My cat has scabs and is scratching. How to treat her irritated skin?
Updated On September 23rd, 2025
Pet's info: Cat | Domestic Mediumhair | Female | unspayed | 1 year and 9 months old | 8 lbs
My cat has these scabs and bumbs all over her and is licking/scratching her hair off. she had fleas and I have been using frontline for about 6 months now and they are almost all gone. Is there any kind of ointment or medication, or anything that I can do for her to help with the irritation so she stops scratching herself so much? I feel so bad that she is so uncomfortable.
4 Answers
Most Helpful Answer
Published on March 15th, 2019
It looks like she has a dermatitis/skin infection most likely from the fleas. She really should be treated by a vet who can prescribe an antibiotic and anti-inflammatory to treat the skin problem and give her some relief. You could also bathe her (if she will let you) with a medicated cat shampoo, like Epi-Soothe and see if that helps.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Related Answers from Veterinarians
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Published on November 22nd, 2016
This smelly bum could be due to fully anal sacs that may need to be expressed. I would take Prim into the vet today during normal business hours to have them expressed. The vet can also check out the scabs under her fur around her neck. These scabs are likely due to her scratching her neck a lot from being itchy. This scratching can be caused by fleas, mites, ringworm, or allergies. If she isn't up to date on her flea treatment, she will need a spot on treatment such as Advantage or Revolution. You will need to disinfect the environment as well. If she is up to date on her flea treatment, the vet can do blood tests, skin scrapings, and use a Wood's lamp to diagnose allergies, mites, and ringworm. Once the cause of the itching is found, the vet can prescribe the appropriate treatment.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
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Published on October 16th, 2018
Poor girl. The most common two causes of itching in cats are allergies and skin parasites. Cats can be allergic to food, the environment, or fleas. No matter what the original cause was, after they start scratching, it can lead to a superficial skin infection with bacteria and that infection itself also causes itching! I would recommend starting with a vet visit to make sure she doesn't need antibiotics, and to do a "skin scrape" (a quick and painless sampling of the surface of the skin under the microscope for mites), and then talk about various possible allergies and treatments. Good luck!
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
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Published on August 6th, 2017
This looks like it could be scabs and flea dirt. The blood in them is from bites usually. You can use a flea comb over her neck, back and tail and you will see live fleas and flea dirt in the comb if she has them. Dip the comb in soapy water to clean it and kill the fleas. If it's due to fleas you should treat your house and all the animals in the household. Make sure you use products that are safe for cats. Some cats get skin sores from grooming too much that causes hair loss and little scabs. That can be caused by stress. If they go away with antibacterial ointment they are from a skin infection. There are medications that can help this that you can get from your veterinarian. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Butters.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
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