Cat's Bumps

Hi there. I've noticed that my cat has bumps ALL over his body. He's never had this before. I mean it covers every part of him. I just dug through his fur and saw one of the bumps and it looks like a small scab, kinda red but not seriously red. He's an old cat also. I was wondering what this could be and how can I help him? Sometimes he does act like it itches whenever I pet him and then sometimes he doesn't. I don't have the money to run off for a vet visit and I seriously doubt he'll be willing for me to give him a bath in flea soap. What could this be and what can I do about it?

Do not attempt a bath for fleas, especially on an older cat.  Also do not use the cheap flea meds as to many issues with them.  Without knowing for sure what it is there is not much option.  Call local shelters and see if any have clinics as you can sometimes have exam done for free or very cheap.

If this was fleas I imagine you would also be seeing flea dirt(black specks that turn red in water) or fleas.  

Some of the bumps (after digging and moving his hair to find them) seem like scabs but then some of them don't show at all on his skin but you can definitely feel them. I know my cat is between 5-7 yrs old. He's never had this problem and I'm hoping that he didn't get into something outside that caused him to break out. Are cats allergic to poison oak or poison ivy? 

Anyone have any ideas? I know cat aren't susceptible to poison oak/ivy. Can anyone help me?

This is something new that happened in the past couple of days? 

It could be flea bites. Or it could be other non-flea parasites, such as mites. It you cat on any type of parasite preventative such as Revolution or Advantage?

It could also be a food allergy. Have you changed food recently? Or litter? I know some cats are sensitive to certain types of litter like wheat or corn based litters. 

Can you think of any other changes in the house? New laundry detergent or cleaner that you are using?

It's been abut a week or so now. He doesn't have fleas. There's no evidence of them when I look through his fur. And I don't know of any household changes and no I haven't changed his food at all. I thought it could have been ants because I saw him laying outside on the pavement driveway and I know there are ant hills here and there on the driveway. Could ants have bitten him all over like that? I mean none of the bumps are oozing anything at all. Some of them I can't even see but I can feel them. It's weird.

Without really seeing them it is hard to tell if they are just annoying bumps or if they are possibly more scary types of bumps.  If they are caused by fleas or mites you should be able to use a nit comb and comb through his fur and see any eggs or even live beasties.  If you don't see anything you should feel safe in ruing that out.  There are some benign conditions that can cause scaly bumps on cats, because they are caused by cells that carry histamine (the thing that makes us and cats itch) they can release this when the bumps are touched which could be why he gets itchy when you touch them.  Many of these things spontaneously appear and then just as mysterious correct themselves.

If he seems fine in other areas you might want to adopt a wait and see approach.  Just make notes of where you see the bumps and their aprox size, shape, and appearance.  Then once a week check for any changes.  If there is a rapid change you really should see the vet, if their is no change just mention them at your next appointment.

He seems pretty fine over all really. I mean he doesn't act sick or like he's in pain or anything. I'm hoping it's something that will clear up on its own and isn't anything dangerous to him. I just get worried because he's never had this happen before.

I believe I figured out his issue.

don't keep us hanging what do you think it is

Ant bites. I saw him laying down on the driveway and it has ant hills all over it. So I believe he laid in the ant hills and they bit him.