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	Puss who is Scratching herself until she Bleeds Q: my cat gets very aggressive at times and i've noticed she gets balding patches which she scratches a lot causing bleeding she had an injection and a course of tablets which helped now it appears to be returning ,is this something that is always going to be there and will she need tablets regular to control this i was told it was probably a hormone problem thank you.

A: There are many causes of itchy baldness in cats, however from your description of the treatment dispensed, this is most likely to be miliary dermatitis. This term is not a very accurate diagnosis as it merely describes the symptoms and doesn't identify the cause of the problem. In cats this irritation skin complaint is often due to an allergy, most commonly to flea bite. There are other causes, and as hormone preparations can often relieve the symptoms, it has been suggested that a hormonal imbalance is the underlying cause. The hormone products used have an anti-inflammatory effect as well, and it may be that this is responsible for the cats' skin clearing up, not the actual hormone itself. Unfortunately, cats tend to suffer from the condition on numerous occasions, so if your cat is starting to become itchy again, I would take her back to the vet to have her examined and appropriate treatment started. In some cases long-term medication is needed, but often only occasional episodes are seen and the cat can just be treated as necessary. Hope this has been helpful, Sarah Mark BA VetMB MRCVS (Vet for PetPlanet)

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