The Cat Itches Intensively: An Overview of the Causes

If your beloved cat scratched once or twice, this is not a cause for concern. This is a normal condition for pet furries, as they eliminate discomfort and “comb” if the coat gets tangled or tangled. There is no reason to panic – everything is normal.

It is a completely different matter if the cat itches constantly, very intensely, and he has additional symptoms that tell the owner that we are talking about a disease.

In this case, additional signs appear:

• The appearance of scratches on the skin of the body, muzzle, ears, limbs;
• Signs of the presence of parasites;
• Skin rashes, spots, peeling;
• Hair loss, localized baldness;
• Loss of appetite;
• Weight loss;
• Lethargy, apathy, or vice versa, increased aggressiveness. When trying to stroke or inspect a sore spot, a cat can bite even a beloved owner;
• An increase in body temperature;
• Discharge from the nose, eyes, ears;
• Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea.

Causes of itching

Cats can itch in the following conditions and diseases:

Infestation with parasites, mites and insect bites. Most often these are ordinary fleas. They bite, drink blood, and severe itching occurs at the site of the bite. To appease him, cats itch, it happens that up to blood and the formation of inflamed, festering crusts. In addition to fleas, itching is provoked by bites of lice, withers, subcutaneous mites: scabies and demodex, as well as bees, wasps, hornets, mosquitoes and ants.

Allergic reaction. The most common cases are food allergies, when a cat reacts with itching and rashes to certain foods. External symptoms may include vomiting, nausea, indigestion. Allergies can also be non-food. Cats, like people, react painfully to household chemicals, cosmetics, ordinary house dust, aerosols and strong odors, toxic dyes, parquet varnish, and so on.

Skin diseases of a fungal or bacterial nature.

Cats often suffer from various types of lichen, dermatitis, pyoderma.

Ear infections. The inflammatory process can capture only the auricle or be located in the middle ear. Otitis causes severe pain, discharge of pus, itching. The cat shakes its head and scratches its ear with its paw, trying to get rid of severe discomfort and pain.

Helminthiases. The presence of helminthic invasion in cats causes itching in the anal area, dry skin, loss and tarnishing of the coat. All this can cause the cat to scratch very often and intensely.

Hygiene failure.

If the pet is not taken care of, its hair falls off, forms tangles that merge into whole lumps. Dirt, dust, particles of plants, especially spikelets, seeds, small thorns easily get into them, insects settle.

The skin under the tangles swells, becomes inflamed, severe irritation and itching appear. Stray cats and animals living in rural areas, leading a free lifestyle, often suffer from such problems.

Excessive enthusiasm of the owners for frequent washing of the animal. It is impossible to wash the cat too often, this removes the protective lipid layer on the skin, and it dries up, flakes, becomes irritated and ceases to perform protective functions. Itching appears and a secondary infection can easily join.

Use of powder for wool.

Show animals are often treated with special powders to improve the condition and fluffiness of the coat. If the powder is not combed out and washed in a timely manner, it can become a breeding ground for microbes or cause an allergic reaction. The same applies to the use of other special products – deodorants, shine sprays, and so on.

Very dry indoor air. It can be natural summer heat, but more often than not, itchy skin in cats is caused by a running air conditioner or heating system. In both cases, the air contains a minimal amount of moisture and leads to drying of the surface layer of the skin. It flakes off and provokes itching; the cat itches to reduce it.

Lack of vitamins and minerals, poor or monotonous nutrition, malnutrition.

An emaciated and weakened animal has a dull, sparse coat, dry skin, which is easily irritated and inflamed. It is not surprising that the cat often scratches furiously, because he suffers greatly from itching.

Stress, especially repetitive stress, can cause itching that resolves once the trigger is removed. The most common cause of stress is a move, a change of owner, a new pet in the house, or the birth of a child.

Some drugs can also irritate the skin and mucous membranes, so when they are used, itching occurs as one of the side effects. With the abolition of the drug, the manifestations most often go away on their own. Sometimes the use of antihistamines is required.

Diagnostics

In addition to the most pronounced and obvious cases (a dirty animal with fleas and tangles in the coat), only an experienced veterinarian can determine the reason why the cat itches. He will examine the four-legged patient, send him for blood, urine and feces tests, and also take a scraping from the affected area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe skin to identify the pathogen.

After receiving the diagnosis, the veterinarian will prescribe treatment and prescribe medications. Most of the treatment is outpatient, and only in extremely difficult situations will the cat be left in the clinic for a few days.

Treatment

The most important condition for relief from itching is compliance with all the prescriptions of the veterinarian. You cannot arbitrarily replace drugs with analogues, reduce or increase the dosage, reduce or extend the treatment time. This can cause an exacerbation of the disease or turn the disease into a chronic form.

Treatment is always profile, so there is no general formula for all cases.

Prevention

In order for the animal not to suffer, it is necessary to protect it from helminths and parasites, keep it clean and properly fed, and also periodically visit the veterinary clinic for vaccinations and preventive examinations.