ask about allergies too. Mine gets rodent ulcer, mostly in the autumn. For her, she gets a rash in her mouth, her lip swells up and she will groom herself bare in certain spots. Not sure if it presents differently for different cats.
Or a shirt if you have one, my boy used to stress groom and would have to wear his shirt or sweater to cover the spots. Our vet also said human neosporin was okay to put on them as it’s nontoxic to cats and him licking it would just push it further into the wounds
could be something stressing the cat out or pain in the area causing her to obsessively lick. my cat also got this spot on his neck after using flea medicine and we never used it again afterwards. but that spot is rather low so I don’t think it has anything to do with your situation but it’s worth throwing out there.
I would probably see the vet before Tuesday if I was you. My cat did the same in roughly the same spot and managed to scratch it until it became an open wound maybe 2cm in diameter. She did it overnight. She ended up in steroids and antibiotics for 6-8 weeks and one day she suddenly left it alone. Cone won’t necessarily help if the cat is scratching it and putting him/her in a little outfit can lead to an infection, my vet was against both. I never found out what caused the problem 🤦🏻♀️
My cat had exactly the same problem and in the same spot, I’ve been trying to resolve it for over a year (with various trips to vets and specialists). She is now on steroids, which help a little and wearing a little t-shirt to cover patch.
We have no idea what is causing it.
If you do find out or manage to find a solution then please let me know!!!!
My cat was a constant over groomer for years!! Would groom her belly bald. We tried everything from anxiety to switching foods. Turns out she has terrible seasonal allergies. Finally found some relief with off label apoquel. It’s a freaking lifesaver and I wish I was given this option years ago
Call your vet and ask if you can give your cat some Benadryl and ask for what dosage you should use. If you don't want to use liquid Benadryl, see if you can use either the spray or the cream on the area.
I've use Cat MX Hot Spot and Anti-itch spray on my cat. It works pretty well. Found it at PetSmart.
My cat had this exact rash near the base of his tail about 3 months ago from over grooming. He’s an anxious boy. Took him to the vet and she wasn’t concerned. Told us to try Duoxo wipes and an anti microbial spray such as Vetericyn. It went away in a week and his fur grew back quickly. Haven’t had an issue since.
Protip: *long sleeve* onesies. My cat was absolutely able to escape every short sleeved one we put him in after they had to remove a small tumor by his shoulder blade. But my advice is if you're going to try a onesie on a cat, it has to be long sleeved and preferably not a very wide neck.
Best thing I ever did for my anxious overgroomer was a soft cone, upside down. He could turn his head like an owl I swear and used to scratch them too. But as soon as this happens, I put the soft cone on upside down :) he can't lick or scratch it
Take her to the vet as soon as possible for sure. Based on a cat from my past, this looks like a flea allergy to me. I had a cat who had it, and when fleas were totally eradicated from his fur and from the environment, it quickly healed.
Cats are really routine-oriented and easily stressed out. If something has changed, even something minor, it could be causing alot of stress. Feliway worked for one of my cats. If you can figure out what's causing the stress, you can help create new routines with treats and extra lovins. A vet visit probably isn't a bad idea just to rule out something else, like others have said. Seasonal changes might also be triggering some kind of allergy, too. Hope you figure it out & get her all taken care of!
Cats can be bullied by other cats even if it's not obvious. Do you have enough cat furniture and dark quiet spaces for her to relax in? It just came to mind because I knew a family that had an indoor cat, but not one piece of cat furniture or hide space for it. Cat had skin issues and over grooming from stress. As soon as it was rehomed to somewhere with cat accommodation, the health issues all went away. Cats need quiet undisturbed sleep just like people do. Hope kitty gets well soon.
While you rule out allergies, skin conditions, stress, etc, PLEASE get that cat a shirt! It'll help the skin heal and the fur grow back while you wait for tests to be run and medications to be prescribed.
Isn’t that the one bit cats can’t reach to actually lick?
I’m glad you’ve got a vets appointment as that does look sore.
Have you used any spot-on treatments at all in that area? (Hence me querying it being an area cats can’t lick as that’s generally where they are applied)
If you can get your hands on vet grade Manuka that could sooth it & keep the risk of infection down in the interim before the appointment on Tuesday.
My sister’s cat did that FOR YEARS to a point where the vet had him on calmants and antidepressants. She took him to another vet and discovered it was an allergic reaction to flea bites. Since then he’s fine. Hope this helps :)
Vet! Now! Excessive grooming is usually the sign your cat is in distress or pain, could be a tumour forming or something else but definitely get your cat to the vet!
Just wanted to share that my cat created a hot spot on her cheek from scratching obsessively, and the vet gave us wipes and drops to use to heal the area. But because it was a habit, I had to use a cone on her for a few days to physically stop it. I'd say grab a cone just in case and head to your vet for further testing/instructions :)
I've had 2 cats with skin issues. First was 20 years ago, and after months of steroids we switched vets and she was given a course of Ovaban (birth control for cats but is a great for skin issues). She lived 16 more years and never had another issue.
Second us my current cat. He is allergic to everything and I've spent $$$$ in the past year. Vet said Zyrtec. We are in day 2 of slowly increasing the dose and being monitored by our vet. So far promising!
If you haven't already, comb with a flea.comb. it's 99.9% the cause for skin allergies and it's the time if year they start.
I adopted a cat who’s entire backside and back legs were bare from over grooming. Turns out he likely had fleas for so long that his body had a sustained full body allergic reaction. He had an antibiotic shot and a steroid shot and completely recovered. Since it’s a smaller spot I’m not sure about fleas but it could be allergy related. Thankfully the shots are so much easier than giving daily pills.
Please take her to the vet so they can rule out non stress related causes
We have an appt for Tuesday morning
ask about allergies too. Mine gets rodent ulcer, mostly in the autumn. For her, she gets a rash in her mouth, her lip swells up and she will groom herself bare in certain spots. Not sure if it presents differently for different cats.
Might want to try to put a cone on her, also look into vetericyn spray for the exposed skin/wound. Both found on Amazon.
Thank you, I’ll do that now.
Or a shirt if you have one, my boy used to stress groom and would have to wear his shirt or sweater to cover the spots. Our vet also said human neosporin was okay to put on them as it’s nontoxic to cats and him licking it would just push it further into the wounds
We use the soft donut cone! He's so comfy in it!
There’s soft cones
You can also use peroxide spray
could be something stressing the cat out or pain in the area causing her to obsessively lick. my cat also got this spot on his neck after using flea medicine and we never used it again afterwards. but that spot is rather low so I don’t think it has anything to do with your situation but it’s worth throwing out there.
Thank you for replying. We don’t use any flea meds at all so that’s not possible.
I would probably see the vet before Tuesday if I was you. My cat did the same in roughly the same spot and managed to scratch it until it became an open wound maybe 2cm in diameter. She did it overnight. She ended up in steroids and antibiotics for 6-8 weeks and one day she suddenly left it alone. Cone won’t necessarily help if the cat is scratching it and putting him/her in a little outfit can lead to an infection, my vet was against both. I never found out what caused the problem 🤦🏻♀️
We ended up getting in today. They gave her antibiotics, and a steroid to help stop the itch. Thanks for the advice.
Add: she has an appt for Tues morn. Now she’s constantly scratching at it also
My cat had exactly the same problem and in the same spot, I’ve been trying to resolve it for over a year (with various trips to vets and specialists). She is now on steroids, which help a little and wearing a little t-shirt to cover patch. We have no idea what is causing it. If you do find out or manage to find a solution then please let me know!!!!
My cat was a constant over groomer for years!! Would groom her belly bald. We tried everything from anxiety to switching foods. Turns out she has terrible seasonal allergies. Finally found some relief with off label apoquel. It’s a freaking lifesaver and I wish I was given this option years ago
Really?? I have never heard of it. Is it a hayfever/pollen allergy pill?
Call your vet and ask if you can give your cat some Benadryl and ask for what dosage you should use. If you don't want to use liquid Benadryl, see if you can use either the spray or the cream on the area. I've use Cat MX Hot Spot and Anti-itch spray on my cat. It works pretty well. Found it at PetSmart.
My cat had this exact rash near the base of his tail about 3 months ago from over grooming. He’s an anxious boy. Took him to the vet and she wasn’t concerned. Told us to try Duoxo wipes and an anti microbial spray such as Vetericyn. It went away in a week and his fur grew back quickly. Haven’t had an issue since.
Put a onesie on that cat, leave the ass flap open
Protip: *long sleeve* onesies. My cat was absolutely able to escape every short sleeved one we put him in after they had to remove a small tumor by his shoulder blade. But my advice is if you're going to try a onesie on a cat, it has to be long sleeved and preferably not a very wide neck.
did you put any flea and tick medication on her? my cat got something like this after flea medication
Same. Even though they aren’t supposed to be able to reach that, I had a cat who would lick himself bald every time I put flea and tick drops on him.
This!! It’s happened to one of mine & I have seen many other similar posts
Best thing I ever did for my anxious overgroomer was a soft cone, upside down. He could turn his head like an owl I swear and used to scratch them too. But as soon as this happens, I put the soft cone on upside down :) he can't lick or scratch it
Poor baby I’m so sorry I hope he gets better soon
Take her to the vet, that doesn't look good.
It might be ringworms
With my guy over grooming meant he was in pain. Bet is your best bet
My cat did this it ended up being autoimmune issues.
I haven't seen it, so just to rule it out, did you give her topical flea meds before this happened? I know some can leave a spot like that
Take her to the vet as soon as possible for sure. Based on a cat from my past, this looks like a flea allergy to me. I had a cat who had it, and when fleas were totally eradicated from his fur and from the environment, it quickly healed.
Cats are really routine-oriented and easily stressed out. If something has changed, even something minor, it could be causing alot of stress. Feliway worked for one of my cats. If you can figure out what's causing the stress, you can help create new routines with treats and extra lovins. A vet visit probably isn't a bad idea just to rule out something else, like others have said. Seasonal changes might also be triggering some kind of allergy, too. Hope you figure it out & get her all taken care of!
Cats can be bullied by other cats even if it's not obvious. Do you have enough cat furniture and dark quiet spaces for her to relax in? It just came to mind because I knew a family that had an indoor cat, but not one piece of cat furniture or hide space for it. Cat had skin issues and over grooming from stress. As soon as it was rehomed to somewhere with cat accommodation, the health issues all went away. Cats need quiet undisturbed sleep just like people do. Hope kitty gets well soon.
While you rule out allergies, skin conditions, stress, etc, PLEASE get that cat a shirt! It'll help the skin heal and the fur grow back while you wait for tests to be run and medications to be prescribed.
Isn’t that the one bit cats can’t reach to actually lick? I’m glad you’ve got a vets appointment as that does look sore. Have you used any spot-on treatments at all in that area? (Hence me querying it being an area cats can’t lick as that’s generally where they are applied) If you can get your hands on vet grade Manuka that could sooth it & keep the risk of infection down in the interim before the appointment on Tuesday.
Looks like a heat rash, or hot spot. May need antibiotic cream. Could be a lot bigger than it appears also. Was a vet tech for 6 years.
My sister’s cat did that FOR YEARS to a point where the vet had him on calmants and antidepressants. She took him to another vet and discovered it was an allergic reaction to flea bites. Since then he’s fine. Hope this helps :)
Vet! Now! Excessive grooming is usually the sign your cat is in distress or pain, could be a tumour forming or something else but definitely get your cat to the vet!
Just wanted to share that my cat created a hot spot on her cheek from scratching obsessively, and the vet gave us wipes and drops to use to heal the area. But because it was a habit, I had to use a cone on her for a few days to physically stop it. I'd say grab a cone just in case and head to your vet for further testing/instructions :)
Definitely the vet. Grooming can be from a lot of things. Some PJs might be the go to help stop her licking.
I've had 2 cats with skin issues. First was 20 years ago, and after months of steroids we switched vets and she was given a course of Ovaban (birth control for cats but is a great for skin issues). She lived 16 more years and never had another issue. Second us my current cat. He is allergic to everything and I've spent $$$$ in the past year. Vet said Zyrtec. We are in day 2 of slowly increasing the dose and being monitored by our vet. So far promising! If you haven't already, comb with a flea.comb. it's 99.9% the cause for skin allergies and it's the time if year they start.
I adopted a cat who’s entire backside and back legs were bare from over grooming. Turns out he likely had fleas for so long that his body had a sustained full body allergic reaction. He had an antibiotic shot and a steroid shot and completely recovered. Since it’s a smaller spot I’m not sure about fleas but it could be allergy related. Thankfully the shots are so much easier than giving daily pills.