Your Cat is Suffering From Itching?

Conditions that cause itching in cats
Parasites — Pests, including fleas and mites, are a very common cause of itching in cats. If you have an itchy cat who goes outdoors at all, she could have a flea allergy even if you don’t find evidence of fleas or flea dirt. Some cats are such efficient groomers they can remove all traces of fleas and their dirt before they have a reaction.

It’s safe to assume that if your cat is itchy, she’s sensitive to fleas. If she has flea allergy dermatitis, she’s super-sensitive, and the bite of just one flea can leave her scratching and miserable.

Ringworm — Another quite common reason for itching in cats is ringworm, also called dermatophytosis, which is a fungal infection that can affect the hair, skin or nails. Ringworm is actually the most common contagious skin infection in kitties. The classic appearance of ringworm is a small, round, hairless sore on the skin.

The sore may have a scaly appearance at the center, and also small abscesses. These lesions are most often seen on the head, ears and tail.

Feline acne — A third, also common itchy condition in cats is feline acne, also called chin acne or kitty acne, in which blackheads develop on the chin. Hair follicles become clogged with oil (sebum) from the sebaceous glands, which results in blackheads. The blackheads can turn into red, itchy bumps, which can progress to pimples that turn into abscesses that rupture and become crusty. Once the condition has reached this advanced stage, it's called furunculosis.

In severe cases of chin acne, swelling, hair loss and draining tracts can develop. The area can be very itchy, and cats can cause additional trauma by scratching. Secondary bacterial infections are common with this condition.

Pemphigus foliaceus — One of the most common manifestations of allergies in dogs is severely itchy, inflamed feet or paws, a condition called pododermatitis. However, if your kitty has itchy feet, the underlying cause is more likely to be pemphigus foliaceus, which is an autoimmune skin disorder. Pemphigus foliaceus causes scaly, crusty skin, as well as pustules, mild ulceration, and footpad overgrowth and cracking.

Feline eosinophilic granuloma complex — This is a condition in which excessive numbers of eosinophils (a type of white blood cell) are produced. The disorder in cats is actually three different syndromes that cause inflammation of the skin:

• Eosinophilic plaque, which features defined, raised, round or oval-shaped sores that are often ulcerated. These lesions are typically found on a cat’s abdomen or thighs and contain eosinophils.

• Eosinophilic granuloma, which describes a mass or lumpy sore containing eosinophils, is usually found on the back of the thighs, the face or inside the mouth.

• Indolent ulcer, which is a defined, abscessed lesion that is most often found on the upper lip.

How to relieve your cat’s itching

To successfully alleviate your cat’s itchiness, it’s necessary to accurately identify and treat the underlying cause. Your first stop should be your veterinarian’s office for a thorough workup and hopefully, a quick and definitive diagnosis.

Regardless of the underlying cause, the next thing you’ll want to do is begin healing your cat’s wounded skin. This means she’ll need to wear an E-collar to interrupt the itch-lick-scratch cycle. An alternative might be a light, nonstick bandage or even an infant-sized T-shirt. Keeping the wound clean is absolutely essential. I recommend disinfecting the area with dilute Betadine (povidone iodine) twice a day. Topical remedies I recommend for wound healing in kitties include:

Manuka honey applied to the area twice a day

Dr. Willard's Water or colloidal silver sprayed on the wound several times a day

Essential oil of lavender diluted with coconut oil

Fresh aloe gel

Hypericum or calendula cream or tinctures

The E-collar, nonstick bandage or infant T-shirt should be ready to go before you put the healing balm on your cat to prevent her from immediately licking it off.

There are also a number of homeopathic remedies that can be very beneficial for itchy cats, so I encourage you to work with a homeopath to find the right one for your kitty. Detoxing from vaccines and avoiding further unnecessary vaccines is also very important to prevent the recurrence of skin disorders in cats.
 

source: https://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2019/07/02/cats-with-itchy-skin-conditions.aspx