Allergic skin disease is one of the most common reasons cats are itchy. Because cats show only a handful of skin patterns whatever the cause, the same picture can come from fleas, food or environmental allergens, and the work-up is a stepwise exclusion. This guide covers the cat-specific work-up and the drugs you may be asked about.
Key facts
Allergic dermatitis at a glance- Species and system: cat; integumentary.
- Causes: flea allergy dermatitis, adverse food reaction, and feline atopic skin syndrome (FASS, an environmental allergy formerly called non-flea, non-food hypersensitivity dermatitis).
- Most common: flea allergy dermatitis is the most common type of allergic dermatitis in cats (MSD).
- Classic presentation: itch with one of four patterns: miliary dermatitis, self-induced alopecia, head and neck itch, or eosinophilic skin lesions.
- Age: FASS usually starts before 5 years of age (MSD).
- Zoonotic: no, but ringworm and mites that look similar can be zoonotic.
What's inside
12 sections in the full guide- Key facts
- How the NAVLE tests this
- Cause and pathophysiology
- Clinical signs
- Diagnosis
- Differential diagnoses
- Treatment and management
- Prevention, control and public health
- Prognosis
- Quick review
- Test yourself
- References
The full guide also has 5 tables, 3 self-test questions and 10 references, available to NAVLE members.
Read the full study guide
The full guide is part of every NAVLE plan, with diagnosis and treatment tables, figures, a quick review and self-test questions. Start a free trial to try the question bank, or log in if you are already a member.