Rescued cat has lip infection: Is it serious? Do I need a vet?

This looks like a mild skin infection. Your veterinarian will be able to perform a test (skin scrape and cytology) to determine what might be causing the infection and prescribe appropriate treatment.

It is difficult to tell form the picture alone what is going on with your cat's lips unfortunately. It almost looks like she/he has a sore or even infection in her/his whiskers and commissure of the mouth. I would recommend you take your cat to your vet for an exam. She/he may need antibiotics to resolve this and possibly pain medication is she/he is is uncomfortable. I would also be concerned there may be sores in the mouth that need to be addressed if you are seeing them along the outside. It is possible your cat licked something toxic or caustic causing these problems. I would look around your home to see if there is anything she/he could have gotten in to. I hope your cat improves quickly!

I am very sorry that Kitty has his sore near her lip. Thank you for proving pictures, it is difficult to know precisely what caused this lesion it may have been a cat scratch, a traumatic puncture from for example a fence, or possible a primary skin like feline acne, or allergic disease. At this stage it appears to be slightly crusted and inflamed and I would suggest a trip to the veterinarian. The vet will most likely clean the wound and debris any necrotic material. The vet may also send home pain relief, anti inflammatory medications and / or antibiotics. The vet will also be able examine the area and reach a diagnosis. Best of luck to you both and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

I am sorry to hear that! I do think going to the vet would be a good idea. Cats can get many types of lumps at their mouths. From your description one thing I would want to rule out is eosinophilic plaques. These can be caused by allergies so getting on a low allergen food (I would recommend prescription due to cross-contamination at the manufacturing level) and medications can be vital! Of course it is hard to tell without looking at her so your vet may want to rule tests or take a biopsy first! I hope this helps!

This look like it could be feline acne which is an infection of the skin. This can be very painful, but is not a terrible disease. The vet will clean and disinfect the skin and then prescribe some antibiotics for her. This is according what I could see on the photos, which was not very clear. That is a very nice kitty and you are taking good care of her

The pictures attached this time! That sore on Bear's lip looks pretty red and sore. I would be concerned that it could possibly be infected. Likely it's hard to get that to heal given he will probably be licking it with his tongue a lot since it will bother him. I would have him seen by a vet. He will need oral antibiotics if there is an infection to help the sore heal correctly. I hope this helps!

The picture doesn't look like a very serious wound to me. I would continue to watch it. If it starts bleeding, if the swelling gets larger, if there is a creamy yellow/white/green discharge, or if Venus is not eating well, she may need to see a vet for treatment.