Scabby skin in cats

I was asked this question by Joanna about her cats scabby skin.

Question;
My cat Cookie gets a few small scabs all over, they are mainly on her head but do go to the rest of her body, I know its hard to diagnose but do you think this could be an allergy or could it be due to stress? I´ve only had her for 3 months, how long does it normally take for them to feel at home? Is there an average? Thanks for your time!

Answer;
Scattered, raised scabs on cats can be caused by a few different things but the most common cause is fleas. Some cats are allergic to flea bites and wherever they are bitten the skin reacts and comes up in these raised, scabby patches. Very often you will see no sign on fleas on the cat as they will groom them out, both the fleas themselves and the flea dirt they produce. When cats are itchy they will lick at themselves, unlike dogs who will scratch a lot. This is why you will often see no fleas and on some occasions they can lick themselves bald or sore.

My advice is to take Cookie to the vets and have her checked over. The vet will be able to give her medication to calm the skin reactions and also flea products to prevent the problem if they think it is fleas. For flea allergic cats is is very important you use veterinary standard spot-ons as these are not only 100% effective but some will kill the flea before it even has a chance to bite, vital in allergic cats.

I think 3 months is about long enough for a cat to settle, but they are all individuals. Ensure she has her own space where she feels secure and free access to food and water. Cats are susceptible to stress but they do not show it well. Stressed cats are often withdrawn and hide away, they can also over-groom, often to the point where they lick themselves bald. Discuss this as well with your vet, they will have products to combat stress in cats they could give you.

Cat