Flea Allergy and Dermatitis Treatment in Cats

Fleas are tiny insects that feed on the blood of animals. When fleas suck the blood of a cat, the saliva in the fleabite will sometimes cause an itchy rash, which is called dermatitis. Controlling the fleas is the best way to take care of dermatitis caused by a flea allergy in a cat, according to the Pet MD website.

  1. Diagnosis

    • Before you can begin treatment, you need to make sure that it is dermatitis caused by fleabites. The first symptom is usually lots of scratching by the cat or lesions or scratches on the skin from the cat scratching itself. Hair loss and scabs are other signs of dermatitis. To check for fleas, the Cat Health Guide website recommends placing the cat on a white paper and brushing it to see if small black grains like sand fall on the paper. These are flea eggs and feces. Pet MD recommends using a flea comb to look for fleas or the flea "dirt."

    Flea Treatment

    • Once fleas are confirmed, it is important to get rid of them. The Cat Health Guide recommends starting with a shampoo or a combination of a dip and shampoo to get rid of the fleas. It also recommends using a flea comb every other day on the cat and killing the fleas by dipping the flea comb in detergent or alcohol.

    Itchy Treatment

    • Cats often will continue to scratch even when the fleas are gone. So a remedy for the itchiness is needed. Pet MD suggests steroids or antihistamines to help stop the itchiness. This should help the dermatitis to heal and stop the cycle of the cat scratching the rash, which prevents it from healing and causes it to continue to itch, which causes the cat to scratch even more. Topical hydrocortisone creams or herbal creams can be used instead for milder cases.

    Infections

    • If the cat scratches enough to open up lesions on the skin, it could allow a bacterial infection to set in. This is treated with antibiotics, which are often given orally in the form of a liquid.

    Long-Term Care

    • If fleas are ever re-introduced to the cat, the dermatitis will return, so it is important to maintain flea treatment. Different types of treatment include a spot-on treatment such as Frontline, which is a chemical applied to a spot on the back of the cat's neck; liquid medication given in the cat's food; and flea collars. The Cat Health Guide recommends that collars only be used as a supplement to other treatments. The area where the cat lives also must be treated for fleas to prevent them from jumping back on the cat.