Petco Text Logo
Petco Pet Logo

  • Two Easy Ways to Start Earning Rewards!

My cat scratches her face with scabs. Is it allergies or herpes?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | American Shorthair | Female | spayed | 8 years and 3 months old | 12 lbs

My female cat is 8 years old. She was last seen by a DVM in 01/17. She has been scratching the corner of her mouth and near the eyes which have scabs. The vet said she was allergic to chicken. Her diet was switched to Blue Buffalo limited ingredients diet, green pea and salmon, (which she dislikes) and wet tuna cat food from Trader Joe's. She also has herpes which she was prescribed.

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Image profile

Answered By Joy Fuhrman, DVM, MBA, CPA

Veterinarian

Published on April 17th, 2017

The signs you are describing are consistent with Feline Herpesvirus. If your vet has diagnosed Autumn with FHV it is important that she be fed something that is appetizing to her so that she continues to eat well. It is also important that she be isolated from any other cats in your household because this is a contagious disease. Scabs like this can also be due to fleas, mites, other infectious diseases and allergies. If the scabs are, in fact, due to allergies, you will need to give the limited food trial at least 12 weeks of strict adherence before you will see any benefits.

Vote icon

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

  • Image profile

    Answered By Dr. Dayna, DVM, CVA

    Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist

    Published on January 22nd, 2018

    I am sorry that Roo has been so uncomfortable. I suspected there is an underlying problem such as mites, environmental allergies, or a food allergy. However, I also suspect she has a skin infection at this time as well. I would encourage you to have her evaluated by your veterinarian as soon as possible. Antibiotics as well as something to control the itch may be recommended while looking for the underlying problem. Most cats are allergic to the protein source in the food and not the grain so often novel protein Or hydrolyzed protein diets are recommended. Skin allergies can be frustrating, but in time you should be able to find a protocol that works for her. Thank you for using Pet Coach.

    Vote icon

    1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

See More Answers

Related Questions

Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
heal or stop cat scratching. noticing scabs only to face and to ears. recently to vet no worms or fleas. cat indoor only. idk what she is reacting too. notice scabs on ears too. i see her scatch self influcted? maybe i need to change food. have been
Thanks for using Boop by Petco! This is possibly due to allergies. A secondary infection is likely and also needs to be addressed. There are many things that can cause allergies though in most cases they can be broken down into 3 big categories: flea, food and environmental allergies. Allergies are usually worked up in a stepwise fashion starting with flea allergies as this is the easiest and cheapest to take care of. If not on a flea preventative, then it would be a good idea to get started on one. If already on one then it would be a good idea to change to something else (there are many new products out in the market). If not improved in 1-3 months then it is time to move on and check for food allergies by switching to a novel diet (new protein and new carbohydrate). If that does not seem to be the issue then you are left out having to check for environmental allergies which require blood and/or skin tests. Allergies can be very frustrating to deal with at first but so rewardi
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
13yo indoor male cat with hx of seasonal allergies, vet says not treatable. He has been scratching just in front of his ears off and on for years, but tonight I noticed that he has significant scratches/scabs (not oozing) on R side. We have 3 indoor
With itching in the face I would be worried about parasites or a food allergy. You can try changing to different formula if fiodbthat contains a different protein source or a hypoallergenic diet. There a promising allergy medicine called Apoquel that can be helpful in cats now. You can apply cortisone cream to the red area until you can talk to your vet about the new options
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My cat is showing allergy symptoms (scabs around eyes, nose and lower back) and runny eyes and nose. We have taken her to the vet who thought it was a food allergy, she was given an injection and pills which did significantly help her. After finishin
I hate to hear Autumn is not feeling well. Pets with chronic skin conditions generally have allergies to fleas, allergies to something in the environment, food allergy or endocrine disease. Each one of these problems is detected and addressed differently and I recommend to discuss with your veterinarian which one to start hunting down first. Parasites are often ruled out with an oral medication like Comfortis. Food allergy is best ruled out with a diet trial using a hydrolyzed protein. Endocrine diseases are detected with blood work. Environmental allergies are a little more difficult to detect but a response to therapy or a blood test can give an indication. Therapy could include a drug called Atopica or immunotherpy. Once you figure out and address the underlying cause, the lesions should not come back. There are a couple things you can do at home and they can help but they may not address the underlying cause. You can try adding in an omega 3 fatty acid supplement for pets, this ca
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My cat has a scab like thing on her chin. And now I've noticed she has another little one coming. I don't know what it is but she has been scratching it Cruz now its scabby. What do you think it can be and is there a home remedy to hello her out. No
This is probably due to a severe allergy, although it could also be fleas or mites. First of all, in order to rule out skin parasites, you will need to treat with a high quality flea treatment (advocate or advantage), then get her to the vet to perform a skin scrape - this might reveal an infection or a mite infestation. If all of those came back negative, the next step is to treat the allergy symptomatically and try discovering the cause of the allergy. Some medications can be given by the vet in order to stop the chewing and repair the skin lesions (steroids and antibiotics). Hopefully you will see some results after all this, if not you and your vet should consider starting on a long term allergy treatment.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
I have a female 4 year old tuxedo cat. She cleans herself a lot but lately she does it nonstop and scratches so much she has a ton of scabs on her chin and neck. She doesn’t have flees. I’ve checked Several times. Secondly, she sleeps in my room wit
Thanks for using Boop by Petco! This is possibly due to allergies. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing her allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. A secondary infection is likely and also needs to be addressed.  There are many things that can cause allergies though in most cases they can be broken down into 3 big categories: flea, food and environmental allergies.  Allergies are usually worked up in a stepwise fashion starting with flea allergies as this is the easiest and cheapest to take care of. If not on a flea preventative, then it would be a good idea to get started on one. If already on one then it would be a good idea to change to something else (there are many new products out in the market).  If not improved in 1-3 months then it is time to move on and check for food allergies by switching to a novel diet (new protein and new carbohydrate). If that does not seem to be the issue then you are left out having to check for env
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
my cat has had a scab that keeps on opening right below her ear but above her eye for a few month now and now she has one on the same spot right below the other ear i keep thinking she's scratching to much but she has no flees and no other areas of
There are several things that can cause itchiness on the face with cats. She may have an ear infection that is causing her to scratch her ears. Or flea allergies can make a cat scratch incessantly even if you don't see fleas, one bite can trigger a reaction. I would recommend monthly flea control and having her checked by a veterinarian for any other problems such as ear infection.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My cat is losing hair around mouth and has scabs
This is probably due to an allergy, although it could also be infection or mites. First of all, in order to rule out skin parasites, you will need to treat with a high quality flea treatment (advocate or advantage), then ask the vet to perform a skin scrape - this might reveal an infection or a mite infestation. If all of those came back negative, the next step is to treat the allergy symptomatically and try to discover the cause of the allergy. Three main type of allergies are usually affecting pets: food allergies, flea and parasite related ones and environmental type (allergens coming from trees, pollens, dust etc etc). Some medications can be given by the vet in order to repair any possible skin lesions (like steroids and antibiotics). Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My cat has been scratching his face (around his mouth mostly) a lot recently causing it to scab. I also noticed a little tiny pink patch with like a yellow outline on his chin and it’s a little swollen. Before we got him he was diagnosed with scabies
Thanks for using Boop by Petco! This could be due to allergies. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing his allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. There are many things that can cause allergies though in most cases they can be broken down into 3 big categories: flea, food and environmental allergies. Allergies are usually worked up in a stepwise fashion starting with flea allergies as this is the easiest and cheapest to take care of. If not on a flea preventative, then it would be a good idea to get started on one. If already on one then it would be a good idea to change to something else (there are many new products out in the market). If not improved in 1-3 months then it is time to move on and check for food allergies by switching to a novel diet (new protein and new carbohydrate). If that does not seem to be the issue then you are left out having to check for environmental allergies which require blood and/or skin tests. Allergie
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Mittens has been getting scans on her back for almost at year. She is not and flea free. I change up food and litter and nothing has changed. I took her to the vet once and the vet said it was probably the cats playing but the scans have spread all o
Hello. This may be a condition called military dermatitis, a type of allergy. You can try changing the things in her environment like the litter & food, but you cannot change what she touches & breathes in. You can try switching her to Science Diets Sensitive Stomach & Skin, but she may need a true hypoallergenic diet, or it may be something completely different causing her allergies. The best thing to do is to see your vet who may decide to give Mittens a long acting steroid shot. If it clears up her skin, then she may periodically need an additional injection. The alternative is allergy testing, but again this is something to discuss with your vet. Thanks for using Boop by Petco.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My cat keeps getting these scabs on face, head and neck for past 3 months now. He has had flea, tick and heart worm treatment along with skin scraping for mites. All negative. He has been given Prednisone and antibiotics. He has lost only about 1
If you have ruled out fleas/skin mites. I recommend to have him tested for hyperthyroidism and if that's not the cause, have him on a 12 week food trial with a hydrolyzed protein diet. You must start moving down the list of potential causes of the skin lesions. Atopy is still on the list but is harder to test for so rule out these other causes first. Best of luck and please feel free to post any additional questions.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
image
Have A Vet Question?

Book an appointment with the pros – our expert vets are here to help.

Book Now

Sponsored