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Why does my kitten have scabs and a lump after using a flea collar?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Female | unspayed | 4.2 lbs

I got a kitten in January from a household with a lot of other animals, she was dirty and covered in fleas. I bought a 3 mth treatment from Walmart and bathed her in dawn dish soap. She still had fleas but didn’t have any skin conditions. Recently I got her a flea collar and reapplied the medicine and I noticed today she has thick orange scabs around her neck. Since I got the collar it seems like the fleas stay on her forehead and she has a tiny lump but it feels under the skin on her forehead

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Heidi DVM, CVA, CCRT, CVTP, CVSMT, CVCH

Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist, Certified Canine Rehabilitation Practitioner

Published on March 19th, 2018

With the exception of Seresto collars ( https://www.petbasics.com/cat-products/seresto-for-cats/?pref=cat ), flea collars do not work well for cats and can cause skin irritation, so I do not recommend them for cats. I would consider removing the flea collar and see if the skin lesions go away. If you have also applied a topical flea medication that should work better than the flea collar. If the skin lesions do not go away or become worse, you may need to have your veterinarian examine Luna. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using PetCoach.

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    Answered By Laura Johnson VMD

    Veterinarian

    Published on October 10th, 2017

    Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Moo! The pictures look like scabs or eosinophilic granuloma complexes which are allergy related. I would discuss steroids with your Vet and changing his diet to a novel protein (avoid chicken) in case it is s food allergy. Use a good flea preventative year round. I hope this helps! Good luck!

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