My long-haired cat's skin is red/sore from biting. Soothe it? Vet?

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. What you are seeing on Luna may be insect bites or a skin condition known as eosinophilic granuloma complex. I would recommend having a veterinarian examine Luna so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. She may need a steroid shot to treat this if it does not resolve on its own. 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. Please take the time to mark this question as helpful or not as it helps us to improve on the quality of our answers to other pet owners. Thank you kindly!

Poor Iris! I'm sorry to hear that she's having this problem. Excessive itching and licking like this with sores and bleeding can be caused by a number of different skin conditions. Iris may have allergies, a bacterial or fungal skin infection, or skin mites (mange). It's also possible that she has fleas, as flea baths are not generally very effective in my experience. Treatment will depend on what the underlying problem is, so it's important to get a diagnosis first. I would definitely recommend taking her to the vet in the morning for an exam - he/she can do some simple skin tests to help diagnose the problem and get her started on appropriate medication to treat it. In the meantime, you can place an e-collar (plastic cone) on Iris if needed to prevent her from continuing to lick herself and make the sores worse.

This is probably caused by an allergic reaction. first of all make sure you de-flea Luna regularly every month with a high quality spot on (ex. Advantage) as fleas are by far the most common reason for these reactions. If the fleas are not the problem, it could be an allergic reaction to food or an environmental factor. this is more complicated to treat and will sometimes require medications such as Steroids, anti histamines or cyclosporin in order to stop the allergy.

Hi, thanks for using PetCoach! Poor Luna! I would have Luna on year round flea treatment. Dogs and cats that are flea allergic, meaning have a severe reaction to the saliva, will break out this bad from ONE flea bite. She should have a skin scrape done to rule out mites. There no good test for food allergies. It is best to do food trials. To save money and Vet visits for Luna I would bite the bullet and immediately go for a prescription hydrolzyed diet like Hill's z/d or Royal Canin HP. She may need steroids or antibiotics to get her comfortable during this outbreak. Cats can be maintained on off label use of antihistamines and apoquel. And some cats do well on atopica. Omega 3 fish oils never hurt either. It is hard for Vet who have never examined Luna's skin to give you an estimate over the phone. Skin allergies are expensive but once you find the right medication and food regime Luna will likely do well. I hope this helps! https://www.petcoach.co/canigive/cat/zyrtec/ https://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=24785

Ouch, poor Luna. I'd gently wash it with warm water and antiseptic soap. Keep the wound clean and dry, and monitor it for signs of infection. If you see redness, swelling, warmth to the touch, or pus, then it is infected and she will need to see the vet for antibiotics to treat it. Best of luck.

I'm so sorry to hear that Loki is having this problem. The most common reasons that we will see a cat have sores and be itchy are due to allergies, a skin infection, or parasites such as mites or fleas. I am attaching a handout about itching in cats below. https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4952664 Since Loki already has sores, I would recommend having your veterinarian examine him to determine if he has any evidence of secondary bacterial, fungal or parasitic infections. If not, then you can discuss using anti-itching medications such as anti-histamines or steroids short term to resolve the itching and chewing. And if those techniques are unsuccessful, then the final step might be a diet change. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using PetCoach.

Poor Baby! I would talk to your vet about whether a long acting steroid like depo-medrol may be beneficial as long as he is healthy enough and they don't think it will cause it to get worse. I would also make sure he is staying on a monthly high quality flea preventative as this can be a major cause for allergies in cats. Another option would be to ask for a referral to see a dermatologist or to find a alternative vet to discuss acupuncture or herbs as an option. I hope this helps and he starts to feel better really soon!