# sores on cats mouths



## lorikitty22 (Jul 8, 2005)

I went over to my mom's house today and when I was playing with the cats, I noticed that Ruby had a big scab coming off a sore right below her bottom lip on the left side. So I took her into the light to have a better look and noticed she also had a small sore right above her upper lip as well. I grabbed the other cat, Myriad, and looked at her and found that she had the same exact thing in the same exact places. 

I thought it was kind of strange they had the same sores. I don't know what they could be from. They don't eat out of tuna cans or anything and they're not the exploring type to get into anything. I looked and there's nothing around house that could have caused them the same injury. 

I think it may be some disease or something and I was wondering if anyone has ever had a situation like this before or know what it could be. Hopefully, she'll get them into the vets next week to have it looked at.


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## nanook (Jun 12, 2005)

I'm atraid I've never heard of that before. But when my kitten had an URI he had a sore on his tongue. The vet said it was from the virus which is related to the Herpes virus and it may stay with him for life (just like in people). So, maybe it could be that? Just a thought. But, before you panic, it can not be transfered to humans! I'd probably have a vet look at it.


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## sierra (Apr 21, 2005)

I read that that can come from plastic food dishes.Their mouth comes into contact with the food dish and plastic is supposed to give off fumes and other chemical stuff. . That's why glass or ceramic food dishes are better. They don't cause that.


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## lorikitty22 (Jul 8, 2005)

Fortunatly they only eat out of glass dishes, but it still seems so odd. I was reading last night in a cat care book i have and it sounds like it could be Feline Acne. I didn't even know cats could get acne. But I'm gonna make sure my mom gets them to the vets to get checked.


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## lotocats (May 5, 2003)

Sometimes they get this condition (sorry I can't think of the name). They say it's caused by coming into contact with rodents. Anyway, an antibiotic should clear it up pronto.


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## jennifer2 (Mar 5, 2005)

One of my cats gets kitty acne. It's usually little black scabs on the bottom of her chin. They are fed out of glass bowls also. I think it depends on the cat.



lotocats said:


> Sometimes they get this condition (sorry I can't think of the name). They say it's caused by coming into contact with rodents. Anyway, an antibiotic should clear it up pronto.


I think you're talking about rodent ulcers. It has nothing to do with rodents, although I can see why a lot of people think that. It's actually a form of eosinophilic granuloma. The link below has a good picture of one, they won't let me post it elsewhere
http://www.showcatsonline.com/x/rodent_ulcer.htm


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## lorikitty22 (Jul 8, 2005)

yeah, its definitly not the rodent ulcers (although i think one of my own kitties has one on her mouth. thank you jennifer2 for that link it was very helpful). 

this condition the cats have is on the fur part of their mouths just above and below the lip line i guess you could call it. 

the one cat Ruby did have a sore on the bottom of her chin a few months ago and i'm wondering if maybe that had something to do with it. i called my mother last night telling her to call the vets today. doubt she did it though, i'll probably have to try and take them in myself.


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## jennifer2 (Mar 5, 2005)

Here's a link with some good pics of feline acne.
Mine never get this bad, could be because I'm always cleaning them up.
http://www.fabcats.org/acneandstudtail.html


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## The Cat Whisperer (Jul 23, 2005)

lorikitty22 said:


> I was reading last night in a cat care book i have and it sounds like it could be Feline Acne.


Yep, that's exactly what it sounds like. My orange tabby Phoebe gets it and my black tabby Pumpkin has had it once. Phoebe's is not constant but flares up now and then - every couple of months.

It can result from several different things: allergies including those from food and fleas, stress, plastic bowls (bacteria buildup in small nicks and scratches in the bowl), viral, just plain bad grooming habits or it can be of unknown origin. Once a cat has it, they usually have it for life. Orange and light colored cats seem to be prone to it more than others, though it could be that it is just more noticeable in those colors. It's pretty common actually. My vet thinks Phoebe's is from allergies (she will always have it) and Pumpkin's was a one-time allergic reaction to fleas. 

It's a good idea to get it checked out to make sure, but if it is feline acne, that itself is not that big of a deal - altho it can get infected if you aren't careful.

When Phoebe's flares up, most of the time it is not that bad; it's just black specs and little scabs along her lipline and under her chin. It looks like flea dirt. I just scratch it off with my nails or a flea comb which she loves. When it is bad, it will be bumps which after a few days will break open and scab over. Most of the time I can take care of it myself. Per my vets instructions, I do warm compresses with plain water or when it is bad, warm compresses using a weak dilution of hydrogen peroxide. I take a makeup remover pad or cotton ball and run it under hot water (by the time I am done it is warm), gently squeeze out the water, then pour a small amount of H2O2 on the pad and then squeeze more water/peroxide out so it is wet but not dripping. I put her on my lap and apply the compress on and off til I get off the crud. It helps dry it out and heal.

When Pumpkin got it a few months ago, it was really bad open sores and the vet precribed a topical ointment. Same procedure as above and after let it air dry for a minute and applied a light coating of the ointment.

Well good luck and let us know.


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## CinderandWhiskersMom (Jan 27, 2005)

A cat I once owned -- now residing with the ex :-( -- had the feline acne -- from plastic bowls. I think glass and stainless were the best and you already said these cats are using glass. However, may they becoming in contact with plastic another way, perhaps rubbing on something in the house or sleeping on something plastic -- it is definitely a common cause.


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## riclen (Jul 13, 2005)

*Sore mouth with cats*

A while back, I found our cat would paw it's food from it's plastic bowl and eat off our kitchen floor. I spoke to our vet and he suggested I swap from a polypropeline plastic bowl to a scratch resistant melamine bowl.Apparently, non scratch resistant plastic bowls retain old food smells and promote bacterial growth.This could also encourage mouth ulcers in cats.This could be why our cat went off it's food and would paw it on the floor.Since changing to melamine, everything has been OK. I found a perfect anti slip melamine bowl on the internet. Melamine does not dent like stainless and is stronger than china.The non slip melamine bowl cured my cat eating problems.


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## Wedgy (Aug 3, 2005)

One of my cats had a scab on her upper and lower lips. I know how it got there because i saw her get it. she ran at full speed and jumped face first into a wall after a fly. shes a good cat, just not very smart.


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