So my 2 year old male cat has some small neck scabs. Really mostly just a rough patch on the neck. I hear this is normal, and is usually blamed on food allergies. He just eats Friskies wet and Purina dry foods. So the question is, besides buying outrageously pricey food, how can one treat these scabs? I've put some aloe hand lotion on them, in small quantities, and it seems to help. Any other ideas?
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Neck Scabs
- Thread starter doug36
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Can you post pictures?
Maybe he's scratching a bit too rough.
Maybe he's scratching a bit too rough.
Just wanted to mention, if it is food allergies, you can take a look at the ingredients and try to figure out specifically what ingredient the kitties allergic to, then try different foods with different ingredients until you can figure out the cause. I'd recommend starting with a limited ingredient food first and verifying he doesn't react to that, then slowly trying different foods until you find the allergy. Trying the different foods can be annoying and expensive, but depending on the allergy, it might turn out that you can find a cheaper food that doesn't contain the allergen. My one cat, Shade, is allergic to corn, for example, and I have found many mid-range priced foods that don't contain corn.
Something else that comes to mind though -- are you using plastic bowls? Some cats actually have an allergy to that, and since the scabs are on his neck, I could see him rubbing his neck on the side of the bowl and maybe having a reaction. If you have any glass or metal bowls, try putting the food in that to see if it clears up the problem.
Something else that comes to mind though -- are you using plastic bowls? Some cats actually have an allergy to that, and since the scabs are on his neck, I could see him rubbing his neck on the side of the bowl and maybe having a reaction. If you have any glass or metal bowls, try putting the food in that to see if it clears up the problem.
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- #4
There are loads of pictures on the web. His bowl is glass.
Well, I'd rather not do in-depth research about possible allergans. It isn't bothering him, and it's not that big a deal for us. You can't really see the scabs directly. Just feel them under his fur. Loads of discussion on the web about these scabs, but these discussions end up pointing fingers at allergans, which are profoundly difficult to figure out. My question was about treatment.
Well, I'd rather not do in-depth research about possible allergans. It isn't bothering him, and it's not that big a deal for us. You can't really see the scabs directly. Just feel them under his fur. Loads of discussion on the web about these scabs, but these discussions end up pointing fingers at allergans, which are profoundly difficult to figure out. My question was about treatment.
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Pictures of his scabs specifically to determine whether or not it's an allergy. Pictures on the web aren't going to help me with your cat.
They way you describe them sound like they are nothing of an allergy but rather scratches. He's fine. Leave him be.
They way you describe them sound like they are nothing of an allergy but rather scratches. He's fine. Leave him be.
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- #6
As I said, you mostly can't see them, but rather just feel them. So taking pictures isn't going to be very successful. They are not scratches. He is an indoor cat, and has no indoor enemies. If he was scratching himself, he's doing a good job just keeping it in a hard-to-reach place like his neck.
It is "well understood" that neck scabs are common in cats. Just Google "cats neck scabs". It is "alleged" that they are caused by allergies. Again the issue for me is NOT what causes them, but how to effectively treat them. So, let's suppose they were scratches. How would you treat them?
It is "well understood" that neck scabs are common in cats. Just Google "cats neck scabs". It is "alleged" that they are caused by allergies. Again the issue for me is NOT what causes them, but how to effectively treat them. So, let's suppose they were scratches. How would you treat them?
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do you have a tractor supply store near you?
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my girls can't eat corn. purina has corn in it. Tractor supply has a dry food 4Health that doesn't have corn. its $7.99 for the 5 lb bag-lasts us 2 months. It's actually cheaper than purina.
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chicken soup for the pet lovers soul wet and dry also has no corn.
Taste of the wild wet and dry doesn't have corn. These two are about the same price as tractor supply 4Health. you can slowly change food- 25% old 75% new this week. then next week 50/50 then 75/25 in third week to reduce colon issues. More than likely it's scratching scab type reaction to corn. or wheat gluten. The foods I listed don't have corn or gluten in them.
Taste of the wild wet and dry doesn't have corn. These two are about the same price as tractor supply 4Health. you can slowly change food- 25% old 75% new this week. then next week 50/50 then 75/25 in third week to reduce colon issues. More than likely it's scratching scab type reaction to corn. or wheat gluten. The foods I listed don't have corn or gluten in them.
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- #10
He isn't getting much corn or wheat. But this discussion is diverging from why I came here.
As it turns out aloe vera is somewhat toxic to cats, so I'm going to stop applying it. I need a skin lotion that is non-toxic to them. Ideas anyone?
As it turns out aloe vera is somewhat toxic to cats, so I'm going to stop applying it. I need a skin lotion that is non-toxic to them. Ideas anyone?
You can use kitty nail caps to avoid kitty clawing itself from allergies. You'll need them on all 4 paws. Your cat cannot go outdoors while wearing these.
What we're trying to say is you're treating symptoms not the problem. I will tell you most allergies get worse. The nail caps might work for a short time. Of it's an allergy it's likely another way to scratch or start ripping out hair.
What we're trying to say is you're treating symptoms not the problem. I will tell you most allergies get worse. The nail caps might work for a short time. Of it's an allergy it's likely another way to scratch or start ripping out hair.
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Unfortunately, there's no way to know what the treatment should be until you have a diagnosis. It could be scratching from fleas, it could be food allergies, it could be sensitivity to plastic - but until you know the cause, you won't be able to give the correct treatment. Even if you find cat-safe lotions to soothe his skin or put on nail caps, as
valentine319
has said, you will only be treating the symptoms, not the underlying cause. It's hard for us to suggest things online without knowing all the context or seeing/feeling his scabs ourselves, so a vet visit may be the best way to go.
I have to agree with
Ardina
. There's a secondary issue too. With scabs or any kind of wounds they can easily get infected. I'm just assuming allergy. It could be something else. A vet would be able to make sure no infection and help narrow the cause.
Ardina
. There's a secondary issue too. With scabs or any kind of wounds they can easily get infected. I'm just assuming allergy. It could be something else. A vet would be able to make sure no infection and help narrow the cause.- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #14
OK, this discussion has gotten pretty disfunctional, as forum conversations tend to do. I was asking about treatment. I DO NOT CARE to speculate about where these scabs come from. As I said, I'm pretty sure I know. I'm outta here, but don't let me stop you from chatting!
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Scabs are never normal. Could be from fleas or other sources. To know treatment would be to know the source of scabs ...
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why are you getting upset? Why are you not listening to US? WE CANT TREAT YOUR CAT! only VETS can TREAT your cat!
I took my cat to vet, they gave her steroid shot with antibiotic, trimmed her nails and I switched to litter(Fresh Step added Fabreeze)without dyes or fragrance. They scratch neck after walking through litter! I will see if this helps, if not I will try eliminating foods one by one starting with chicken, I only feed canned food. I use revolution flea/ tick drops All year long so flea allergy unlikely. I dab scabs with hydrogen peroxide to dry them and pick them off slowly. I would not put cream on them. Good luck
Yes it is. Polysporin is not advisable either in case anyone out there thinks to use that. A lot of things can be dangerous to cats, that's why it's best to get advice from a vet.
No one here can tell you why your cat is getting these scabs. You don't even know why or what they are and won't even bother to post a picture. No one should be making random diagnoses over the internet; that's why you need to see a vet. And you DO need to know what is causing the scabs before you can start an effective treatment. They could be symptomatic of a numbers of things and putting random stuff on them probably won't help, or will just mask the problem at best.
Good luck to your cat.
I dab with peroxide and slowly pick off, cat likes it when I do. I would not put any cream on
My cat started scratching like crazy and it turned out she had neck scabs which continued to get worst. I took her to the vet, who said they were an infection. She was given an antibiotic shot and they told me to come back for another one if the scabs didn't go away in 2 weeks. They also said that if the scabs come back it's an allergy. They were almost gone in two weeks, so I waited a week to see if they would continue to disappear, but they didn't. I went back and got two consecutive rounds of the antibiotic and that worked well. The scabs have not come back and she doesn't scratch anymore. They were not fleas, so I started an elimination diet at the time of the shots. I have restored most things to her diet and she is scratch and bump free. I still need to do rabbit, lamb and egg, which is on some food she used to eat. So far so good.
