Expert: Ali - 3/16/2010

Question
My usualy passive female cat 3 yrs old has started to scratch here forehead around the temples making them red and irritated, ive started to bathe them in mild salt water to ease the irritation but thier very red is this an underlying problem to something else, she has never been a good eater so i feed her on what she will acept usualy processed turkey, ham and  the occasional tin of cat food the like any ideas please

Answer
Mick,

I did some research on the location of a domestic cat's scent glands and beyond some conflicting evidence provided in articles written by laypeople I haven't been able to find any veterinary diagrams or articles that show precise locations of a cat's scent glands. I did contact a veterinarian in the Ask A Vet portion of this site to ask him if he knew exactly where a cat's scent glands are and he admitted that he really had never seen a diagram depicting precise locations of scent glands in domestic cats. This is significant because this vet happens to be a veterinary dermatologist. As far as I understand it (remember, I'm not a veterinarian) a domestic cat's scent glands are located on either side of their face in the area of their cheeks, on each of their paws and on either side of their anus which leads me to guess that your kitty may have some other issue going on that you should have a licensed vet assess. Your kitty's constant scratching in the area that you describe could be related to anything from an ear infection to external parasites and exposure to household chemicals/pesticides to environmental allergies. Your kitty could also have a skin infection as a result of her consistent scratching so I would really recommend that this kitty sees a vet ASAP because she's clearly uncomfortable and you want to help ease that discomfort as soon as you can.

As for the diet your kitty has been eating it may have nothing to do with her current skin issues or it could be the cause of them, it's difficult to say. I must say that based on the information you've provided the food this kitty eats isn't what's best for her and you may want to seriously consider gradually weaning her off of the highly processed diet she's eating and onto a diet that's healthier and more suited to her nutritional needs. For further information on feline nutrition please check out the following websites:

- catinfo.org

This is a site created by a veterinarian to help pet parents understand the unique nutritional needs of their feline companions and provide some basic cat care education. My veterinarian recommended this site to me when I asked about making my own cat food after my eldest cat nearly died as a result of the 2007 Menu Foods pet food recalls (let's just say I have little to no trust when it comes to the pet food industry since it's apparently more driven by profit than what's best for the pets it serves).

- catnutrition.org

This site has some fairly in depth information on feline nutrition and it is mentioned on catinfo.org. It's well worth checking out if you're interested in learning more about feline nutrition.

- http://www.halopets.com/pet-education/pet-articles/pet_food_what_you_need_to_kno...

This site is helpful for pet parents who want to understand what some of the unpronounceable ingredients are on their pet food's ingredient list. I would advise against reading this article while you eat if you have a sensitive stomach as some of the information is less than appealing.

If you have any further cat related questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to contact me again, I will do my absolute best to help you out.