Cat scooting, not anal glands,but urine rash

by Louise Pittavino
(Pittsburgh, pa)

My cat is scooting, licking and crying. I took her to vet, but was told it was not the cat anal glands.

I was told it was because my cat is overweight and the urine is getting trapped in the "folds" of the pee area. She has scooted her but raw!

We were given cream, but after 2 days no change! Maybe we haven't been using it long enough to tell-or wrong diagnosis????

We are getting very worried.

Please help!

Editor Suggestion Cat Scooting

Dear Louise,

Sorry to hear about the feline scooting problem.

It is hard for me to give you much information without seeing your cat, but if she does truly have “urine scald” she might also need oral antibiotics to take care of a secondary bacterial infection as well as an anti-inflammatory medication (either oral or an injection) to lessen her discomfort and let the skin heal.

Shaving the fur from the area and cleaning the skin with warm water can also help. Once the skin starts to heal, applying a diaper rash ointment containing zinc oxide, once or twice a day can protect the skin from wetness and prevent a re-occurrence.

Helping your cat lose weight is probably the best thing you can do to keep her healthy into the future.

Regards,

Jennifer Coates, DVM