By far the most common cause of feline miliary dermatitis is an allergy to fleabites. Some cats become extremely sensitive to fleabites and a single bite may be enough to provoke quite a severe skin reaction (see handout “Flea Allergy Dermatitis in Cats” and “Flea Control in Cats”.
Miliary dermatitis can also indicate an allergy to something in the cat’s diet (food allergy dermatitis) or a response to an inhaled allergen (see handouts “Inhalant Allergies (Atopy) in Cats” and “Food Allergies in Cats” for more information on these allergies). Contact dermatitis or contact allergies are another possibility, but this is rare in cats. Miliary dermatitis may also be associated with mites, lice, nutritional deficiencies, and infectious and immune-mediated diseases.
