Petco Text Logo
Petco Pet Logo

  • Two Easy Ways to Start Earning Rewards!

My cat has an itchy scab and hair loss under her chin. What is it?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Female | spayed | 7 years and 7 months old | 14 lbs

My cat has a scab under her chin running down about 5" that itches with some hair loss

3 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Image profile

Answered By Vanessa Yeager DVM MPH

Veterinarian

Published on September 14th, 2017

Hi and thank you for your question on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. It is hard to say what it is without seeing Maddie, but I can offer a few insights. It could just be scab or is could be another issue. An allergy, mite infection, bacterial infection, feline acne, or fungal infection could all be possibilities. You can put 3% hydrogen peroxide on the area and if it doesn't improve in a few days, Maddie may need to see her veterinarian for a few skin tests to rule out causes (mentioned above). Thank you for posting and best wishes to you and Maddie!

Vote icon

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

  • Image profile

    Answered By Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA

    Veterinarian, Certified Dog Trainer

    Published on June 8th, 2018

    Poor Aurora! I'm sorry that she's having skin issues. There are a few different things that could cause generalized hair loss with scabs like this in a young cat. Some common possibilities would include allergies, fleas, a bacterial or fungal skin infection, or skin mites (mange). She will need prescription medication from the vet to treat this problem effectively, so I would recommend taking her in for an exam when you are able to. He/she can do some simple skin tests if needed to help diagnose the problem and get her started on appropriate medication to treat it.

    Vote icon

    2Pet Parents found this answer helpful

  • Image profile

    Answered By Dr. Dayna, DVM, CVA

    Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist

    Published on May 29th, 2018

    I am sorry to hear that Lilly isn’t quite herself. The scans under the chin could be feline acne, which is commonly associated with environmental or food allergies. The over grooming could be due to allergies as well, or even fleas, mites, ringworm or other skin infections. I would highly encourage you to have her evaluated by your veterinarian soon. She will likely need antibiotics for her chin and then you and your veterinarian can discuss the different options for over grooming. Best of luck and I hope she improves soon. Thank you for using Pet Coach.

    Vote icon

    1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

See More Answers

Related Questions

Petco Pet Education Center
New Pet
Zoe was a rescue kitten, adopted in ~2004. Blue fur, silver muzzle, green eyes. Always had danduff & itchiness on her back to the base of her tail. Started ripping out hair on her back ~4-5 years ago, & progressed to stomach & sides. Antihistamines d
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 envir
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
I recently went to my fathers house and noticed that his cat is suffering horribly. She is long haired. Her hair is falling out, she has bloody scabs, weight loss and she itches/licks excessively. There are flakes in her fur, and it is very red and r
The most common problem causing Milly's symptoms is a severe flea allergic dermatitis. Regardless I recommend brushing her to remove the old fur and skin, giving a bath with a hypoallergenic shampoo and using Advantage flea prevention on her. You can purchase it at PetCo. She may need antibiotics to heal the skin and your veterinarian will do an exam to determine the cause of her problems. They may run a blood panel in addition to determine if she is anemic or has a metabolic problem. Once they have a diagnosis they will give her the appropriate treatment and hopefully she will recover quickly. Thanks for using Boop by Petco to help you care for Milly.
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
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 has two scab like things on her back and it's been there for almost a year. Also if you rub the area around the scabs it makes a dandruff like substance.
Thanks for using Boop by Petco! This could be a skin infection. You can try to use an anti-microbial shampoo to bathe her to see if there is improvement. You may find this online or at your local pet store. If there is no improvement or in the meantime this appears to be getting worse, have her evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. Good luck and have a good night!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My cats been itching undee his neck and hes got little red bumps and scabes and there not bleeding or anything he lets me look at them and touch them so it doesnt hurt him i just wanna know whats wrong and how i can treat it we have no money to take
Thanks for using Boop by Petco! Skin lesions like you are describing can have a variety of causes, including skin parasites (fleas or mites), an infection (bacterial or fungal), allergies, or another underlying medical issue. I would recommend he be evaluated by his regular veterinarian to determine the underlying cause for his skin lesions, so he could start any treatment (antibiotics, anti-itch medications, parasiticide) that he may need. In the meantime, I would clean the area will diluted betadine if possible and then keep it dry, and trim his nails back as much as possible to keep him from scratching at it. Good luck!
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
She is getting kinda skinny and itches her eye 24/7 and has scabs in her ears bites her paws and shedding alot the side of her bald eye her leg also went bald ? Could this be mange ? Or a food allergy ? Or an eye infection ? Heat rash ? Im just so sa
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 envir
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Hello my name is Stephanie, for the past 2 years now (my cat is 3) my cat has been getting scabs on her nose. That cause he nose to bleed and cause fur to come off on her nose. It usually comes and goes but each time it gets worse and worse. I think
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. Other conditions such as a fungal infection cannot be ruled out. 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
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