Skin and Hair Problems

As a cat's first line of defense, coat and skin are prone to a variety of problems, from allergic or hormonal disorders to parasites, infections, or tumors.

Coat problems are obvious because the hair becomes brittle, dry lusterless, or falls out. Hormonal influences on the skin and coat are not well understood, but hormone-related disorders are usually not itchy.

Many cats carry the spores of the fungal infection ringworm without suffering infections. When it occurs in a cattery, other cats may be symptomless carriers. Ringworm can also infect people; in Paris it is estimated that 90 percent of human ringworm infections are from cats.

A more common problem is a crusty, itchy condition called miliary dermatitis. This has many possible causes, but an allergy to fleas is overwhelmingly the most common one.