severe scabs along my 7yr old tabby cats spine

hi guys and girls i have a 7yr old black female short haired tabby cat and i have noticed she has had these nasty scabs mainly along her spine, back of the neck and on top of her head and they are getting alot worse.
i 1st noticed them about 6months ago and just assumed she had been fighting with another cat, i now know thats not the case!.
my cat (pickles) is in fine spirit she is still very active, big appetite, some what affectionate.
to be honest i know i should take her to the vet but at 50 bucks a visit i thought id try in here first.
what i really want to know is what these scabs are and whats causing them????????.
i though i should also mention that she isnt real fussed by them she has always been one of those cats who constantly groom herself, but does not bite or scratch at them much, the only thing that does bother her is when i pick the scabs off the end of her back where her tail starts she gives a meow and moves aways from me but any other scabs i pick she seems to enjoy it by purrring and falling asleep.
im very concerned can you please help me cheers
irish

How big are Pickles scabs?


Juli

They could be due to a flea allergy, but you really need to get the cat to a vets in case they are something worse.

thanks for the reply,
her scabs are quite big some the size of a pea but the big one 3/4 of the way down her back would be approx 2inches long and 1inch wide,
i have picked some of the scabs and they are like mosty skin with a small blood patch in the middle, could you possible give me the best/worst case senario on what these could be.
i know i should have taken her to the vet but it really isnt bothering her, still if thats the best thing to do i will do asap.
i know a mate of mine hade to get his dog put down due to mainge but in his can his dog wouldnt stop scratching it and ended up going bald this isnt the case with pickles.
thanks please tell me what you can

Here is a decent site that might help you

http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10721

sorry i thought i shoud also add a few things about her
1, i only feed her cat mince (kangaroo & steak) made by vip pet foods
2, i have not bathed her in over 1yr
3, i have given her worming tablets about 6months ago

sorry im not sure if that helps

My cat has the same exact problem. Did you find out what it is?

Hi Cindy,
It appears that thread is really old, but I can tell you about my Mikki. She also had scabs on her back but not her head. We battled it for 3 years trying food eliminations and adding supplements for skiin and coat...to no avail. Finally, just 2 days ago, we took her to a dermatologist, and were rather relieved the suspected allergen is environmental rather than food. The derm vet said beings there are no scabs around the face or head, plus the fact we tried eliminating certain proteins one by one that didn't help previously, she feels it's the environment. She received an antibiotic plus atopica and goes back in 2 weeks. Fingers crossed something starts working. Also, beings Mikki goes after her scabs, we used to put human anti itch cream on her ..cheap brand from Target...and it tastes bitter so she couldnt lick it off, plus it calmed the itch. The derm vet assured us that it was ok that we did that...it wouldn't hurt her.

Thanks for the information I take my cat to the vet next week. I have researched this on many web sites. I found the use of apple cider vinegar is suggested so I am using that in the meantime. It is really good for there skin & digestion system it balances out there ph balance.

speaking of ACV, two times now, Mikki showed signs of a UTI and I put ACV on a cotton ball and rubbed it into the scruff on the back of her neck and coincidental or not... she didn't show the signs anymore of the UTI. She's fussy about what she eats thus it's hard to put stuff in her food. You are diluting it, right? I know it can be harmful if not diluted due to the acid.