and flea allergy does seem to fit.

I'm concerned that I'm going to stress her out just for the vet to not be worried and it'll just be 'one of those things' but then I'd do anything for her and I'm terrified it could be something awful so she'll be going anyway 😊

My cat has these - she's six. But she seems healthy and is in very good spirits and doesn't have fleas.

My cat used to get this. Also a flea allergy. I'd change up the flea medication you use. Make sure it's vet prescribed.

Flea allergy. You don't need to find a flea or even flea dirt... all
It takes is one bite.

Thank you!

I'm thinking that I'll give the vet a call in the morning to change the flea treatment and give that a go first rather than taking her in. She suffers with Struvite crystals so stressing her out is the last thing she needs right now. But if she has loads of scabs already do you think that would help or is it too late for flea treatment and actually she need other medication? Google suggests an antihistamine or a steroid which the vet will want to see her for

Does your vet or insurance offer the option to have a video chat with a vet? That might help work out if you need to stress her out with a physical vet visit.

I have a cat who gets this when he's stressed. He got it once when we had a new kitten and more recently after we'd been on holiday for a couple of weeks and he'd had an unfamiliar cat sitter. He's a sensitive soul! He needed a shot of steroids in the end because he'd got into a cycle of itching and scratching.

I'm not sure about the video call but I like that idea so I'm going to look into it - thank you!

I'm also concerned this could be stress related although I think it fits allergy better. Nothing has changed recently which would make me think she would be stressed and I don't see her itching which is what confused me (but I'm not with her 24/7)

I'd say flea bite allergy or an allergy of some sort, cats can even develop allergies to food they've had all their lives.

I'd explain to the vet and ask if you can email in photos, mine has done as sometimes I just can't manage to get my cat in the carrier and have to cancel 20 minutes before the appointment, they know he is strong as they really struggle to get him into the carrier to go home 😂

I'd keep a close eye on the scabs as well. Mine is currently in a cone for the last 3 weeks after scratching a tiny scab on his chin while I was at work. Vet had seen it as he was in for vaccinations anyways. It gota bit bigger to begin with and then went from 0 to 90 overnight and became a hot spot. A shave, antibiotics, steroid shot, steroid tablets and cleaning twice a day and he's getting there, but if he seems to be at them at all get straight in!

My cat gets this. It's an allergy of some kind, but not fleas. She has a steroid shot at the vet every 6 weeks or so. Costs about £30.

Our girl cat (12) had a similar skin complaint, vet originally suggested a skin ointment that made things worse and then a different vet at the practice suggested steroids for a bit which have really helped. The vet also thought it was some kind of allergic reaction.

We're now at the stage of lowering the dose (tablets) at the vet's suggestion and Her Feistiness is out gallivanting. The steroids have also helped with her joints. You really wouldn't think she was 12.

Short answer - check with the vet. :)

Switch insecticide in flea treatment. We used Frontline (fipronil) for years but it stopped working. Vet told us to try Imidacloprid products - Advantage brand and this worked. If a cat develops flea allergy it only takes one flea bite to trigger.

Even if your cat doesn't have fleas they might still get bitten when they go outside (the flea has to bite the cat to die). So it could still be flea bite allergy.

She will probably need a steroid tablet/injection to help get rid of the scabs. Very common flea allergy. Suggest getting the Credelio flea tablets, one a month. Vet will need to see your cat to prescribe so get them at the same time.

Valerian spray on your hands and rub over your cats fur 15 mins before a vet trip will help with anxiety.

Another vote for flea allergy - my old cat had this and it quickly ended up with her chewing her fur out as it was itchy - definitely get her to the vets sooner rather than later.

Like others have said, you don't need to find fleas on them for it to be a flea allergy.

My parents cat had this. He would have steroids when it flared up.

Hi all, thank you for everyone's advice and expirences!

When googling for advice, I found lots of photos with no update on what the problem was and how it was fixed so here is mine in the hopes it will help someone else in future.

It's definitely a flea bite allergy, she's had a dose of steroids which should show signs of improvement in a week and then new flea treatment that we've put on her today to speed up the process. I've got some washing to do and lots of flea spray on order to make sure that they are out the house as soon as possible.

As expected she was very stressed in on route but was fantastic when at the vet and had a very thorough check over. She's currently sulking behind the sofa but I'm sure she will be fine after a good clean up and when she realises that there's some treats waiting for her x