Introduction
There are a lot of feline skin diseases that result from allergic reactions or pests (like fleas, ticks). However, there are some that result from disease. These require a skilled veterinarian to treat them properly. This is important because cats need their skin to be healthy in order to live a high quality life.
There are some very common causes of feline skin diseases. These include:
- External pests such as fleas, mites and lice tend to cause intense itching, flaking and scaling
- Infections are caused by bacteria that enters the cats broken skin. Antibiotics or sterois are needed for treatment
- Flea allergies cannot only be caused by fleas but also as an allergic reaction to the bite itself
- Environmental allergies can be caused by common household cleaning products, pollen, too much sun, not enough heat, and more.
- Food allergies
- Grooming products due to the fact that they have perfume and other ingredients in them that your cat may be allergic to
There are many different types of feline skin diseases that can be caused by the aforementioned irritants. These feline skin diseases include:
- Cheyletiellosis (a.k.a. walking dandruff) is one of the feline skin diseases that are caused by mites. Other cats and humans can catch this disease. Symptoms include itching, scaling and flaking of the skin. While this is irritating, it is not deadly. You simply need to have it diagnosed so that the right prescription medication can be used to clear it up.
- Alopecia is caused by numerous factors (like localized infections, problems with the endocrine system, stress) and results in hair loss. Other symptoms include red or inflamed skin and bald patches. While this isn't deadly, it will keep the hair from growing and may indicate and underlying illness.
- Acne is one of the more common feline skin diseases. Symptoms include red or inflamed skin and small, irritated bumps. While this isn't serious, it should be treated nonetheless.
- Ringworm isn't really a worm. Its actually a fungal infection in the skin. It can be passed between cats and humans. Symptoms include hair loss, itching, flaking and drying of the skin. You can use over-the-counter medications to treat it since they usually contain the same ingredients that are used to treat a human for athletes foot.
- Sarcoptic Mange (a.k.a. Scabies) is a parasitic disease that's caused by a really small, microscopic mite. It can be transmitted among both cats and humans. Symptoms include a localized infection, hair loss, skin irritation and other issues. It is important to get a vet to treat this disease.
Conclusion
Now that you have a better idea of what the various types of feline skin diseases are and what causes them you will be better equipped to be on the lookout for them. This will enable you to be able to notice feline skin diseases right away, which is good since it will make sure that your cats get the treatment they need. By doing so you will be able to make sure that these feline skin diseases don't turn into something major.
