Cats & Yeast Infections

Causes

• Since yeast normally lives peacefully on your cat's skin, changes to your cat's skin or immune system can cause the yeast to grow out of control. One common skin condition is seborrhea. It is an overproduction of oils from the sebaceous glands. Depending on your particular cat, it can result in oily or dry skin. His skin will become scaly and crusty and flake off like dandruff. Another skin problem is allergies. When your cat is allergic to a food or environmental stimulus, it is possible for yeast to grow out of control. Although numerous skin changes can cause yeast, another very common cause is a low immune system. When your cat is fighting another illness or parasite, such as kidney failure, thyroid problems or even fleas, his immune system becomes weaker, allowing the yeast to grow more.

Symptoms

• Symptoms are as varied as the causes of yeast infection. Not every cat will experience every symptom or to the same degree. Yeast infections are incredibly itchy. You will notice your cat scratching and licking more than usual. Depending on where the infection is located you may notice her scratching her ears, licking her paws or her genitals. Because of the scratching and licking she is doing, she may also experience hair loss. As the area becomes irritated by the yeast and the scratching the skin will become red and inflamed. Sores or lesions will form in more serious cases. The skin can also start to flake like dandruff.

Diagnosis

• If your cat is suspected of having a yeast infection, his vet will want to test a sample of the skin to find out if it truly is a yeast infection. There are several collection methods. One is an impression smear. This involves a microscope slide being rubbed against your cat's skin to get a sample to test. Another way of collection is to use a piece of Scotch tape. Or a blade may be used to scrape yeast off of the skin. Other vets may prefer to use a wet cotton swab to rub the site. The final collection method is a skin biopsy where a piece of skin is removed under local anesthesia. This method is more aggressive but provides the best results.

Treatments

• Once a yeast infection is confirmed, your vet will recommend a treatment method. Oral medications can be prescribed to treat the infection, but can take several weeks to cure the problem. A benzoyl peroxide or sulfur based shampoo can be used to remove the oils on the skin that yeast are feeding on; however, according to Mar Vista Animal Medical Center, the product must remain on the cat's skin for 15 minutes to be effective. Since this can be difficult with a cat, it may not be the best treatment option. If your cat only has a small area of his skin infected, you can try using acetic acid wipes that you can get from your vet or sprays to treat the spot, instead of bathing her entire body. No matter what treatment is prescribed, continue to treat your cat as your vet recommends, even if the infection seems to be gone. If you do not finish a treatment, the infection can return.

Prevention

• Once you have a yeast infection under control, you will want to help prevent future outbreaks. First you will need to determine the underlying cause of the infection. If the infection was a result of an allergy, for example, remove that allergen from your cat's environment. You will also want to help boost her immune system by providing a high-quality cat food. You can also speak to your vet about specific prevention methods for your cat and her situation.