Feline miliary dermatitis is a skin condition that, as the name suggests, affects felines – cats. The dermatitis part of the condition is self-explanatory – it’s a well-known skin issue that also impacts dogs – but what does the miliary bit mean?

Well, it actually refers to the appearance of the lesions that are present with this condition; milium is the Latin word for millet, the small seed. With feline miliary dermatitis, you will often see – or usually feel – millet-like lesions that can be crusted, present on your cat’s skin.

Feline miliary dermatitis is also known more simply, and crudely, as scabby cat disease as well as papulo crusting dermatitis or dermatoses and miliary eczema. In these cases, the rash appears most often around the neck and head of the cat, going down its back and along its rump.

Feline miliary dermatitis is a term used to describe the effects of several skin conditions, usually as the result of an allergic reaction. The allergy could be to flea bites or other types of allergens. Harvest mites, walking dandruff, ear mites and lice can also lead to the development of this condition.

Food allergies can also cause allergic reactions that show up in this manner on the cat’s skin. 

The symptoms of feline miliary dermatitis tend to be very obvious. Your cat is likely to physically show symptoms and also display behavior that makes it clear he or she is suffering irritation and discomfort.

Typically, cats that develop feline miliary dermatitis often display similar symptoms experienced by dogs living with a skin condition. These include:

If a food allergy has caused feline miliary dermatitis, the cat may develop sores and scabs around its head and tail. They may also have gastrointestinal signs such as loose stools or diarrhea.

What causes miliary dermatitis in a cat? There’s a wide range of different causes. Cats can develop this skin condition from one of them, or a combination of several. Common causes of feline dermatitis include:

An allergy or reaction to flea bites is thought to be the most common cause of feline miliary dermatitis.

In warm-climate areas or flea-infested areas, miliary dermatitis (and other skin conditions) can develop more frequently in cats.

Cold-winter regions may see this condition develop much more often in the summer months.

Before you can start thinking about how to resolve your cat’s poor skin condition, you need a conclusive diagnosis. A visit to your veterinarian will be required.

The vet will rely mainly on your cat’s medical history and the clinical signs of the condition to make a diagnosis, so make sure you provide as much information as possible about anything that you suspect may have contributed to the issue.

For instance, if your vet knows that the cat has experienced food intolerance or food allergies previously, they’re more likely to tell you, the pet parent, that the cat has developed feline miliary dermatitis.  

It’s not always easy to spot fleas on a cat, especially if the cat has a thick coat, but if the vet sees flea dirt or feces on your pet, they’re also likely to provide this diagnosis.

The cause may be determined as a flea allergy, but if your cat’s skin condition doesn’t respond to a flea treatment and anti-itch medicine, the vet will run additional tests to narrow down the diagnosis.

These tests could be:

Veterinarians take into account the locations of the rashes and lesions in making their diagnosis. They will also measure the size of the lesions and determine what kind they are.

Treatment for miliary dermatitis is theoretically straightforward – remove the irritants and make the cat more comfortable until the lesions heal. In practice, however, it can be difficult to identify the cause and the skin can flare up.

Cat owners need to remove fleas from the cat’s home environment, which may help relieve many of its symptoms. If the fleas return, the allergy symptoms and rashes will return. Because cats groom themselves daily, it’s rare to find live fleas on their bodies.

If the cause of the cat’s skin condition is a food allergy or intolerance, the pet parent will need to switch the cat to a different food. It is vital that, once a food allergy has been diagnosed, the cat does not eat the allergy-causing food again.

If the cat has been allowed to roam outdoors, it may have to stay indoors permanently to reduce the risk of eating an offending food or hunting and eating prey that could cause a relapse and trigger another bout of feline miliary dermatitis.

The cat owner may need to give the cat one of several medications:

Allergy shots for cats are controversial; they’re generally only used only for cats who are severely affected and are not always successful in curing the condition.

The prognosis for cats diagnosed with miliary dermatitis is generally excellent. Once the offending substance has been eliminated from the cat’s environment or food, the cat will recover. Its skin will heal and fur will grow back.

You, the pet parent, will have to be vigilant in keeping fleas from returning to the home if the cat’s condition is flea allergy-related. If diet-related, any new food prescribed for the cat will be a permanent part of its diet. Since many causes of miliary dermatitis are allergy-related, the cat may need occasional treatments with corticosteroids to keep flare-ups from becoming severe. 

As your cat gets older, its allergies may get worse. If your pet has been diagnosed with more than one allergy, its recovery may not be total, meaning it needs to continue with treatment to keep skin reactions and symptoms under control.