Young cat with recurring sores on mouth, face and body

goldagirl · Mar 14, 2016

Hello! I hope this finds everyone well- I'm new to this site so I hope it's okay I'm posting this as a new thread. I've visited multiple vets and no one seems to have a definitive answer to our ongoing problem.

I have a two year old female cat who I rescued from the street- I found her when she was about seven weeks old and she's been with me ever since. I guess it should be noted that I'm an American living abroad in a place with a huge feral cat population- many people don't keep cats as pets, so I'm among the (very) few. She has had an uphill battle with her health since the day I picked her up. She's been hospitalized three times with liver problems, and we're also in and out of specialists trying to solver her skin conditions.

Every so often, she develops what look like mosquito bites but they eventually turn into much bigger sores that spread across her face and mouth. I've included some pictures for reference along with outbreaks she has on her neck as well.

Has anyone dealt with something that looks similar to this? can you point me in the right direction of treatment? We've heard that it's allergies, an overreaction to fleas, low immune system, hyperactive immune system- but nothing we've tried prevents it, and now it's taking much longer for her to get over the outbreaks when they happen. Typically we've treated it with antibiotics and steroids, but even that isn't helping any longer. This cat is my most favorite creature in the whole world and I will try anything to help her.

Any and all help you advice you can give me would be sincerely appreciated.

Thank you!

Tess and Golda(cat)

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goldagirl
Mar 14, 2016

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goldagirl
Mar 14, 2016

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goldagirl
Mar 14, 2016

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goldagirl
Mar 14, 2016

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Mar 14, 2016

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goldagirl
Mar 14, 2016

misterwhiskers · Mar 14, 2016

I'm so sorry your friend is so sick. I'm not an expert but I'm sure one will be along. Meanwhile, has FIV and Feline leukemia (not panleukemia) been ruled out?

goldagirl · Mar 14, 2016

Thank you so much for reaching out- I truly appreciate it. She tested negative for FIV, and our vet at the time didn't think testing for Feline Leukemia was necessary because overall she looks really okay. Her coat is healthy, she's chubby and active, she eats and plays and it's just these seemingly random breakouts that come up. I've tried tracking them by seasons, but it feels like there's no rhyme or reason to them.

supermax1943 · Mar 14, 2016

I manage a colony of 50 feral cats. Because I try to keep vet costs down I do a lot of research online for things that come up with the cats that are not major (like cancer, injuries, etc.).

I have a female cat who has awful skin problems. At first, I thought it must be fleas, but even putting flea meds on her sooner than indicated did nothing to relieve her itching. One other cat kept losing hair all over his back legs and would have scabs all over his back. These problems with both cats come on two or three times a year. A couple of vets had the same answer for them; allergies or the food they were eating or something in the environment.

Whatever your kitty has seems more serious than what mine have experienced, but my cats have a very hard time dealing with whatever it is that happens to them.

I tried two things, both of which have helped 100%. Since veterinarians have given your cat's problem their best shot, it can't hurt to try other things. You just never know what might work.

The first product Is Vetericyn VF, Veterinary Formula, for Wound and Infection Care HydroGel Spray.This spray works on all kinds of weird skin problems, including Bacteria, fungi, spores including E. coli, Staph (MRSA) to name just a few. You can check it out online.

It has helped both of the cats so much. I use the spray whenever there is an outbreak of whatever it is these cats have trouble with.

And, it is only two of the cats out of the whole colony.

The other product is really a flea medication but it is also for mites which other flea meds don't take care of. It is called Advantix or Advantage II. This is different formula than Advantage.

Maybe neither of these will help, but it is worth a try. Hope it helps.

So sorry for your kitty having such a hard time. One of the feral cats I took in many years ago had every problem in the world the first two years of his life. I really didn't think he would live very long. But he lived to be 17 and after the first two years, he really was healthy the rest of his life. I will hope this is what will be true for your little one. So happy you have found each other.

goldagirl · Mar 14, 2016

Thank you SO much for taking the time to write me. This is truly such a wonderful community of people.

I will absolutely look into the Vetericyn VF- you're right, anything is really worth a shot. I bought Transfer Factor to help with her immune system after reading about it on this site, but I haven't actually used it because I'm so weary of introducing new things to her diet and her system. The spray looks like it could be a great thing to have. THANK YOU for this suggestion!!

I haven't looked into Advantage II, we usually just use the plain Advantage but that's also something I'm going to give a try.! I didn't know that Advantix made a version for cats- I was under the impression it was just for dogs because of a certain chemical cats can't break down- maybe I am completely misinformed!

I can't tell you how much hope that gives me that you had a cat that sounds remarkably similar to mine- my vet says they wrote 'the book' based off of all of her ailments.. hopefully she's out of her two year troubles and onto a long and healthy life. Thank you again for your suggestions and kind words!

stephanietx · Mar 14, 2016

It could be a food allergy. Are you able to get any grain-free cat food? Can you get Lysine to help her immune system? Is she indoor or outdoor or both?

goldagirl · Mar 17, 2016

Hi! She's an indoor cat only. Unfortunately here, a small bag of grain free food is nearly $100 and I just don't know if we would be able to afford it long term. I haven't checked out Lysine yet, but I absolutely will. Have you heard of Transfer Factor? It's also supposed to be a wonderful immune booster but I'm weary of giving her any supplements because she has such a hard time with nearly everything.

goblinsmom · Mar 17, 2016

Goldagirl, what country are you living in? Would it be feasible for me to ship some grain-free food to you, just to see if it makes a difference for your baby? If it's a grain allergy and eating grain free makes an obvious difference at least you would have better insight as to the problem and can work on a resolution from there?

goldagirl · Mar 17, 2016

GoblinsMom that was so incredibly wonderful for you to offer, truly thank you so so much. I live in Israel and the shipping to here is pretty outrageous. I will be in the States for a week so this summer and I think it would be a good idea for me to pick up a bag then and see- and then you're right, at least we would have a better idea of what we're dealing with. Again, thank you. You are so kind.

goblinsmom · Mar 17, 2016

Goldagirl, of course! It's no problem. [emoji]128512[/emoji] I hope you find something soon that will help your sweet baby.

MoomooCat · Jun 19, 2019

goldagirl said:
Hello! I hope this finds everyone well- I'm new to this site so I hope it's okay I'm posting this as a new thread. I've visited multiple vets and no one seems to have a definitive answer to our ongoing problem.

I have a two year old female cat who I rescued from the street- I found her when she was about seven weeks old and she's been with me ever since. I guess it should be noted that I'm an American living abroad in a place with a huge feral cat population- many people don't keep cats as pets, so I'm among the (very) few. She has had an uphill battle with her health since the day I picked her up. She's been hospitalized three times with liver problems, and we're also in and out of specialists trying to solver her skin conditions.

Every so often, she develops what look like mosquito bites but they eventually turn into much bigger sores that spread across her face and mouth. I've included some pictures for reference along with outbreaks she has on her neck as well.

Has anyone dealt with something that looks similar to this? can you point me in the right direction of treatment? We've heard that it's allergies, an overreaction to fleas, low immune system, hyperactive immune system- but nothing we've tried prevents it, and now it's taking much longer for her to get over the outbreaks when they happen. Typically we've treated it with antibiotics and steroids, but even that isn't helping any longer. This cat is my most favorite creature in the whole world and I will try anything to help her.

Any and all help you advice you can give me would be sincerely appreciated.

Thank you!

Tess and Golda(cat)

IMG-20151021-WA0017.jpeg

goldagirl

Mar 14, 2016

IMG_20160112_170047.jpg

goldagirl

Mar 14, 2016

IMG_20150424_112733.jpg

goldagirl

Mar 14, 2016

IMG_20150811_141310.jpg

goldagirl

Mar 14, 2016

IMG_20160112_170056.jpg

goldagirl

Mar 14, 2016

IMG_20160227_201151.jpg

goldagirl

Mar 14, 2016

Hi Goldagirl! I have a cat called Molly that looks just like your cat. She is now 2 years old. She has a similar sore on her lip and two similar sores on her neck under her chin (where a collar would normally be). In fact, the sores are identical to you cat's sores! I actually thought for a second I was looking at Molly. Did you ever find a resolution to your kitty's problem? My friends are telling me it is leukemia. An online vet told me it is a bacterial or fungal infection. I don't have the funds or means of transport to take her to a vet right now. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

catwoman707 · Jun 19, 2019

I tend to agree, it does not appear to be the type of rash cats will get from a food allergy.
BTW, advantix is absolutely for dogs only, it's very dangerous and deadly to cats.
I would bet it's an infection, leaning a bit more towards fungal but can be bacterial too.

Carlieghbear · Nov 6, 2021

My cat seems to get these type of spots in his mouth,chin,cheeks,and even his ears sometimes and the only thing that seems to help him when he gets them is colloidal silver in small doses...a low ppm depending on how bad the attacks are. Other then that he's healthy and runs,eats,and plays very normal. Idk what type of food to put him on anymore tho and I'm still trying to get him on medical insurance.

My Buddy Mikey · Nov 6, 2021

supermax1943 said:
I manage a colony of 50 feral cats. Because I try to keep vet costs down I do a lot of research online for things that come up with the cats that are not major (like cancer, injuries, etc.).

I have a female cat who has awful skin problems. At first, I thought it must be fleas, but even putting flea meds on her sooner than indicated did nothing to relieve her itching. One other cat kept losing hair all over his back legs and would have scabs all over his back. These problems with both cats come on two or three times a year. A couple of vets had the same answer for them; allergies or the food they were eating or something in the environment.

Whatever your kitty has seems more serious than what mine have experienced, but my cats have a very hard time dealing with whatever it is that happens to them.

I tried two things, both of which have helped 100%. Since veterinarians have given your cat's problem their best shot, it can't hurt to try other things. You just never know what might work.

The first product Is Vetericyn VF, Veterinary Formula, for Wound and Infection Care HydroGel Spray.This spray works on all kinds of weird skin problems, including Bacteria, fungi, spores including E. coli, Staph (MRSA) to name just a few. You can check it out online.

It has helped both of the cats so much. I use the spray whenever there is an outbreak of whatever it is these cats have trouble with.

And, it is only two of the cats out of the whole colony.

The other product is really a flea medication but it is also for mites which other flea meds don't take care of. It is called Advantix or Advantage II. This is different formula than Advantage.

Maybe neither of these will help, but it is worth a try. Hope it helps.

So sorry for your kitty having such a hard time. One of the feral cats I took in many years ago had every problem in the world the first two years of his life. I really didn't think he would live very long. But he lived to be 17 and after the first two years, he really was healthy the rest of his life. I will hope this is what will be true for your little one. So happy you have found each other.

Thank you very much for this information. Very helpful. I too take care of many ferals.

catwoman707 · Nov 11, 2021

It sounds like calici sores, do they look like little blisters or bumps? Any on toes at all, or tongue?

Young cat with recurring sores on mouth, face and body

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