My 7-year-old cat has a new red inflamed spot on his back. What is it?

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Sylvester. I am glad that he is seeing his veterinarian. I suspect that he will require treatment. He could be experiencing an allergy to something in his diet or environment. Infections are also common. For example, cats can develop ringworm. This is especially common when a new kitten is brought home. Fleas are frequently seen in cats, but obviously of an issue in the winter. Mites are also possible. The veterinarian will examine him and may test samples from his skin. This will help to reach a diagnosis and guide treatment. If he is licking the lesion, then place an E-collar on him until your appointment. I hope this information helps!

Leo's skin could look like that for any of the reasons you listed and add skin mites to the list as well. The problem with skin conditions is that they all clinically look the same. Diagnostics or sometimes a response to treatment is the only way to know what is the underlying condition. For a young cat like Leo, fleas, skin mites or ringworm is more common but allergic reactions are not impossible. That lesion on his head looks pretty inflamed. if you don't see any obvious cause like fleas, I recommend to have him examined by his veterinarian. The veterinarian who will look for other clues on the physical exam to get a better idea what the underlying cause is. Ringworm and mites can be ruled out with some simple diagnostics and he can receive medication to heal the lesions. You may start an omega 3 fatty acid for cats as this can help with inflammation and skin health but it may not fix the problem. Best of luck and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Those look like pretty inflamed lesions. There are a few things that come to mind. Cats can get an autoimmune condition called eosinophilic granuloma that requires steroids for treatment and maybe antibiotics to control secondary infections. Check the house and make sure there's no possibility should could have touched something very hot or gotten into anything that could cause a chemical burn. Lastly, fleas and ringworm can be brought in on your shoes/clothing although this would be an abnormal presentation. Rarely, pets can get skin cancer that looks similar to this. I recommend to have Shadow checked out by her veterinarian since this is a mystery and she has two lesions. It's better to be safe. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions.

I am sorry to hear about Jack! I would be concerned these could be a bacterial or fungal infection of the skin, and possibly a condition in cats called eosinophilic plaques or eosinophilic granuloma syndrome, which can be incited due to an allergy and usually resolves with steroid treatment. I would recommend bringing Jack in to his vet for an examination of the area.

Hello, sorry to hear about your cat. Those do not definitely look like your typical ringworm lesions. They look like your cat has been scratching at them often and likely developed a hot-spot from this. It can be associated with allergies or fleas and will require some medications to control the itchiness and local infection. Finally, your veterinarian may opt to obtain a hair culture to completely rule out the possibility of ringworm. Hope this helps and best of luck.

Hello, sorry to hear about Woezel. That looks like it could be associated with contact allergies especially if he likes to rub his face on certain things around the house. Common causes to cause contact allergies in cats could be associated with plastic food bowls and carpets. In addition to the allergies, they can also develop secondary local bacterial and yeast infections. Finally, it is important to rule out other causes such as mites and ring worm but that seems less likely in Woezel. You can wipe the area with skin sensitive baby wipes for the next 3-5 days and see if it resolves. If it does not, or if it gets worse, then Woezel should be evaluated by his veterinarian sooner. Hope this helps and best of luck.

Poor cat! If the wound is growing in size, it's time to go to your vet. Problems such as allergies to parasite bites, fungal infections such as ringworm, infections of the skin, abscesses/sores etc can all be potential causes which is why a vet visit is needed to determine the cause, provide treatment such as pain meds and antibiotics, etc. Until you can get to your vet, keeping the area clean and dry may help as well as preventing your cat from licking, but if he is acting ill and hiding away he is likely already painful or worsening so needs care.