How Can I Soothe My Cats Itchy Skin? – 7 Remedies

All fur parents know that their cat will encounter health problems at some point. However, one of the most common and annoying problems that they do face is cat skin problems.

One of these skin problems is dubbed pruritus which manifests as skin itchiness. But before you can find the correct remedy for cat scratching themselves, you will need to find the cause of the itching first. Thus, you may need to learn “How Can I Soothe My Cats Itchy Skin”.

Ways to Soothe My Cats Itchy Skin

So how do you stop a cat from itching? Here are some treatments for cat itchy skin, depending on the cause:

1. Change of Diet

The difficulty with some cats is that they can be pretty sensitive to the food you give them. Often, switching to a better diet will soon stop cat from itching. For instance, some cats need to have more oils or fats in their daily diet to keep their skin healthy.

2. Bathing

If the cat skin problems are from fleas then you should be relieved because all you have to do is give your cat regular baths. Then use a fine-toothed comb through your cat’s fur to remove the dead fleas. In time, the itchiness will go away, and your cat will be fine again.

Remember though, that bathing has to be regular and consistent for this itchy cat remedy to eliminate the flea problem. Bathing with special cat shampoo can eradicate fungal or bacterial infections too.

3. Coconut Oil

One remedy is coconut oil for cats itchy skin. Coconut oil is good for dry skin and even itchiness. You can mix a little coconut oil in the food of your cat.

Or you can just regularly wipe a small amount on its skin problem areas until the itchiness disappears. The good thing is that coconut oil is non-toxic, so it’s safe for cats.

4. Oatmeal Slather

As its name suggests, this treatment requires the use of oatmeal mixed with water. It should be applied before bathing your cat’s skin and left there for around ten minutes. You can then wash it off.

You may also prefer putting the oatmeal into bath water itself and then immersing the cat in the solution. You may repeat this if the cat starts itching again some days later.

5. Epsom Salts Solution

Your cat will soak in an Epsom Salts solution (also called magnesium sulfate) for ten minutes to relieve the itchiness. Just be careful that the pet doesn’t drink the bath water.

6. Allergy Shots

Suppose the allergy is very severe, as in the case of flea or mite bites. In that case, the vet may administer allergy shots to reduce the allergic reaction.

But this is not among the common itchy skin cats remedies because cats may have different reactions to the allergy shots themselves.

7. Oral and Injectable Medication

The vet may prescribe drugs such as prednisone (an oral medication) or corticosteroids (such as injectable drugs) as anti itch for cats if the itching is extreme.

In some cases, this anti itch medicine for cats could be the treatment of last resort should other common treatments fail.

Why Do Cats Get Itchy on Their Skin?

The first thing you need to do is to determine the cause of your cat’s condition to have the appropriate cat itchy skin treatment.

What Are the Tests to Diagnose the Cause of Your Cat’s Itchy Skin?

1. Veterinary Examination

The best way to address any cat skin problems is for a vet to examine your pet. So if you take your cat to the vet, most likely, the vet will ask:

2. Fecal Examination

Your vet may recommend this to check for intestinal parasites. Sometimes, the immunity of your cat may decrease if there are parasites. The lower immunity can lead to skin infections such as fungal infections or bacterial infections.

3. Diet Trial

Your vet may initially recommend that your cat will be put on a diet trial. This means your cat will be eating certain special foods that have none of the ingredients of its regular feeding at your home. This will last for a certain period of time.

If the cat’s itchiness disappears, then that indicates that your cat was allergic to its previous regular food. However, if the itchiness continues, there is no allergen in its previous regular diet.

4. Biochemical Profiling

The vet will request this blood test as a standard procedure for all cats. This helps the vet determine if there are any problems with your cat’s internal organs.

This doesn’t automatically tell your vet the root cause of the itchiness. But it does help the vet know if your cat is healthy enough to be treated with drugs for skin itchiness.

Tips to Prevent Cat’s Itchy Skin

1. If you intend to treat pruritus in cats, it is best to adopt a holistic approach. This means you should examine the entire environment that your cat lives in. So this takes into account food, bedding, hygiene, medicine, play area, and other animals that your cat may be interacting with.
2. If your cat has fleas or mites, you will have to clean its living areas and bedding If your cat visits the garden or nearby vegetation, it may pick up fleas or mites that way. If your cat seems to acquire fleas from other animals, then you need to restrict their interaction.
3. It is also important to have on hand specific home remedies for cats with dry itchy skin. For example, you should have a stock of oatmeal and Epsom Salts if these are proven effective for stopping the itchiness. But refrain from trying out any remedy you just hear about.

Conclusion

If you didn’t know yet, it is important to address itchiness due to possible cat itchy skin losing hair. Your cat may even wound itself by scratching too much such as when a cat scratches its neck raw. Open wounds can be infected too which is more serious.

Cat skin itchiness doesn’t have to get to that point. You need to provide remedies to the itchiness as soon as you can to prevent bigger problems. This is why the topic “How Can I Soothe My Cats Itchy Skin” is very popular. The good news is that once you solve the itchy skin problem, your cat will be more comfortable and have a better quality of life with you and your family.