What is a skin scraping test?

A skin scraping test is a diagnostic test to determine the cause of skin disorders in cats.

There are many possible skin problems that can affect cats including fungal, parasitic, inflammations, infections, cancer, allergies & more.

How is a skin scraping performed?

There are two types of skin scraping.

A blade is used to gently scrape along the surface of the skin. It is necessary to do this deep enough to reach mites, which often burrow quite deeply. You will see a small amount of blood as a result.

What is being looked at?

Once the sample is taken, it is put on a slide & examined under a microscope. Your veterinarian will be looking for signs of fungal infection, mites, cell cytology & bacteria.

Does it hurt?

It may cause some short term discomfort, but it shouldn't be overly painful for your cat.