My cat has raw skin patches on his back. Could it be cancer?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! While it is hard to tell just in these pictures, I think cancer is less likely and something more benign like allergies and dermatitis is more likely. Ultimately, this requires further investigation to know for sure. This is possibly 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!

There can be many causes of sores in cats, including bacterial infection, ringworm, mites, fleas, allergies, and, yes, cancer is also a possibility. I would recommend that Carmen be examined by a veterinarian. After a thorough physical exam, your vet may recommend diagnostics like skin cytology to look at cells under a microscope, skin scrapes to look for mites, fungal cultures to identify ringworm, or biopsies to look for cancer.

Poor Floyd! Chronic skin conditions like this can be very frustrating. The most common causes of hair loss with raw patches would include allergies (food allergies, or an allergy to something in the environment), a bacterial or fungal skin infection, or skin mites (mange). Certain types of systemic illnesses, such as hyperthyroidism, can also cause skin problems and hair loss in cats - this would be less common in a relatively young cat like Floyd, but still possible. With weight loss as well as skin issues, a food allergy would be somewhat high on my list of suspicions - so if you have not done a diet trial with a prescription hypoallergenic food such as Hills z/d or Purina HA, this might be worth a try. Simply changing from one over-the-counter diet to another is not as helpful. Other testing that may be helpful for Floyd to help get a diagnosis for his problem would include blood work, bacterial and fungal skin cultures, a skin scrape to check for mites, and/or allergy testing to try and identify what he might be allergic to. Since antibiotics and steroids have not been helpful so far, I would suggest talking with your vet to see what he/she recommends as the next step for Floyd. If your vet doesn't have any other suggestions at this point, you can seek a second opinion from another local vet, or request referral to a veterinary dermatologist for further work-up.

This can be due to overgrooming due to stress and allergies. Although this looks terrible it often can improve with a steroid injection and prednisone, sometimes also antibiotics. I do not think this is cancer so if you can find a way to get treatment Jax may improve. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Jax.

I really do not know what that is from. If he has been over-grooming or scratching a lot I would be worried about fleas. If he has no other symptoms you can try this wound spray gel on that area to see if it helps. I do see some red bumps in that hairless area. If no improvement after a few weeks then you should have him to the vet for an exam. It should have nothing to do with renal disease or diet. ( https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/vetericyn-cat-wound-and-skin-hydrogel )

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This could be a benign or malignant growth. There is no way of knowing what it is just based on its appearance. This is often differentiated by a test called a fine needle aspirate (FNA) which is a pain free, inexpensive and easy procedure which in most cases will help reach a diagnosis. Sometimes a biopsy is needed for a definitive diagnosis. I recommend that you have him evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. I am really hoping for something benign. Good luck and have a good night!

This is probably due to an allergy, although it could also be infection or mites. Abnormal overgrooming due to behavioural disorders (usually related to stress) should be considered as well as a possibility but all the other causes need to be ruled out first. First of all, in order to rule out skin parasites, you will need to treat with a high quality flea treatment, then ask the vet to perform a skin scrape - this might reveal an infection or a mite infestation. If all of those came back negative, the next step is to treat the allergy symptomatically and try to discover the cause of the allergy. Three main type of allergies are usually affecting pets: food allergies, flea and parasite related ones and environmental type (allergens coming from trees, pollens, dust etc etc). Some medications can be given by the vet in order to repair any possible skin lesions (like steroids and antibiotics). 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.