Cats enjoy keeping clean by grooming and bathing themselves. But they can’t reach those hard-to-reach places such as the top of the head or around the neck. As a result, those untouched areas become the ideal environment for fungus to thrive.
If one day, some rough patches on the junction between your cat’s head and shoulder make you exclaim “My cat has scabs on her neck!”, then she may already catch ringworms. Those are highly contagious and the causes are various, too.
Let’s take a look at the following article to find out why your cat has scabs on her neck and how to cure them.
Why Do My Cat Has Scabs On Her Neck?
Fungi
Common fungal types are Microsporumcanis, Trichophyton, and Epidermophyton. Your cat may have caught the germs of fungus from the neighbor cats (or from those she was living with in the pet store before her adoption). Then she goes home and you give her a bath but neglect to blow-dry your long-haired cat’s coat, especially her neck region, before putting the collar back on (you might want to check out things to know before buying a cat shock collar).
Allergies
To fleas or Ticks
This is probably the most common cause of scabs on cats. Although there may be thousands of potential allergens in your cat’s habitat, fleas and ticks are the most common offenders to take the blame first.
The syndrome resulted from fleas-and-tick allergies is called military dermatitis, whose typical nature is to cause scabs on the neck.
To Hair and Skincare Products
Your feline friend may have an allergy to hair-and-skin-care products. Somehow, her skin is more sensitive than you thought (especially with the skin on her neck). So, only a wrong choice in cat shampoo could result in a cat with scab neck.
To Food Ingredients
Cats have food allergy, just like humans. But the dangerous thing is the cats themselves cannot differentiate between edible foods from inedible foods for a cat. That’s why it’s really important that you look up the ingredients’ information carefully and try to single out which ones your feline princess is allergic to.
To Objects’ Compositions
Is your little fluff dining in plastic bowls or plates? Some cats are allergic to this kind of composition. And your cat may have been rubbing her neck on the plastic items’ side, eventually leading to such a reaction.
Symptoms
Skin diseases are one of the most common ailments for domesticated cats of all kinds. The longer the hair, the more susceptible to cutaneous sickness your cats will be.
If your beloved girl has these following symptoms, you may want to observe her more closely because she has most likely caught fungal skin infection.
Scratching
Cat scratching her head or neck is food allergy’s most common indication. Other warning signs caused by other allergens include pawing and rubbing her ears, or nipping at her paws and tail.
All of these diseases can hurt any patch of skin on your cat’s body, as well as bringing her to lose her hairs.
Hair Shedding
- Your cat’s beautiful coat will lose its shine, then break off and fall out rapidly.
- There is flaky skin, especially on the head, neck, and front paws, where the hair is thinnest or most irregular grown.
Irritated Skin
- The hair-shedding areas usually have round or oval shapes with reddish rims.
- Mass hair loss (couples with dermatitis, patches of thickened skin, etc.) happens when your cat is experiencing severe fungal skin infection that has affected her whole body.
In the long run – unless it is treated quickly and properly, this could lead to septicemia (or blood poisoning) and eventually, death.
What to Do When My Cat Has Scabs on Her Neck?
Fungal skinned cats are often confused with mangy cats. For better and more accurate diagnosis, owners are advised to shave off some hair in the affected area before examining the skin patch.
If the Cause is Fungi …
If the cause is fungi, the best medications for this condition are orally administered pills, shampoos, and body creams (such as Nizoral, Ketoconazol, Flucinazol).
In any case, always bring her to a vet so that she could be diagnosed and given antibiotic, steroid, or penicillin shot to avoid reinfections and superinfections. These types of medicine work best when the scabs on her skin are rimmed with red and look irritated.
Otherwise, it is ideal to let those scabs naturally heal themselves. And remember to always keep your cat – especially the fungal skin patches. Also, make sure she is hygienic before applying any ointments. Don’t let her groom herself during this time either, or else, she may paw then lick the medical salve.
If the Cause is Food …
If food ingredients are the culprits, then you should either make a consulting call or start verifying which ingredient is allergic-free for her to consume. Or you could try out a different type of cat food which do not contain the allergens that make her skin irritated.
Besides, replace plastic bowls with metal or glass ones then continue to observe if this change in dining material could help clear up the issue.
How to Prevents Scabs on Cats?
No matter where the contaminated area on the cat is, this disease is highly infectious. It could be transmitted easily to other cats in the same pride, the same kennel or enclosure, and even to humans.
Young children, adults who just move to the neighborhood and those who are sensitive to cats, are most vulnerable to such disease. That’s why you should take extra care in looking after your cat, for the sake of her and your own health, as well as of those around you.
- Let your cat sunbathe often, or dry her coat with a hair dryer every time after giving her a bath. Remember not to put the leather (cloth) collar on her neck when either her coat or the collar is wet, or still moist.
- Keep her sleeping nest clean and dry always. Also, you must not forget to wash her bed, toys, and collar periodically. During humid days, don’t let her play outdoor for too long either.
- If you find her express itchy symptom plus often scratch herself, she must be isolated at once for further observation. Children and other pets in the house must be banned from close contact with her during this monitoring time. However, when the need arises, you should wear rubber gloves before touching her.
- To avoid further damages to her skin, you can either clip her nail or use nail caps so that she can’t claw herself when it becomes unbearably itchy.
Conclusion
Cats can be allergic to hair and skin care products, food ingredients, or nature’s stimulants such as pollen or fleas and ticks. As it is, there is no way to tell exactly what the appropriate treatment should be until they are properly diagnosed.
Even when you can find the best way to halt the situation (using nail caps, itch-soothing lotion, etc.), you are only treating the symptoms, not the root cause. Therefore, the most rational remedy is to visit a vet as soon as possible. Just remember, the sooner you ask for the right cure, the more thoroughly the disease is swept away, and the faster your fluffy princess will recover.
Leave your comment below if you have any question. Thank you for reading!
