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Why does my indoor cat have bloody scabs, bumps, and hair loss?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Female | unspayed | 7 lbs

my cat is 6 years old(total indoor), she have these crystallized dandruff(sometimes they are brown and have solidified blood among them) like bumps around her throat and neck also little behind her ears and little patches spread on back but the go away with ointment. there is hair loss on tummy and start of tail(lower back area). other than that she is pretty much herself, like before. eats, plays, sleeps, potty all normal. (pics: these came out after ointment was applied)

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3 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Davis

Veterinarian

Published on August 6th, 2017

This looks like it could be scabs and flea dirt. The blood in them is from bites usually. You can use a flea comb over her neck, back and tail and you will see live fleas and flea dirt in the comb if she has them. Dip the comb in soapy water to clean it and kill the fleas. If it's due to fleas you should treat your house and all the animals in the household. Make sure you use products that are safe for cats. Some cats get skin sores from grooming too much that causes hair loss and little scabs. That can be caused by stress. If they go away with antibacterial ointment they are from a skin infection. There are medications that can help this that you can get from your veterinarian. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Butters.

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    Answered By David Elbeze, DVM, MRCVS

    Veterinarian

    Published on December 14th, 2016

    This is probably caused by an allergic reaction. first of all make sure you flea Sunny regularly every month with a high quality spot on (ex. Advantage) as fleas are by far the most common reason for these reactions. If the fleas are not the problem, it could be an allergic reaction to food or an environmental factor. this is more complicated to treat and will sometimes require medications such as Steroids, anti histamines or cyclosporin in order to stop the allergy.

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    Answered By David Elbeze, DVM, MRCVS

    Veterinarian

    Published on July 12th, 2019

    This is probably caused by an allergic reaction. first of all make sure you de-flea Kano regularly every month with a high quality spot on (ex. Advantage) as fleas are by far the most common reason for these reactions. If the fleas are not the problem, it could be an allergic reaction to food or an environmental factor. this is more complicated to treat and will sometimes require medications such as Steroids, anti histamines or cyclosporin in order to stop the allergy.

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