My cat is scratching and licking raw spots. What should I do now?

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Licking until raw is a sign of irritation. This irritation can be due to fleas, other skin parasites, and sometimes other diseases such as tumors, intestinal pain if it on the stomach, or just a simple skin infection. I would recommend a visit to your vet for pain medications and antibiotics, and you will also need an E-collar to stop the self-trauma that is making it worse. Best of luck with Jackson!

Place an e-collar (cone) on Elsa to prevent further licking. This may be enough to allow healing. If she has open sores, have her examined by your veterinarian as she may need antibiotics. An anti inflammatory or antihistamine may give her relief if she is itchy. Distract her when you see her licking. Provide toys, puzzle feeders and more exercise to keep her from licking. If this does not help, consider a consultation with a veterinary dermatologist to diagnose any underlying cause.

Poor Izzy! Most likely she has caused that wound herself from scratching. I would make sure she is on a flea preventive such as Frontline, Advantage or Revolution as that would be a good reason for why she is so itchy. Allergies would be another possibility but less likely given that she is still a kitten. Cats typically heal very quickly but if the wound is not getting better on I would take her to the vet as she may need antibiotics. Good luck!

It could be allergies causing Lola's behavior, but typically it's the environment causing the allergy not food. I would hold off on switching food until after she sees the vet. The only way to know how to treat her problems is to have her seen by a vet, who can diagnose the cause in order to prescribe the correct treatment. If paying for a vet is an issue, you can see if your vet accepts payment plans, if there is a low cost clinic in your area, or you can apply for Care Credit online. There is also an organization called Red Rover that give grants for treatment of sick animals, and you can see if you qualify for one of their grants. Best Friends also has a list of resources that offer financial assistance on their website. http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/resources/tips/trouble_affording_pet.html?credit=web_id91754962 https://www.redrover.org https://www.carecredit.com http://bestfriends.org/resources/financial-aid-pets http://lessonsfromaparalyzeddog.com/when-pet-owners-cant-afford-veterinary-bills/ http://www.dogheirs.com/resources-affordable-veterinary-care/ Check out these resources to see if one can help you, and have her seen by a vet this week. I hope this helps!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is possibly due to allergies. She does have a very large open wound that does require therapy and warrants veterinary evaluation as soon as possible. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing her allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. 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!

Those spots on Molly could be several things including allergies, skin mites, flea bites, ringworm (which humans can get) or a bacterial infection. You can try adding in an omega 3 fatty acid supplement for cats, this can help improve the skin health. You can also check/treat her for fleas to be safe. You may also try changing her diet to something like Royal Canin or Nutro as they are aimed at skin health. Protect the areas from licking or scratching and she may need to wear and Elizabethan collar at all times. If the lesions don't start looking better within about a week or if they get worse, have her examined by the veterinarian who may prescribe medications. Best of luck and please feel free to post any additional questions.

It looks like she has a dermatitis/skin infection most likely from the fleas. She really should be treated by a vet who can prescribe an antibiotic and anti-inflammatory to treat the skin problem and give her some relief. You could also bathe her (if she will let you) with a medicated cat shampoo, like Epi-Soothe and see if that helps.