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My cat's back skin is red, raw, hairless, and scabbing. Is it urgent?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Russian Blue | Female | spayed | 11 years and 8 months old | 14 lbs

We have been worried about our cat for a while now, at first we thought she was just grooming herslef a lot but we saw today that her skin in some areas is red and raw and hairless and oozing and scabbing. It is mostly around her lower back and tail. Should we take her in to see someone? Is it urgent? Should we not touch her? Keep her away from other pets? I am not sure if she is in pain but she is definitely bothered and she often tries to show us her back.

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3 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Megan Ga

Veterinary Technician

Published on May 30th, 2018

Thanks for contacting PetCoach! As you are located in San Diego, you may be interested to know that we now offer housecall services to pets in the greater San Diego area. Visit https://www.petcoach.co/house-call-veterinarians/ or email us at housecalls@petcoach.co for more information!

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Other Answers

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    Answered By Ana M, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    Thank you for submitting your question regarding Grangel. I would recommend that she sees her veterinarian. She appears to have a secondary skin infection from all of her licking. She could be experiencing seasonal allergies as they are very common this time of year. Given the distribution of her lesions, she may be experiencing irritation from fleas. If there are other pets in the home, they have likely already been exposed if she has been in contact with them. Hopefully it is not this, but wanted to mention the possibility. She will likely need some medications to control the itching and the possible infection. I hope you can get her feeling better soon!

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    Answered By Rodrigo Roca, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on December 6th, 2018

    Hello, sorry to hear about Elsa. If she is very itchy, she may need to see a veterinarian tonight. However, if she seems occasionally itchy and over all comfortably then she will likely be ok to wait until tomorrow. Its likely based on your description, location on her skin, and picture that Elsa has flea allergy dermatitis. This is caused by a flea bite that produces enough saliva to elicit a skin reaction. When this occurs, its often hard to find evidence of fleas as even a single flea bite can be enough to cause a reaction. She will likely need anti-itch medications, antibiotics to treat the secondary skin infection, and be on flea preventatives year round (even in the winter). Hope this helps and best of luck.

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