Cat has scabs on skin?

I have 3 cats. When we got the last one, she brought fleas with her. We treated them, but now my male cat has these awful scabs on his upper back/neck and makes a weird sound when he scratches them.


The girls don't have this problem. He was fixed around the same time, which is the only difference so I don't know what is going on!

I've bathed him, but need to get a soothing shampoo. Could this have been from the fleas, surgery, Frontline?

He was fine up until all of this. What is causing these scabs and how do I help him??

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Nov 01, 2011
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starstarstarstarstar 		Cat with scabs
by: Tippy's mom

Went to vet; my cat had scabs, primarily on neck last year. Vet said probably allergy to flea saliva and sent me home. This year, many more scabs, neck, tail base, everywhere. Vet gave my princess a shot of prednisone. A week later, all GONE. Cat is mellow and so am I. Cost -- $5 plus office visit. Vet suggested next time cat starts, give two child Benedryls. Should nip in the bud. That's my story.
Sep 25, 2011
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starstarstarstarstar 		Could be a flea allergy
by: Kurt (Admin)

The poor little guy! Some cats have bad flea bite allergies, so it could be from the fleas. Flea allergy dermatitis can manifest in various ways, one of which is red, raised, crusty skin lesions.

I'm sure you already know this, but be sure you have eradicated the fleas completely. You can't just treat the fleas you see, or just your cats.

You have to treat the environment as well since 95 percent of the fleas won't be on the cats or even visible most of the time.

To see if he still has fleas, run a steel pet comb through his fur several times and wipe it on a wet paper towel. If you see reddish spots, that's your cat's blood in the flea feces.

Keep in mind that if you don't see any evidence of this, it doesn't always mean that there are no fleas.

I also believe it's possible that he could have had a bad reaction to the flea medicine. Severe allergic reactions to flea treatment are serious business, but milder ones can include itchiness or skin rash.

If it's an allergic reaction, there are a number of treatment options to help alleviate your cat's suffering. Your veterinarian may suggest steroids or other treatments to control inflammation.

If your cat also has a secondary bacterial or fungal infection, antibiotics or anti-fungal medications may be needed.

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