My cat Violaine has this thing where she seems to be scratching the areas around her eyebrows. They get really scarred up and scabbed. I don't know why she's doing it. I'll start massaging her forehead and area around her ears and she LOVES it. I just don't want her hurting herself like this. She's do for her shots so I'll get this looked at too...

Anyone experienced this with their cats or dogs?

oh my, that is no good!

Are there some crusty bumps and redness on her eyebrows? If so it could be feline dermatitis (I think that's what it's called), which can be caused by a lot of things - but if it's just her head, that could likely mean mites. I believe there are a dozern other reasons cats get this - like ringworms, fleas, infections, and allergies. I would bring a fecal sample when you go to the vet so they can check that, just in case.

In any case I'm no vet, but years ago one of my cats got this, was no real big deal. I believe his was a hormonal thing and we got some meds for it and it cleared up in time.

Best of luck to you and feel better Violaine

Well I've never met a cat that doesn't like it's ears massaged. (That's where scent glands are and a manner in which animals show affection is to rub their heads/ears on you)

You can look into her ears and see if there are any black specs inside ... which would be mites. There are $5 a bottle anti-mite drops available at walmart. My cats got them as kittens.

It may be fleas as well. We found out the $40 Frontline crap only works 1/2 the time it is applied. Instead my pets have flea collars, that need to be replaced every three months (or when they start getting an unusual amount of ticks...collars don't kill every tick, just most.).

There is feline dermatitis but it would probably occur elsewhere on her. My cousins cat has terrible skin shedding problems... it's gross but harmless.

My dog had a "minor" blood clot in her ear from scratching at it... it caused the whole ear to swell up, and was painful to her; which if untreated the vet said it would have eventually burst, and become a "cauliflower ear". This might happen if it is not treated.

Anything else I could think of would probably more severe and you should ask your vet about it.

How is this going? Did it get better?

All the things that were said are possibilities. You can rule out dermatitis by giving her a dose of Revolution (the correct amount for her weight). It's around 12 bucks per month and you apply it to her skin on her shoulderblades. It absorbs into her skin and gets into the bloodstream. It will kill all earmites and fleas that draw blood from her. So, in a month or two, you will see a difference if it's due to fleas and mites.

However, if it's dermatitis, it can be caused BY the fleas or mites, and continue even after they are gone. In which case, you can have the vet give you a number of different medications. You want to get it sooner rather than later, because she can get a skin infection if she itches too much.

BTW the vet will likely just look for fleas, mites, and if they don't see anything they'll put some tape on her skin and then look at it under the microscope...but many times they can't tell what it is and just prescribe the revolution anyway (they like to push flea/tick/earmite meds)...

They did apply a small vile of this liquid to her shoulder blades (where she can't reach to lick it off) and literally within days the cuts had healed and no new scratches were seen. That must have been it, worked like a charm. She goes back in a few weeks for a followup and part 2 of her booster shots.

My cat experiences much the same thing because he is allergic to fleas. About all you can do is apply the treatment and try to keep 'em clean.

I had a cat that needed cortisone shots every month during the summer because he'd lick all the hair off his crotch and it would be raw and red. The vet said it was because he was allergic to something outside, guessing it was ragweed or grass pollen.

That may also be another option.

Shael