Causes of Dry or Flaky Skin on Cats

Flea bite hypersensitivty causing scaliness on a cat

Scaliness of the skin, which can look like dandruff may simply be caused by dry skin, however, there are many other causes, some of them serious. Many of the conditions which can cause scaliness are described in the table below. This is a long list, so you can understand why a quick diagnosis may be difficult to make and various diagnostic tests may need to be performed. The most common conditions causing scaliness and flakes are color-coded gray in the table (some may be more common in certain geographical areas).

Condition	Description	Symptoms	Diagnosis	Treatment
Cheyletiella (rabbit fur mite) mange	Infection with the Cheyletiella mite	Itching, scaliness; some hair loss, if severe	Skin scraping and microscopic examination - the mite is often very difficult to find	Pyrethrin
Cushing's disease (hyperadrenocorticism)	Caused by an increase in corticosteroids in the body - either due to increased production by the body or as a side effect of high doses or prolonged therapy with corticosteroids	Hair loss, thinning of skin, hyperpigmentation, easy bruising, seborrhea, comedones (black heads); lethargy, increased thirst and urination, pot-bellied appearance	Adrenal gland function tests, urinalysis, chemistry panel, CBC	If due to glandular tumors, selegiline, o,p-DDD (Mitotane), or surgical removal of tumor; if due to high steroid doses, withdraw use of steroids slowly
Demodectic mange	Infection may be localized or generalized; the generalized form occurs in cats who have a deficient immune system	Hair loss, scaliness, redness, sometimes itching	Skin scraping and microscopic examination	NO Steroids Rotenone, dilute Amitraz (Mitaban) dips, lime sulfur dips, ivermectin (off-label use*)
Epitheliotropic lymphoma (mycosis fungoides)	Rare cancer of T lymphocytes seen in older cats; may be associated with FeLV	Redness, itching, scales, ulcerated nodules	Needle or other biopsy	Poor response to treatments which include chemotherapy, surgical removal, retinoids, fatty acids
Flea allergy dermatitis (flea bite hypersensitivity)	Severe reaction by the cat to the saliva of the flea	Intense itching, redness, hair loss, papules, crusts, and scales; sometimes development of infection or hot spots	Presence of fleas; reaction to intradermal testing	Flea Control in the environment and on the cat; steroids and antihistamines for the itching
Hypothyroidism	Decreased production of thyroid hormone; uncommon in cats	Dry and brittle hair, seborrhea; secondary bacterial and yeast infections; lethargy, obesity, slow heart rate; changes in skin pigmentation may occur	Thyroid gland function tests, chemistry panel, CBC	Lifetime thyroid supplementation
Ichthyosis (fish scale disease)	Very rare	Excessive thickening and crusting of skin and foot pads; seborrhea; odor; symptoms start in kittens	Biopsy	Difficult to treat; intense, lifetime management required; treat seborrhea; retinoids
Lupus erythematosus	Autoimmune disease affecting many body systems including joints, kidneys, muscles, nervous system	Skin lesions may include thickening or ulcers of the foot pads, scaling, and recurring bacterial infections with pustules	Special blood tests (LE test); biopsy	Prednisone and other immunosuppressive drugs; treat underlying infections
Malassezia	Usually follows some other underlying disease	Itching, redness, hair loss, greasy scales; if chronic, develop hyperpigmentation	Skin scraping/smear and microscopic examination, culture	Treat underlying disease; oral ketoconazole; miconazole shampoos
Mosquito bite hypersensitivity	Severe allergic reaction to mosquito bites; lesions most common on nose and ear tips - also footpads, lips, and chin	Acute lesions are red, raised, and oozing; with time develop hair loss, scales, nodules, and pigment changes; some cats develop fever and swollen lymph nodes	History of exposure to mosquitoes; lesions resolve when cat is hospitalized or otherwise restricted from exposure to mosquitoes	Restrict exposure to mosquitoes, insect repellents, prednisone
Pituitary dwarfism	Hereditary condition in which the pituitary gland does not produce the necessary hormones	Kittens fail to grow; cats may develop seborrhea, rarely have other signs	Special blood testing for the presence of certain hormones	Hormone replacement therapy
Ringworm	Infection with several types of fungus	Hair loss, scaliness, crusty areas; some itching	Culture	Miconazole, lime sulfur dips; oral griseofulvin or itraconazole; ringworm vaccine
Sebaceous adenitis	Sebaceous glands are destroyed, cause unknown; very rare in cats	Circular areas of crusts and scales on head, ears, and neck; hair pulls out easily, leaving skin exposed	Clinical signs, skin biopsy	Antiseborrheic shampoos, fatty acid supplements; in more severe cases, steroids, retinoids
Seborrhea	Can be primary (inherited) or secondary (resulting from other disease processes such as FeLV, FIP, FIV, ringworm, and parasites)	Scales; depending upon the type, may have a dry or oily coat; odor; some scratching; may see hair loss	Blood tests, skin scrapings, etc., to find underlying cause	Treat underlying cause if present; antiseborrheic shampoos; fatty acid supplements
Solar dermatosis (sunburn)	Skin reaction to sunlight, more common in cats with white ears	Redness, hair loss, and scaling on nose and ears, later crusts and ulcers	History, breed, physical exam, skin biopsy	Must avoid further sun exposure, especially 9 am - 3 pm; sunblock, steroids

* off-label use: medication used to treat a condition for which it was not developed (or licensed). A large number of medications fall under this category. Research has almost always been performed to determine the effectiveness and safety of the product, but the manufacturer has not undertaken the lengthy process required for licensure.