Identifying Commonly Found Skin Issues in Your Cat

Did you know September is known as Happy Cat Month? It got us thinking about the different ways we look after our feline friends to keep them happy and healthy. As a dedicated cat and dog skincare company, we are well aware of the many skin issues cat that owners come across. Our approach is always to target the skin from the inside out, this is usually a mix of a healthy raw diet and the right natural skincare products. Do you find your cat is often overgrooming or becoming particularly itchy after being outside? Keep reading as we look at what could be causing their skin issues and how you could help soothe their skin. 

Overgrooming
On top of our list is overgrooming. Overgrooming can be an indicator that your cat is anxious, stressed or bored. As cats are such intelligent creatures, they often become bored with their daily routine, causing them to lick excessively. Overgrooming may be a reaction to a change in environment in your household, such as a new pet, a new house or family member. It can cause balding, matted fur and irritated skin. Our Anicura Cat Spray is designed to immediately soothe and cool the skin to help with the irritation. The spray is effective for large areas and long fur. If the overgrooming has led to broken skin, our Cat Gel has an excellent formula that nourishes the skin and feeds it nutrients to repair damaged skin and prevent flare ups. Combined, our Gel and Spray work to heal broken skin and they will encourage the fur to grow back. However, sometimes overgrooming is behavioural, in which case our products will help soothe and heal the skin but it is worth looking at their environment to see what could be affecting them or finding new ways to stimulate their minds. 

Environmental and food allergies
Environmental allergies are extremely common for cats, especially during the change in seasons. If your cat likes to wonder outside, maybe along green areas you might notice they come back feeling extremely itchy. 

Your cat may be allergic to certain foods too! Their reaction to allergens might be to excessively bite themselves, chew or lick their fur. This causes redness and irritation and can lead to fur loss. Our philosophy when it comes to skin allergies is two-fold – strengthen the immune system with the right diet so it is less prone to respond and strengthen the skin with the right skincare, so the symptoms become less and less to hopefully non-existent. It’s important to identify their food allergies and eliminate foods that could be making their skin worse. If you are still unsure what could be causing the allergies, we always recommend you seek veterinary assistance.

Cat acne
Believe it or not, cats can get acne just like humans. Often cat acne appears as red or black spots under the cat’s chin and under their lips. The chin may swell and become red, causing your cat to scratch the area in order to relieve the irritation. The cause of cat acne is unknown, but it is believed to be linked to environmental allergies and bacteria.

Our Cat Gel has antibacterial properties which can help reduce the acne, as well as healing properties which will help heal the affected area. Also, as it’s designed to soothe and calm irritated skin it means it will reduce the feeling of red hot, itchy skin and allow healing to happen quicker.

Eczema/dermatitis
Eczema in cats can look like crusty or scaly rashes with raised bumps. Eczema is very itchy for your feline friend and an infection may occur if they continue to lick and scratch the areas excessively. Some cases of eczema may require you to visit your vet due to a bacterial infection. Out Cat Spray soothes the skin by instantly relieving dryness, whilst feeding it healthy nutrients to become stronger and more able to fend off future flare-ups. It’s great for itchy, dry, flaky patches. To find out more about eczema/dermatitis in cats read our dedicated blog here.

If you have any skin or product questions, our friendly team is always ready to help. Send us an email or visit our blog page for useful resources.