My cat has a persistent, painful tongue ulcer. What's the cause?

The ulcers are likely due to feline stomatitis, or a calicivirus infection. Without evaluating him, I can't make this diagnosis and would recommend consulting with your vet for more information about his specific condition. Stomatitis is a frustrating condition and the best remedy we have is often a full mouth teeth extraction. Antibiotics and steroids can be effective in some cases, but lysine has not shown to be effective. Either way, it sounds like poor Mr. Kitty is in need of pain control and further treatment, so it's best to take him for a recheck exam by your vet, so they can prescribe the necessary medication. Unfortunately, there is nothing more you can do for him at home. Below is a link to some more helpful information about the suspected conditions. https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/gingivitis-and-stomatitis-in-cats https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/feline-calicivirus-infection I hope that helps and Mr. Kitty gets better soon.

Calicivirus is one of the options but it could also be an autoimmune disease. In some cases the pain killers and antibiotics are not enough and affected cats will need to undergo partial or total teeth extraction, which is kind of a last resort option but your cat will have a much better quality of life after it is done.

Ulcer in the mouth can be caused by various reasons in cats, calici virus would be one of the most common reasons, in some cases an antibiotic course can help, in others only teeth extraction will solve the problem. please take your cat to the vet ASAP to get him treated.

Hello, I'm sorry you're having to deal with this issue. This looks like it could be what's called a rodent or indolent ulcer, but something called an eosinophilic plaque is also common. Sometimes steroids are needed other times in antibioticd and sometimes both steroids and antibiotics are needed. If you're not satisfied with your current veterinarian I would consider getting a second opinion or seeking out a cat only practice

Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. Based on the picture in your description I would not think this is feline calicivirus. Feline calicivirus is mainly manifested as upper respiratory symptoms. I would think that this is an ulceration due to a complex disease associated with the immune system. Cats can develop ulcers on the lips due to a disease called eosinophilic granuloma complex. Many times these ulcers in the lips are due to an allergic response. If you are using plastic bowls to feed from I would switch to ceramic or metal to help prevent this. If you are already using ceramic or metal bowls then this may have been any different allergy trigger from the environment. Many times treatment with a steroid will help resolve this and sometimes this will only pop up once during the year or several times. If this is not getting any better or it is worsening I would suggest having your veterinarian take a look at this to recommend the most appropriate treatment. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please feel free to contact me with any other questions or concerns you may have

Unfortunately the main thing that can help is steroids but it is also very important to try and take out all potential external causes such as fleas (treat him every month) and food allergy (feed him a prescription hypoallergenic diet).

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Cleo. I recommend that she sees her veterinarian. Her lip lesion appears similar to a condition known as an indolent ulcer. This can be the result of an allergic disease such as to her diet or fleas. She needs to be treated soon as if this is the case, the lesion can be harder to heal the larger it gets. I hope this information helps!