My cat has a pink spot. Is it serious? When should I see a vet?

Hi there and thank you for using Pet Coach! What you have taken a picture of on Ms. Kitty appears to be an area that is infected. What it is infected with I am unable to determine based on the pictures. However, that being said, I would recommend treating this by first shaving the hair away from the area and cleansing it with a mixture of betadine and water mixed to give a 50:50 dilution or until you get a light brown solution. You can use this to keep the area clean. I would recommend starting a spray such as Malacetic conditioning spray and spray to the affected area 2-3 times per day until resolved. If there is no improvement or it worsens, I would recommend having this examined by a veterinarian as Ms. Kitty may need a course of an antibiotic and additional topical medications. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns.

This presentation could be due to a trauma or localized spot of skin infection (likely to be caused by bacteria). A check up, appropriate disinfection and possibly antibiotics (oral, topical or in a shampoo formulation) are needed to solve the problem. Disinfection may 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.

Hello. This is a mild allergic reaction to something. It may take a few days to a week to go down, but if it does not, or seems to be getting larger, please see your veterinarian. Thanks for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. What you are describing could be a wound, abscess or hot spot. It is difficult to say from the photos. I would recommend having a veterinarian examine Kiarra so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. She may need to be put on a course of an oral antibiotic and pain medication for treatment. 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.

Hello and thank you for your question. That spot on Floyd could be several things including a wound, allergies, skin mites, bacterial infection or ringworm (which humans can get). From the photo, that doesn't look like a puncture wound but if you find one or if there is a potential this is a fight wound, I recommend to have him examined within 24 hours. Bite wounds often become infected. If treated with antibiotics early, abscesses are less likely to form. There are a couple things you can do at home and they can help but they may not address the underlying cause. You can try adding in an omega 3 fatty acid supplement for pets, this can help improve the skin health. You can wash the lesion once a day with a medicated wipe for cats (not his whole body, just the lesion) if he will allow you. Don't get bitten. Just so you know, cat bites almost always get infected and could land you in the hospital. Also protect the area from trauma by having your kitty wear an elizabethan collar at all times. If the lesion does not start improving within a week or if it is getting worse, have him examined by the veterinarian. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is possibly due to allergies. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing his allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. A secondary infection is likely and also needs to be addressed. If it is just allergies then this is not expected to be contagious. 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!

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I'm sorry to hear about Gabana. It looks infected. There may be some underlying dental problems but that would require a veterinarian exam. There isn't anything over the counter that you could apply that would resolve this issue. It looks fairly widespread and topical antibiotic cream will be unlikely to resolve this issue. Plus it could be fungal or some other process that a vet would need to assess. I'm sorry but as soon as you are able it would be best to get him in. It will likely cost less when you address the problem sooner than later too. Good luck and thanks again for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.