My cat has scabs after fleas. How to heal skin and provide relief?

Question

A newly adopted kitten has given my older cats fleas. We have almost fully controlled the problem now, with the occasional flea but my older cat is a bit worse for wear with thick scabs on his neck and head from scratching. He seems to be on the mend but I worry. How long does the healing process take? What else can I do to give him relief? So far we have used Dawn baths, Frontline, coconut oil for his skin, flea combing, cetirizine, nutrivet products, etc. Are there other products? Thank you! Pet's info: Cat | Domestic Shorthair | Male | neutered | 5 years and 10 months old | 12 lbs

Kevin Sanada, DVM · Accepted Answer

Fleas and allergies to fleas can set-up an environment for infection. It's possible that this is complicating the recovery process. The skin will often start to heal once the fleas are gone, but it's worth treating for infection by giving a bath with a medicated cat shampoo (can get this at the pet store). I recommend discontinuing the use of the other products (except the flea control) for now, because overuse and misuse of certain products can actually delay healing or make the problem worse. For instance, I worry about the use of the coconut oil, because fungal and bacterial infections will thrive in the coconut oil. It's best to just give a bath with the medicated shampoo once every 2-3 days, until the skin starts to look normal. It's expected that it will take a month or more until the cats start to look normal again, so stick with it and they should get through this fine. Treating for fleas is not just restricted to the host, because fleas can reproduce and nest in the environment and continually cause an issue. Below is a link to a short article that explains treating the cats and environment for fleas: https://www.petcoach.co/article/5-tips-to-get-rid-of-fleas/ If the skin problems are not getting better, or are getting worse in the next two weeks, then it's best to have your cats evaluated by a vet, because they may need additional treatment. I hope that helps and the kitties get better soon.

My cat has scabs after fleas. How to heal skin and provide relief?

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