my 7mo cat has a sore on his mouth?

[nocendi]

i rescued my cat from a cat hoarder about a month ago. he had great health aside from needing a deworming and shots since he had never received vetting.

i noticed what looked like a dry spot on the corner of his mouth last night or the night before (i work overnights, my days run together). i finally was able to hold him tight enough to actually look at it and get a few good pictures (attached).

what is this? is this a huge cause for concern? should i rush him to a vet or is it something that can be brought up when he goes to get altered in a few weeks? he is my BABY. i lost a kitty to toxoplasmosis a few years ago, and i was so hurt that i couldn't bring myself get a new cat for a very long time. i don't want him to be really sick and i'm missing on what it could be.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

This could be what is called a "rodent ulcer". Could be caused by using plastic dishes, if you are doing that. By not washing his food and/or water dishes with soapy water daily, in case you are NOT doing that. Could be caused by an environmental allergy, or a flea allergy (just takes one tiny little flea), or could be from his food. Or might not even be a rodent ulcer, but looks like it to me. At the moment, it isn't too bad and I believe it can wait a few weeks until he's next Vet visit, since it's just a couple weeks away. But if it gets worse or becomes an open sore, then I would definitely take him in to be seen sooner. Sometimes they go away on their own, but often times they do require some medication (and some sleuthing on your part to determine the exact cause)

 

[nocendi]

This could be what is called a "rodent ulcer". Could be caused by using plastic dishes, if you are doing that. By not washing his food and/or water dishes with soapy water daily, in case you are NOT doing that. Could be caused by an environmental allergy, or a flea allergy (just takes one tiny little flea), or could be from his food. Or might not even be a rodent ulcer, but looks like it to me. At the moment, it isn't too bad and I believe it can wait a few weeks until he's next Vet visit, since it's just a couple weeks away. But if it gets worse or becomes an open sore, then I would definitely take him in to be seen sooner. Sometimes they go away on their own, but often times they do require some medication (and some sleuthing on your part to determine the exact cause)

i have been using plastic bowls and washing every three days. i will start washing his dish every day. should i switch to metal? i have been worried about whisker fatigue so if you have any good bowls or feeders to recommend, that would be awesome.

we also just switched him to a new food, so i will see if it improves with that as well. i search for fleas and ticks anytime he itches (he gets so annoyed with me LOL) and i haven't found any yet. we are starting his flea prevention shortly.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

I would switch to anything other than plastic, and possibly use a dog size vs cat size. I don't know why they make cat dishes so teeny . OR, you could probably just use a plate. Many people here feed their cats on a saucer or dinner plate. Or even a paper plate. Makes clean up easy! I used to feed my cats using my china dessert bowls until I gave away my china set. Hey, nothing is too good for my furbabies.

 

[neely]

Welcome to TCS! There is a great Article on the site about feeding tips and you can scroll down to feeding dishes here:
18 Awesome Cat Feeding Tips By Thecatsite Staff Members - TheCatSite
As mentioned above I have also used a china saucer but typically prefer stainless steel since that's what we used for our dog also. And be sure to avoid plastic for the water bowl too.

Sorry about the kitty you lost to toxoplasmosis but thankful you rescued another who needed you.