What causes dandruff on cats? Is it a skin disease?

Dec 04,2023
7Min

Cats

What is the reason for dandruff on cats? Is it a skin disease? When we pet or play with cats, we sometimes find that there are some large flakes on our clothes and hands. At this time, the owner should pay attention to dandruff, large and small. Dandruff is mostly seen in the symptoms of skin diseases caused by skin inflammation. If the cat also loses hair and has redness and swelling in certain parts of the body, it is a skin disease. Skin disease Not only is it a threat to cats, it may also infect people, so you need to pay more attention.

The appearance of dandruff is mostly caused by skin infections, such as dermatitis and allergic dermatitis caused by fleas, lice and other parasites. Everyone should start treatment quickly and be careful not to let the cat scratch itself due to body itching, which may cause secondary infection.

1. Tinea of ​​the ear

Tinea of ​​the ear refers to dermatitis caused by scabies mites parasitic in and around the auricle. You can see scabs that look like hardened skin flakes. Ear ringworm can be contagious between cats. If you have multiple cats, if one cat shows symptoms of ear ringworm, all cats will need to be examined and treated. Treatment can sometimes take a long time, so be patient during treatment.

2. Tapeworm infection

Tapeworms are spread through fleas. Fleas are the intermediate hosts of tapeworms. When cats comb their fur with their tongues, Fleas can be ingested and become infected with tapeworms. Therefore, if the dermatitis is caused by fleas, you should pay attention to whether you are also infected with tapeworms. It is best to remove fleas first, and then remove tapeworms and other parasites after half a month.

There are many types of tapeworms, including the cat tapeworm and the European tapeworm. If tapeworms infect cats, they will develop chronic enteritis and symptoms of diarrhea, vomiting, and indigestion. Sometimes constipation and diarrhea occur alternately, causing anemia or high weakness. When the affected cat excretes the pregnancy tablets from the body, the pregnancy tablets often stick around the anus, irritating the anus and causing pain and inflammation in the anus. In addition, this symptom can be contagious to people, so be sure to get dewormed.

Taenia worms are generally treated with praziquantel, which can be injected, taken orally or applied topically. It is often used in combination with other anthelmintics, such as nematode treatments or external anthelmintics.

For the prevention and control of tapeworms, prevention is the most important. Preventing flea infections is the key to preventing tapeworms, so pets need to regularly use external anthelmintic drugs, such as Frontline Plus, once a month to prevent diploid tapeworm infections in dogs to the greatest extent.

You need to pay attention to the characteristics of tapeworm infection. Children can become infected with Diploma caninum if they accidentally eat fleas carrying tapeworm eggs, although this is very rare. The clinical symptoms present are similar to those seen in carnivores: irregular appetite, moderate abdominal pain, and perianal pruritus.

3. Cat mites

Mites can cause dermatitis in kittens. A common phenomenon is that a layer of fine lines appears on the surface of the cat’s bodyof skin flakes. If you hug a cat that has parasites on it, it can transmit the mites to humans. It is recommended that you consult your doctor before starting treatment.

How to prevent mites? First, limit the cat’s range of activities. The purpose of this is to reduce the ways for the cat to spread mites. It is best to define the cat's activity range at home and do not let cats infected with mites run around. Moreover, it is necessary to avoid cats going out and avoid contact with other stray dogs in the grass to prevent reinfection with mites.

Secondly, objects that have been touched by cats can be diluted with pesticide-containing drugs and disinfected. Because the objects that cats infected with mites have come into contact with are likely to contain mite eggs, this kind of timely disinfection is very necessary to prevent the recurrence of mite diseases.

4. Atopic dermatitis

There are three main types of allergic dermatitis in cats: flea allergic dermatitis, scabies, and ringworm. These types of dermatitis are mainly caused by the spread of germs and parasites on cats' hair and skin, causing itching and red patches all over the cat's body, and even serious conditions such as ulcers, suppuration, and cat hair loss. It is extremely harmful to the cat’s body and the cat should be treated in time. If you can ensure that the cat is groomed and bathed regularly, and the cat's living environment is cleaned and disinfected every day, you can prevent the cat from being infected with allergic dermatitis, and at the same time ensure the health of your family.

In short, there are many causes of skin diseases and there are many treatments. Once you feel your cat is sick, consult a doctor first and then initiate appropriate treatment. Keeping your cat's body clean is key to preventing skin diseases. ​

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