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Does your cat have scabs on their neck and back but no fleas?
In this article we will go over a few reasons why scabs are showing on your cats neck and what you can do to help get rid of them. If you are ever concerned for the health of your cat and think its anything serious, please seek medical help from a veterinarian.
Article Contents
Miliary Dermatitis in Cats
Miliary dermatitis is a veterinary term that refers to a skin condition in cats, which is commonly caused by allergic reaction. The term military means millet seeds in latin. With Miliary dermatitis when the cat is sick, it has a very itchy skin and may bite, lick and scratch the affected area. The most affected area of their skin is mainly around the base of their tail and the lower spine, but the flanks, neck, and belly may also be affected. Usually in the affected regions, the coat becomes extremely thin.
In serious cases of miliary dermatitis, the rash becomes infected, therefore, starts to have pustules or ‘pimple-like’ abrasions. Cats that have this condition usually spend most of their time scratching and grooming the affected skin areas.
If you notice that your cat is scratching or biting its skin a lot, you should take it to the vet to get checked. The vet will then diagnose the cat and give you a detailed report about your cat’s condition and hopefully issue you with appropriate medication like anti-inflammatory drugs for eliminating the allergen that is causing the disease. However, there are some recommended home remedies like using hypoallergenic food and preparing baths for your cat using herbal soaps.
Causes of Bumps on Cats Neck
For a long time, scholars have been studying the cause of bumps to precisely establish its cause, which according to them is mainly an allergy to fleabites.
Technically, some of our cats are extremely sensitive to fleabites and only one bite is sufficient to induce a severe skin reaction. Parasites like harvest mites, ear mites, lice and fur mites have been associated to clinal signs of this condition.
Cat Has Scabs on Neck but no Fleas
Sometimes, your cat can have scabs on its neck region but no fleas. Now, that usually can happen if the cat ate some type of a food that is generating an allergic reaction. Whilst for the beginning it may not be easy to tell if your cat has eaten something allergic to it, what you can do is to physically examine if there are fleas on the area that has scabs.
If, after examination you find no flea, you are required to take the cat to the physician so that he can examine the cat using the diagnostic tools to tell the exact cause of the scabs.
When choosing the specialist, please ensure that they are licensed veterinarians. Sometimes unqualified people may take that advantage and mislead you, resulting to further injury and pain in your cat.
Cat Has Scabs on Back no Fleas
Scabs on your cat’s back can make your cat extremely uncomfortable, and therefore, directly make you feel stressed, especially if you notice that there are no fleas.
Usually, it is known that fleas cause scabs, therefore, when they are not available but your cat has scabs, most of you get tremendously worried.
Technically, there are several reasons why your cat could be having scabs with no fleas on that area. For instance, it could be a bacterial infection, which has generated scabs. Note that bacterial infections can be dangerous if left untreated and can affect your cat. Therefore, it is always wise that you take the cat for specialist treatments.
Equally, it could be a yeast infection and definitely if your cat has got a yeast infection, then you do not expect to find fleas in the back of your cat.
Other possible causes of scabs include dry skin, compulsive grooming, ringworm, and mites.
Cat Scratching scabs on Neck
The neck is usually a very sensitive region which in case of any bacterial, yeast or allergen infection, could result to a scratching scab.
When your cat has got the scabs on the neck area, you will find it usually spending most of the time scratching itself on the affected area. At times, while scratching the skin may get loose and during that time you will see your cat bleeding.
Fundamentally, you are required to constantly monitor your cat, so that you can notice the infection or the allergic reactions in the initial stages so as to help lessen the symptoms such as scratching.
Remember that the cats have got long nails and especially if you do not trim them regularly, these nails can cause serious injuries to the cat, when it is scratching its neck due to the itch scabs.
Home Remedies for Cat Scabs – Neck & Back
Are you aware of the following natural remedies that you can apply to effectively treat or lessen the scab symptoms on the back and neck areas of your cat?
- The use of complete oil
In your cat’s diet you can add a complete oil such as corn, peanut, safflower, and sunflower oils to lessen the itchiness of the scabs. You can give the cat 1.5 teaspoon during each meal in a day.
- Use a clean towel to wipe off the allergens from your cat’s neck and back
This is the simplest process which you can do at anytime to help lessen the pain and itchiness that your cat is undergoing when it is suffering from scabs.
- To the affected area apply equal quantities of baby oil, water and Listerine
The mixture should be sprayed and massaged on the cat’s neck and back at least two times a day. However, always remember to consult with the specialist in case the condition gets worse.
References
https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/feline-miliary-dermatitis
https://www.angieslist.com/articles/7-natural-home-remedies-cat-and-dog-allergies.htm
https://www.preventivevet.com/cats/miliary-dermatitis-those-bumps-on-your-cats-back