My cat has a lump & licks fur off. Why isn't the steroid shot helping?

We don't have good data on how long these types of steroid shots last, and often it will only treat minor causes of inflammation and does not treat the primary cause. You should call your vet to say that your cat is again licking and discuss diagnostic testing or other treatments. Common causes of licking in cats include allergies, fleas, and mites. Other possible causes can be related to autoimmune disease, neurologic disease, diabetes, etc. The vet may recommend blood work or x-rays based on what they think may be going on.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This looks like it may be the nipple and not a mass. She may be licking due to allergies. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing her allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. A secondary infection is likely and also needs to be addressed. There are many things that can cause allergies though in most cases they can be broken down into 3 big categories: flea, food and environmental allergies. Allergies are usually worked up in a stepwise fashion starting with flea allergies as this is the easiest and cheapest to take care of. If not on a flea preventative, then it would be a good idea to get started on one. If already on one then it would be a good idea to change to something else (there are many new products out in the market). If not improved in 1-3 months then it is time to move on and check for food allergies by switching to a novel diet (new protein and new carbohydrate). If that does not seem to be the issue then you are left out having to check for environmental allergies which require blood and/or skin tests. Allergies can be very frustrating to deal with at first but so rewarding at the end when we are able to treat them effectively!

That looks very angry. Curious needs to wear an elizabethan collar at all times. This is the best way to prevent licking. I do not advise to start any type or oral steroid without first checking with your veterinarian. Get him into the veterinarian as soon as you can. I hope this helps.

I can't really appreciate the lump on your pictures. But with Midnight's history some potential causes for her signs could be allergies to food or the environment as well something called psychogenic alopecia. It looks like she has given herself a secondary skin infection, likely bacterial. The skin infection perpetuates the itch so it's like a vicious cycle. It's good to keep her on a flea preventative even though she's indoors but at this point I would recommend having your veterinarian take a look because she may need antibiotics and potentially steroids to help her itch. At that time your veterinarian can do a further exam on that lump and give you a better idea what it could be.

This kind of lump/growth needs to be ideally assessed by your veterinarian to have a definitive and specific answer. Usually there are two ways your vet can do that a part from examining it directly during physical examination. A biopsy can be taken under local or general anesthetic, otherwise a smaller sample through a fine needle can be aspirated (this technique is called FNA= fine needle aspiration). Differentials include skin cysts, infections, benign or more sinister type of tumors (very unlikely given the age). Treatment would depend on the underlying cause. Disinfection can eventually be started at home with very diluted hibiscrub or betadine or salted water baths. Buster collar may be useful as well to avoid any licking. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. Please find the time to give us a feedback about the consultation as that will be used to improve our service.

Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. This lump could be scar tissue and maybe due to a suture reaction from the stitches. This may also be a hernia but it is hard to tell. If it is firm, it is likely not a hernia and likely to be scar tissue. This is not contagious so I would not be concerned about transmission to your other cat. It would be best if a veterinarian examined this to ensure it is not a hernia. If it is scar tissue, it may reduce over time but could remain there for a long period of time if not forever. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Cats will over-groom and lick the fur off of areas for a variety of reasons, however in my experience in the area you're describing it's usually related to pain. This could be kidney pain (the kidneys are on either side of the spine in the region of the last rib) or it could be back pain. The other possibility is that the lump you're feeling is indeed some type of tumor which is causing her discomfort. Unfortunately it's impossible for me to say, and while it's good that Ella still has an appetite and no weight loss I don't think we can be sure this isn't something serious because of that. I would definitely urge you to get this checked as soon as you possibly can; consider applying for veterinary credit at carecredit.com.