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My house cat has itchy lumps on her back and face. What's causing it?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Persian | Female | spayed | 5 lbs

My Persian cat has got itchy lumps appearing on her back and the side of her face She is a house cat so it can't be flea bites although I have checked her for any infestation

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Ricardo Fernandez, DVM

Veterinarian, Veterinary Oncology Resident

Published on November 11th, 2017

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Fleas can actually still affect indoor cats. Other types of allergies should be considered. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing her 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. Allergies can be very frustrating to deal with at first but so rewarding at the end when we are able to treat them effectively!

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