Comments for Feline Skin Sore Licking

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Jan 19, 2011
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starstarstarstarstar 		Thank you!
by: Heather

Thank you for responding! I will talk with my vet more about allergies and about the microscopic external parasites. Any other responses from other readers are welcome, too! I appreciate your time.

Sincerely,
Heather
Feb 01, 2011
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starstarstarstarstar 		Some ideas to help with Feline Skin Sore Licking
by: Sherry

Hi Heather,

Very sorry that you and your cat have to go through this. First, disclosure: I am not an animal health specialist but have owned cats for many years.

Your pictures were very helpful in letting viewers know what is happening - thanks! I agree with you on cutting out the steriods because they are not good long-term. We have a cat who has eosinophilia syndrome and used steriods a few times, but the effects just didn't last long. Eosinophilia is basically caused by the immune system and often allergies. We had to change the treats we were giving our cats; the wrong ones made his lower lip swell up (makes for a good indicator of trouble brewing!). You have to use trial and error when changing diet, which can be time-consuming, expensive, and often frustrating. But the end result is worth it (if that is the cause)
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According to the Feb 2011 issue of CATNIP (put out by the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, Tufts University), fish oil (Omega 3 fatty acids EPA & DHA) "can be beneficial in many inflammatory conditions by helping to reduce the production of pro-inflammatory mediators." Fish oil might be worth a try also.

I hope these suggestions help -- it is not fun trying figure out what is causing issues with our cats, esp. when they can't tell us the exact symptoms.

Sherry
Feb 01, 2011
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starstarstarstarstar 		Thank you, Sherry
by: Heather

Sherry, I have been contemplating Fish Oil supplements (again) but haven't researched that yet for Faith's skin condition. Thank you for your comments!
Feb 02, 2011
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starstarstarstarstar 		Wishing you the best
by: Sherry

Heather,

I hope it helps! The hard part is finding good quality supplements.

You might see if CATNIP (Tufts University) lets you see articles from back issues -- I think they have addressed skin disorders a few times. It was pure chance that we received the issue that mentioned Eosinophila right after we adopted our cat and enabled me to discover what it was that he had. I love serendipity!

Sherry
Feb 12, 2011
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starstarstarstarstar 		Feline skin problems
by: Anonymous

I have a 13 year old female cat that has a itchy/licking and biting herself problem as well. She licked the skin off of her stomach in a area that was almost as large as the palm of my hand and it wouldn't heal. I had to have surgery for her to bring the stomach skin back together and suture it in order to heal. Recently she did the same thing to one of her toes to the point that the vet had to do surgery on that by cutting off part of the toe bone and then suturing the skin over that. To control her licking and biting so intensely, I buy used rompers from thrift stores and cut off the leg material off and make a hole in the rear big enough for her to poo and pee without getting the romper soiled. Now she can lick but not to the point that she licks the skin completely off. It's a pain in the rear to keep making them but she's worth it. The vet says it's allergies and dermatitis.
Feb 12, 2011
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starstarstarstarstar 		To Anon.
by: Heather

That is awful about your kitty! Give her some hugs and kisses for me!
Mar 06, 2011
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starstarstarstarstar 		Holistic Approach
by: Heather from New England Pet Hospice

Heather,

I would be very wary of putting any creature on steroids for the long term. While they may solve the acute problem, they are not without serious side effects.

Have you considered consulting with a holistic veterinarian? This would be someone who incorporates complimentary medicine into traditional practice. You can find a listing of practitioners at the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association website http://www.holisticvetlist.com/ There are many holistic therapies that do wonders for allergies - such as supplements (such as the Fish Oil suggested by others here), Chinese herbs and homeopathy. Nothing works for every animal, but these treatments do not come with side effects like medications do so there is no harm in trying them.

Best of luck,
Heather
Founder and Team Leader
New England Pet Hospice, Inc.
www.NewEnglandPetHospice.com
Mar 07, 2011
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starstarstarstarstar 		Thank you, Heather
by: Heather

Thanks for your info, I have started looking into this. The closest listing to me is over an hour away but I'm reaching out to them and asking for help anyway. If nothing else, I'm asking them if they have a referral for someone closer who maybe isn't listed. Who knows.

--Heather
Apr 29, 2011
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starstarstarstarstar 		sore photos
by: Anonymous

My cat developed a sore that looks just like that. I haven't noticed her licking or scratching it though. It doesn't seem to bother her at all. I can touch it and she doesn't flinch or anything. It seemed to just appear all of a sudden. Took her to the vet and they couldn't tell just by looking at it what it was. They gave me some liquid antibiotics and 3 doses of Revolution flea/heartworm control. They just said to keep an eye on it and let them know if it gets worse. They took a pic and measured it but I haven't taken a pic yet.
Apr 29, 2011
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starstarstarstarstar 		Cat sore
by: Anonymous

In February I wrote about my 13 year old cat who had a sore on her stomach. I've been to the vet and they gave her a shot and I had her on Clavamox for seven days. The vet said it should scab over in a cople of days but it's been two weeks and it looks just like it did when I took her to the vet. I'm not sure what to do next.
Jun 10, 2011
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starstarstarstarstar 		Feline skin problems
by: PF

Earlier I wrote about my 13 year old cat that has had a sore on her belly for six months that wouldn't heal. As I stated, I took her to the vet and she got a shot and was put on medication. NO RESULTS. However, someone told me to try Desitin (like for a baby's rash). I started trying it and after a week, the sore is starting to get smaller. It didn't scab over but the edges are closing in. I can use this medication because she wears a baby's romper to keep her from licking the sore on her belly and it keeps her from getting the Desitin on her tongue. I'm very optimistic because it's improving some every day. Pat
Jun 13, 2011
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starstarstarstarstar 		tea tree oil
by: Heather

I just bought a small bottle (looks like a nail polish bottle w/o the brush) of Tea Tree with Vitamin E oil that I'm going to try. I also bought a shampoo from Wysong, and am in the process of changing over to Wysong Epigen diet (60% meat), so we'll see how this goes. I did the shampoo once, and Faith's sores looked much better afterwards, but I'm not sure if it was the shampoo or diet change yet.

Editor Comment: Tea Tree Oil can be toxic to cats at high concentrations. We suggest avoiding this product unless under the direction of your veterinarian.
Jun 14, 2011
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starstarstarstarstar 		Feline skin problems
by: Pat

Good luck with the tea oil Heather. Hopefully it will cut down on the itching. I'm continuing to use the Desitin and it still seems to be working. At one point the sore on my cats belly was the size of a silver dollar. It's down to the size of a quarter and continues to get smaller. My biggest problem now is to make sure she doesn't get to it and lick and bit it as it heals.
Jul 18, 2011
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starstarstarstarstar 		Thank you, Editor
by: Heather

Thank you for the note about Tea Tree oil.
Sep 20, 2011
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starstarstarstarstar 		My cat's sores
by: Pat

I've continued using the Desitin and now the sore is down to the size of the end of a pencil eraser which was once larger than a silver dollar. This is really working for me. Pat
Apr 03, 2012
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starstarstarstarstar 		My cat's issue sounds a lot like yours
by: Anonymous

The areas he was licking and getting sores on were in the exact same areas. After much trial and error we found out my cat has a food allergy. He was never allergic to food before but this year he became allergic all of a sudden. We also had to treat the sores with oral antibiotics and after making both changes everything cleared up. Now all his hair has grown back and he's doing great. I need to avoid feeding him foods with chicken and must feed him grain free canned cat food. Please look into cat food allergies and doing a "pet food trial" online. You'll need to switch your cat to a protein he or she has never had before for the trial to make sure it's a food allergy. My cat is now eating canned rabbit cat food which he LOVES, and canned duck. These foods completely cleared up his issue along with the antibiotics to clear up the bacterial infection from all the licking and sometime scratching he was doing to the areas. Flea allergies could be the problem to but for my cat it was his food. Good luck!
Apr 03, 2012
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starstarstarstarstar 		My cat's sores
by: Pat

I wrote some time back about my cat's sores. She use to lick them and bite them as well. After 14 months of wearing a cat hood/collar she's finally completely healed. About the time a sore would get well, she would lick it until the skin was gone. Years ago, I even had to have the vet sew her skin back together because the sore was so big and wouldn't heal. Then she got a new sore that wouldn't heal. I finally put the hood/collar on as well as a modified baby romper to keep her from licking the Desitin off her skin. I owe her healing to the Desitin but it was a pain to keep a clean romper on here and the collar to keep her from licking the medication off. Yes, it took over a year of me nursing it, a visit to the vet that didn't do any good, and now she is finally well and free from any sores. She now is a very happy 14 year old cat and back to her old self. Well worth the trouble.
Apr 03, 2012
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starstarstarstarstar 		Cat sores
by: Pat

Mine has allergies as well. However she's doing well on chicken and venison. She also likes peas and butternut squash. She had been on Hills cat food for about ten years but I've taken her off that now and I don't catch her scratching at all anymore. Go figure!!

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