MRCVS BVMS, BS ASci, MLitt
Caitlin is a primary care clinician based at the University of Glasgow. She currently splits her time between clinical work, teaching, and writing. When not working she can be found hiking the moors with her mildly dramatic terrier or cuddling on the sofa with her wildly naughty cat.
Discovering your cat has diarrhea in their litterbox is never a good start to the day, and it’s even worse to find they didn’t make it in time. Perhaps it was the new bag of treats, or the unexpected visit from a noisy friend causing an upset tummy.
If you’ve noticed your cat’s skin is itchy, or that their coat is looking thin, it might be time to visit your vet. But while skin problems are common, it may not be as simple a visit as you might think. Because there are many causes for skin problems in cats it sometimes takes several rounds of testing before the root cause can be identified.
Have you noticed your cat’s fur is thinning? A bald patch where there shouldn’t be? While some shedding is normal, hair loss can be a cause for concern. Allergies, skin parasites, infections, hormonal changes, and even stress can trigger hair loss in cats. With so many possibilities it can be difficult to know what is normal and when it’s time to worry.
Have you noticed your cat licking or scratching at one specific spot? It can be hard to tell the difference between a skin infection and allergies, and often these two conditions go hand in hand.
Allergies in cats manifest in many ways. If you’ve noticed your cat just can’t stop scratching, licking or sneezing, they might be dealing with allergies. Many of the most common skin and respiratory issues seen by vets are caused by allergies.
If no matter what you try, your dog’s itchy, red, irritated skin just doesn’t seem to be getting better, your canine might have dermatitis in dogs.
Exploring the reasons why cats burp (or don’t)