My cat has a red rash on his belly and chest from licking. What is it?

Rashes on the belly can be caused by a number of things ranging from allergies to environment or food, to bacterial or fungal infections on the skin. If the area is bothersome, placing a T-shirt or Elizabethan (cone) collar on your cat until he can be seen by the vet is best to prevent secondary infection from forming. You may also want to look into your cat's food for commonly allergenic ingredients such as corn, wheat and soy which could be causing the issue. If the issue isn't apparent, then having your vet take a look is best so that a treatment plan can be made.

The areas in the picture look quite ulcerated, probably from the excessive licking. Possible causes for licking include from itching, which can happen with fleas, mites, ringworm, allergies, bacterial infection, among others. Sometimes cats will overgroom themselves (called fur mowing) and cause damage to the skin, which hurts and so they keep licking and just make it worse! Here is a helpful article on fur mowing. I hope that your vet will get Jinx to feeling better soon! http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=2565

Since Mao Mao has been licking repeatedly in only one particular area, I tend to think she was probably exposed to something there that caused some localized irritation. The area doesn't look severely inflamed or infected, so this is good news. However, continued licking of the region may ultimately result in this. I would recommend obtaining a cone / e-collar from a pet store or veterinarian and placing it on Mao Mao to prevent further self-mutilation. I would also recommend visiting with your vet to obtain medication to help with the itchiness / discomfort. If this is not an option, you may be able to utilize something like benadryl to soothe the problem. Hope this makes sense.

In an older pet who is just now experiencing allergy type symptoms, I would definitely suspect that it could be either the new litter, new food or a combination of both that is causing this. I would start with changing the litter back to the normal litter that you used to use. As for the skin, you can try bathing Billy in a hypoallergenic shampoo (Duoxo calm shampoo) or oatmeal based shampoo. However, Billy may need a steroid shot by your vet to calm things down. If the change in litter doesn't cause resolution of the skin, then I would suggest changing the food back. I hope you can get Billy's skin back to normal soon!

It could be an allergy or food sensitivities. It may also be behavioral or boredom. Place an e-collar (cone) on him to prevent further licking. Have your veterinarian examine Astro to diagnose skin infection (bacterial or fungal) and to discuss allergy testing, hydrolyzed diets and food elimination trials. Consider interactive toys to keep him distracted and pheromone products such as Feliway spray or plug in diffuser to decrease any anxiety.

This could be from either an environmental allergies, food (if you introduced any new treats, etc), or just anxiety. Some cats as they get older will become obsessive groomers and will cause sores like this on their abdomens. A lot of cats will only groom when no one is around. I would first try some Benadryl twice a day and you can even spray it with a Benadryl spray to see if it helps with the itching. If this doesn't work, I would have your vet take a look at it to see if you need to try a stronger allergy meds like a steroids, antibiotics or just an anti-anxiety medicine. See link below for Benadryl dosing. I hope this helps! https://www.petcoach.co/canigive/cat/benadryl/#

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Casper. I recommend that that he sees a veterinarian. He will likely need to have the hair shaved to better evaluate under area. He could have an infection, a wound or be experiencing an allergy. In the meantime, place an E-collar on him to prevent any further self trauma. Based on his exam findings, his veterinarian will prescribe medication to help him feel better. I hope this information helps!