My cat scratches face, has scabs & swollen chin. Is it allergies?

Question

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 as a kitten and it’s almost been 2 years. I have two other cats and neither of them are showing symptoms of scratching or scabbing and I know scabies is highly contagious.. I don’t know. Pet's info: Cat | Domestic Shorthair | Male | neutered | 15 lbs

Ricardo Fernandez, DVM · Accepted Answer

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! 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. Allergies can be very frustrating to deal with at first but so rewarding at the end when we are able to treat them effectively!

My cat scratches face, has scabs & swollen chin. Is it allergies?

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