Scabby back?

Hello Cat. Hope you and family well.
Smudge and Frank are regularly flead. Smudge (10yrs) has several small dry scabs on her back at the base of her tail. She is only a small cat, the collection of scabs may span a couple of inches. I noticed a couple the other day when I was stroking her and thought that she probably caught herself on the thorny tree she likes to sit under - but if this was so, they should have gone by now. I checked again last night, and because I was proper rummaging in her fur to find them to try and see what they are ... I found she had more than I first thought.
She has no fleas or flea dirts.
They are a collection where her back meets her tail.
They are dry.
She doesn´t appear bothered by them and is not itchy anywhere.
The skin is not inflamed or red.
There is no hair loss, I had to really rummage to find them.

I am thinking its not mange? no hair loss or irritation.
I am thinking its not flea allergy for same reasons.
It could be ezcema - but its dry (I have seen ezcema on tummies usually - inflamed, itchy - they lick at it)
Could it be a psoriasis?

Any advice gratefully received, before I put her through the trauma of a vets visit which means dragging her from a chosen hiding place etc ....
Thank you so much. Claire

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11 Dec 2011 20:18

Claire Smith

Thank you so much. To be honest I suspected flea allergy but thought Smudge couldn;t possibly have it because they are both treated regularly. I can say that I recently had to do the whole de-flea routine at mums and take Charlie for a vets visit as although treated his fleas didn´t want to die! So I suppose I could have brought them home. What with the doorstep cat, squirrels and other wildlife within arms reach .....
Thank you so much for your time and trouble. I will treat them again and if smudge is still scabby will take her in.

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09 Dec 2011 16:26

Cat the Vet

Hi Claire,

I know you don´t want to hear this but by far the most common reason for scabs like the ones you describe is fleas. The pattern of multiple small, dry scabs around the bottom is extremely typical of a condition called Flea Allergic Dermatitis. This occurs in cats who are sensitive to fleas and it is also very common to find very little evidence of fleas, as the cat is very itchy and will groom out any sign of the fleas well before yo get a chance to find them.

I have been seeing a lot of flea problems recently, I think the mild weather has allowed them to survive much longer than normal outside and once a pet brings them into the home, the central heating means they breed like mad.

The best thing to do, if you want to try and avoid a vets visit, is to treat both her and Frank with a veterinary flea product, both Frontline and Advantage are now available without a prescription, and also treat the house, again a decent veterinary house flea spray, for example RIP fleas, is available without a prescription. However, if she doesn´t improve quickly, then she really needs to be seen at your local practice.

Cat

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