Expert: Dr. Louis N. Gotthelf - 9/30/2005

Question
I have noticed that my cat has scabs around his neck and ears, I first noticed one about 1 week and 1/2 ago now im noticing more of them, I think some of them are going away and others are appearing, it's hard to tell cause they are all in the same general area.  My cat is on phenobarbethal for seizures and has been for about 4 years, he hates the vet and I want to spear him a visit if possible since we go so often, so I wanted your opinion first.  I often see him scratching in the area of the scabs and sometimes they fall of with a few pieces of fur attached.  He's an indoor cat and never goes outside but we did just move apartments and i've been noticing the scabs since then, could that be related?
thank you in advance


Answer
This is called miliary dermatitis and it is the result of skin allergies, most commonbly to fleas or ear mites. The best thing that I have found to treat it is a shot of a long acting steroid called DepoMedrol. If there are ear mites, then a systemic drug like ivermectin or topical selamectin (Revolution) may help. Another thing that you can do is to wipe the skin and hair daily with a wet washcloth to remove allergens.  You need to also use flea control like Advantage to control any fleas that may get on the cat.