Mary Allen
Cats are known for their cleanliness and thorough grooming. However, if the cat neglects to groom or if there are changes in the cat’s coat, you have to get to the bottom of the problem.
Cats devote a lot of time and effort to grooming. A healthy cat’s coat is silky, soft, shiny, and not knotted. Changes are all the more noticeable, such as hairless areas, matted nests, or even bloody scabs and traces of secretion. Behind these changes are often relatively simple causes, such as an infestation with parasites, which can be easily remedied with appropriate treatment. It becomes more difficult if the skin is not directly affected, but reacts to disturbances in other organs or feeding errors.
Normal Coat Development Or Pathological Change?
It is important to differentiate between pathological changes in the coat and signs of normal fur development. These include the loss of puppy fur, the change between winter and summer fur, and the formation of hairless areas at pressure points (horny calluses). Also, don’t let gray hairs grow if your cat gets them – loss of pigment is a common aging process in our pets, along with dull coats and reduced sebum secretion. However, the effects of graying and skin aging are nowhere near as dramatic as in humans. The reason for this is probably the protection from UV radiation provided by the fur. Less hairy areas on the temples are noticeable in shorthaired cats, but this is just as normal as hairlessness over old scars. On the other hand, hairless areas are suspicious if the skin underneath appears reddened or altered. You should show these places to your veterinarian. As a rule, he has to carry out a series of examinations before treatment makes sense.
Skin Infections In Cats Are Difficult To Detect
While one would immediately see skin inflammation on human skin, it can initially hide under the animal’s fur before being noticed. When the vet pulls out the affected areas, the skin involved is much more extensive than originally suspected. For the dermatologist, this shearing is the “window” so to speak, through which he gets an idea of the nature and extent of the lesions and facilitates local treatment. Even with an unobstructed view of the skin’s surface, a diagnosis can rarely be made right away. The skin has only a limited number of ways to react to damaging influences. The clinical pictures are therefore partly similar, although the underlying causes are very different.
Dandruff In The Fur? That Could Be The Reason
Dander in the cat’s fur often occurs with dry skin and general diseases. However, skin fungi and parasites can also cause dandruff. Finally, dogs and cats have a condition called “pemphigus foliaceus”, in which misdirected immune cells attack their own skin. Here, too, dandruff forms, which in mild cases cannot be distinguished from those of other causes. The situation is similar with individual hairless areas. In addition to parasites, skin fungi are often the trigger here. Therefore, pay attention to impeccable quality and take a close look at newly added animals. If necessary, a separate attitude helps at first, during which you keep an eye on the newcomers.
Caution, Contagious!
Some skin fungi in cats can also be transmitted to humans, so if you suspect it, you must visit the veterinarian and consistently undergo appropriate treatment. Even after the symptoms have subsided, you should continue to give the antifungal medication (tablets and/or ointment) for some time to avoid recurrence. For all applications of ointments or lotions, you should always wear gloves so that you do not treat yourself. Hairless patches also develop as a result of itching and irritation. Cats in particular can literally lick themselves bald with their sharp tongues. If hairless areas are distributed symmetrically, for example on both flanks, there may be a hormonal problem. Especially sex, thyroid, and adrenal cortex hormones have a significant influence on hair growth. Their content in the blood can be determined by laboratory tests.
The Right Food For A Healthy Coat
In the case of general diseases and nutritional deficiencies, the effects on the coat are usually only subtle: the shine diminishes, it appears shaggy and unkempt, without any changed areas necessarily being noticeable. In canned food from well-known manufacturers, the composition is usually optimal, and the right vitamin supply is also guaranteed.
The Protection Of The Skin
Purulent skin diseases can develop very dramatically. The bacteria involved usually colonize already damaged skin. Healthy skin has several defense mechanisms, including sebum, fatty acids, pH, the stratum corneum, and the natural bacterial flora. The interaction of these factors allows pathogens to “rebound” so to speak. Increased moisture or fat secretion, on the other hand, promotes the growth of germs and softens the outermost layers of the skin. Pathogens can then penetrate more easily. Skin folds or open wounds are particularly at risk. If the natural skin flora is also attacked or the skin’s immune system is disturbed, bacteria can spread in the skin. If the pathogens remain limited to hair roots and sebaceous glands, acne-like pustules form. If the bacteria succeed in penetrating deep into the skin, abscesses or even extensive purulent areas develop, which can be very painful. When the purulent secretion sticks to the hair, hard scabs form that looks relatively harmless. However, so that the underlying infection cannot spread undisturbed, you should definitely have such areas treated by a veterinarian. Although bacterial skin diseases can develop independently, there is usually another disease behind them: parasites, fungi, a weakened immune system, or a hormonal disorder. Timely treatment is important. So pay attention to the skin and fur of your animals when you scratch them every day.
Skin Exams Of The Cat At The Vet
Changes in the skin can have very different causes. A large number of examinations may therefore be necessary at the veterinarian in order to get behind the root cause. Part of the fur often has to be shaved off in order to assess the surface of the skin. In addition, the following tests are common:
- Skin scraping: Using a scalpel or razor blade, the vet scrapes away hair and superficial layers of skin to examine under a microscope for parasites.
- Wood’s lamp: Certain (but not all) skin fungi light up under UV light of a certain wavelength.
- Culture: Special culture media are inoculated with plucked hairs. After some time, any bacteria or fungi that are present will grow into colonies, which can then be tested for their susceptibility to various antibiotics.
- Imprint preparation: A small glass plate is pressed onto an open area of skin. The attached cells can then be stained and examined under a microscope to identify cancer or immune cells.
- Skin biopsy: The vet cuts out a small piece of skin and subcutaneous tissue to have it examined in a special laboratory. Together with the clinical picture, this is one of the most meaningful procedures, but also the most complex.
This Is How You Can Prevent Skin Diseases In Cats
- Make sure you have the right diet: for dogs and cats, branded ready-to-eat food is the safest way to avoid deficiencies in vitamins, fatty acids, and minerals. If you feed a large amount of homemade food, you should follow a proven recipe or have the ration assessed by a nutritionist. For pets such as guinea pigs or rabbits, you should feed fresh fruit and vegetables and not keep the crude fiber content too low.
- Avoid bugs and parasites: Consistent treatment of ticks, fleas, and worms protects against unpleasant surprises. Clean sleeping places and cages regularly and treat your animals to a bath once in a while – with gentle care products, of course. Children’s shampoo or special animal baths are suitable for this, but warm water is also good. The fur of long-haired animals, especially those with a thick undercoat (such as Persian cats), should be brushed and groomed frequently to prevent matted areas from forming.
- Strengthen the healthy skin flora: Harmful germs can multiply more easily in damp, warm areas of the skin, which is why skin folds are often the starting point for bacterial skin diseases. You should pay special attention to these “problem areas” and, if necessary, also give them regular care. Above all, the pH value, moisture content, and fatty acid level are important for the healthy germ flora of the skin. Grooming products available from the vet can correct these factors if necessary.