My 6-year-old cat has itchy, bumpy skin. Why does it come back?

Question

I was wondering if you could shed some light on what might be wrong with my 6 year old male cat? He gets patches of rough, bumpy, itchy skin just beneath his ears and above his eyes, and is scratching the area badly. Previously, I have rubbed coconut oil or added a bit of honey to the area which seems to alleviate it and it goes away, but the itchiness always seems to come back. He is FIV+, but all recent bloods came back healthy. Pet's info: Cat | Domestic Longhair | Male | neutered | 6 years and 2 months old | 8.5 lbs

Dr. Elizabeth · Accepted Answer

Those spots on Karloff could be several things including allergies to fleas, allergies to something in the environment, food allergy or endocrine disease. Each one of these problems is detected and addressed differently and I recommend to discuss with your veterinarian which one to start hunting down first. Parasites are often ruled out with an oral medication like Comfortis or a broad spectrum anti-parasitic like Revlution. Food allergy is best ruled out with a diet trial using a hydrolyzed protein. Endocrine diseases are detected with blood work. Environmental allergies are a little more difficult to detect but a response to therapy or a blood test can give an indication. Once you figure out and address the underlying cause, the lesions should not come back. There are a couple things you can do at home and they can help but they may not address the underlying cause. You can try adding in an omega 3 fatty acid supplement for pets, this can help improve the skin health. You may also try changing his diet to something like Royal Canin or Nutro as they are aimed at skin health. Also protect the area from trauma by having karloff wear an elizabethan collar at all times. Best of luck and please feel free to post any additional questions.

My 6-year-old cat has itchy, bumpy skin. Why does it come back?

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