by Sonu
(Delhi)

QUESTION:

My kitten is 4 months old and so active, but several spots are on her body and she is itching also. Which are the medicines I can give to her? I am from India, so please given me the name of Indian medicines.


Dear Sonu,

Thank you for writing in with concern for your kitten. Without knowing more details about her condition and symptoms, and without seeing her in person for an exam, it is impossible to give a recommendation for cat medications to treat her.

The red “spots” you are mentioning could be from several different causes, but the most common cause of scratching in cats is allergy and the most common allergy of cats is flea allergy. Most likely, the red areas are scabs from your kitty scratching because she is itchy, but again, I would not be able to say for certain without examining her. You can read more about allergies and specifically flea allergies in cats at feline flea allergy.

The best thing for you to do is to take your kitten to a veterinarian for an exam. The vet can examine the skin carefully and also comb through the fur with a special comb looking for fleas or even other skin parasites.

When cats are itchy and are harming their hair and skin, it doesn't work to treat from the outside in - meaning that applying creams or lotions on the skin is not effective. Also, in the case of cats, due to their self-grooming habits, they are most likely to lick off anything you apply to the skin. In addition to not helping the condition, this could be toxic or at the very least, cause a stomach upset.

I know vet visits can be expensive, but often if we let things go, it ends up being more expensive later, both financially and emotionally.

I try to tell everyone that if you haven’t already, now is a great time to begin researching options for pet insurance for your little kitten. With the rising costs of pet care around the world, cat health insurance is quickly becoming a necessity.

Best wishes,
Dr. Neely