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My cat is chewing her skin raw. Is it fleas or an allergy?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | British Shorthair | Female | 11 lbs

hello I have been taking care of my neighbors animals and they have been refusing to take their cats and dogs to the vet. I know that both of their dogs have very bad fleas so my mom and I are taking care of that. But their cats have something different. I’ll attach the photos of one of the cats but the other cat won’t let me touch her and she’s chewing out her own skin. I don’t know what to do about this and the family comes home on Saturday. If you know what this is it please let me know. .

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1 Answer

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Answered By Claudia Fioravanti

Veterinarian

Published on June 7th, 2018

It is likely to be flea allergy dermatitis, so ideally the cat should also be treated for fleas with a good spot on product that is licensed for cats. The environment should be treated for fleas and eggs and larvae destroyed. Hope this helps, thank you for young Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach !

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