# Weird sores around the face



## Hippyhart (Jul 4, 2004)

Miles gets these weird sores around his face sometimes -- looks like he scraped his face on something and it's a scab. I thought it was from wrestling with the other cats, but it has happened several times now. He didn't get them for a month or two and I just noticed one around his ear yesterday. 

Anyone else have this before? Could it be a diet issue? He has puking issues and seems to do okay on what he is eating right now, so I don't really want to swich his food unless I have to.


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## Libbymae (Apr 27, 2006)

Are you using plastic dishes? It may be the plastic. Some animals have a reaction to it. Can you try switching to metal or ceramic dishes


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## Hippyhart (Jul 4, 2004)

No, he has ceramic dishes and he drinks from a fountain. They don't look painful, but I've seen them a few times now, mostly around the sparse-hair patch in front of his ears.


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## BTP (Jul 13, 2006)

Sounds like its most likely from him
scratching himself- is he on flea meds.?
Is his skin too dry?
Thats usually the cause. A little vitamin E on
skin can help alot- also fish oil pills.


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## Hippyhart (Jul 4, 2004)

He's not on flea medicine -- inside-only cat -- and I haven't seen any instances of fleas with Miles or the other two monsters. Maybe it's dry skin? He's a really weird, neurotic cat (but I love him), so I wouldn't past him that he is scratching himself until he bleeds...but I haven't seen him do it either.

I will try putting vitamin e on his sores to see if that helps. I never actually see them bleed, I just find the sores/scabs on his face.


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

Hippyhart said:


> No, he has ceramic dishes and he drinks from a fountain.


A fountain???


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## Hippyhart (Jul 4, 2004)

A freshflow fountain -- here's a link in case you haven't seen one before. 

Freshflow Fountain

I couldn't stop the cats from drinking out of the toilet, so I bought a fountain and they love it.


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

That is so cool! (I can see people rolling their eyes.......hey! I'm new at this cat thing!) :lol:


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## Hippyhart (Jul 4, 2004)

No big deal, I'm fairly new at the cat thing too but got a lot of ideas from forums like this one.

Oh, and another thing, we haven't had any UTIs since we switched to the fountain two years ago, so the cats are definitely drinking a lot more water.


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

Cinderella drinks her water just fine. With my luck, I'll spend the money, get it, and she'll be terrified of it. :roll: But I really like it!


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## BTP (Jul 13, 2006)

If you ever feel he is truly too 'agitated'-
a good product to know about is called 'rescue remedy'-
Its a liquid (herbal) that is very safe and helps calm dogs and cats.


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## Hippyhart (Jul 4, 2004)

I've added flower essences to the water fountain before when I introduced another cat in the house, which I think helped and they didn't get along for a few months, and I've seen Rescue Remedy at the herb shop but didn't know if it worked. 

Miles is just generally a neurotic animal -- he was a stray and came from what I think was an abusive home. He is still very afraid of my boyfriend's voice, even though Joel would never lay a finger on him, and he has weird habits...like he chews his nails and "gets busy" with my clothes even though he's been neutered. So...he is just weird, but he's come a long way from where we were 2-1/2 years ago when we found him.


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## BTP (Jul 13, 2006)

That actually sounds pretty normal-doubly so if he is male.
cats who have been abused never really get over it,
but with alot of love and just sending good vibes and mental images
to him, he'll have a good life.


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## Jimmyness (Dec 31, 2005)

Any chance you could take a picture of the sores? Where abouts on his face does he get them most?


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## Hippyhart (Jul 4, 2004)

BTP, he is a really sweet cat -- I love him to death. He's my baby! He's just a little bit...weird. Our other two cats have totally different personalities than him -- they're laid back, he's constantly on edge. Anyway, I give him loads of love and treat him like the special baby that he is. He's made some major headway in the past two years, wanting more and more human contact and will actually get in my lap and sleep on me sometimes, where as two years ago, he would hide under the bed all the time. Anyway, that's for caring!

Jimmyness, I will try to take a picture tomorrow of the scabs -- they're deep in his hair and he squirms when I try to get a closer look at it.


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## Lisa 216 (Oct 25, 2004)

Hippyhart said:


> Anyone else have this before? Could it be a diet issue? He has puking issues and seems to do okay on what he is eating right now, so I don't really want to swich his food unless I have to.


I have been having this exact problem with Pumpkin. I wish I could report that we have solved it, though :? 

I took her to the vet back in Feb. when it first appeared. She had a bit of hair loss in a couple of spots on her face as well as several scabs. The vet suspected allergies. Pumpkin was already on NB Venison and Pea only because she happened to like it. She now eats Eagle Pack dry and NB wet.

The scabs went away in a week or so, and she was fine for several months. Back in July I caught her scratching her face, and there were scabs  Not so many this time, and they didn't last. They seem to be itchy. 

I have also caught her vomiting a few times recently  so a new food may be in order.

Right now, I'm taking a wait and see approach to see if there's any pattern to these outbreaks. None so far, though -- the first was in winter and the second in summer :? 

Katie, I wish I had some insight to offer. Maybe one of us will get to the bottom of this.


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## Hippyhart (Jul 4, 2004)

I planned to take a picture yesterday, but the scab had fallen off by the time I got around to it. This time there was just a scab, but in the past, there has also been hair loss -- like the scab is at the root of the hair and the hair falls out along with the scab -- so it sounds similar to what Pumpkin has. 

Miles doesn't seem bothered by the scabs (he hasn't been scratching them), so I'm just monitoring it at this stage. He's on Purina Pro Plan Sensitive Stomach now, which he does okay with so I haven't taken him off it. Nico is on Rabbit/Pea food right now, so I could put Miles on that allergy diet too if necessary. 

I first noticed the scabs in the early Spring too, then they went away, but now they are back. Weird that Miles and Pumpkin are getting them at the same time, huh? Hopefully we can get to the bottom of this soon...


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## Lisa 216 (Oct 25, 2004)

Hippyhart said:


> I first noticed the scabs in the early Spring too, then they went away, but now they are back. Weird that Miles and Pumpkin are getting them at the same time, huh? Hopefully we can get to the bottom of this soon...


Have you spoken to your vet about this? If so, I'm curious to know what his/her opinion is regarding a possible cause. My vet's guess was environmental allergies, but I have no clue what could have caused two outbreaks so many months apart :?


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## Hippyhart (Jul 4, 2004)

No, I haven't taken him to the vet about it -- I've just been watching it. I haven't been pleased with my current vet, and I've been meaning to get all three of my cats to the cat clinic my sister-in-law recommended for check-ups, but it is about 40 minutes away, so I will have to take off an afternoon and get them up there. Excuses....


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## blackeyedgurl (Jun 29, 2006)

In the last 2 days I noticed both of mine had scabs on their faces! 

My little girl had one right under her nose above her lip, and my little boy has one in his whiskers. But I think these are from play-fighting as they both have hind claws and I've seen them go at each other before!

I'm going to keep an eye on them though. Her scab is already gone, so I'm keeping my eye on his. 

I am curious to see what the vet says! Mine are due for shots soon, so when I take them in I'll talk to my vet about it.


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## OrangeJulius (Aug 23, 2006)

*Allergies?*

Houdini is just recoving from her sores on her neck and face. She was on NB Venison and Pea, she was fine on that, then we switched her to the the chicken formula and here comes the sores. After many food switches and trials. I conclude she is allergic to chicken. All of my cats are now eating California natural Herring and Sweet Potato, no problems yet.
Sometimes cats can show allergies after months. Her sores came quite quickly after the switch to chicken and I know she wasn't allergic to NB venison because she was on it for awhile. While she was on the allergy formula I just changed to a different protein source to figure out what's she allergic to. I hear that cats are most likely allergic to a protein source, but they can be allergic to some grain to. You can try supplementing just raw diet of one protein to figure out which one works, but just stick to one for awhile then switch.
If its not allergies, it could be fungal or flea related. I would guess allergies. An allergy test is about $300-$500 and they don't guarantee the results, honestly I think that would've saved me money in the long run.
Good luck.


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## BigBurma (Apr 26, 2009)

I realize this is an old question, but it apparently didn't get answered completely... My cat Toby started getting a scab or 2 on his face near his nose from time to time and we assumed he was maybe rough-housing with some strays (he is indoor/outdoor). But they have been progressively spreading and getting worse and I'm not sure what to do! It looks really bad!  I searched around online and got a couple possible answers...

1. Flea Allergy (I treat fleas with Advantage regularly, so I doubt this is it)

2. Ring Worm (I'm not sure what it would look like, but supposedly it's contagious to humans and none of us have anything like that)

3. Food Allergy (I ordered him some new food to see if this is what's wrong, but I'm still waiting to get it)

I'm assuming (hoping) it's just a food allergy that will clear up with the new food. He has been eating "Purina Naturals with vitamins & minerals" mainly because my sister keeps giving me coupons for it. He seems to like it, but he will eat just about anything. I'm afraid it could be a reaction to gnats or mosquitoes outside. Did anyone ever figure out what was going on? I know it might not be the same problem for everyone, but it could possibly be. Is there any kind of ointment or anything I can put on them in the meantime that will not make him sick if he licks it off? I'm really worried.

Thanks so much for any advice!


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## librarychick (May 25, 2008)

I had this problem a while ago as well, and I know for sure in muffin's case it wasn't an allergy or dry skin.

I'm pretty sure it was a herpes sore. I already knew he had feline herpes, and he's only had the one sore. For him I upped his normal dose of L-lysine, put a little polysporin on it, and separated him from the other cats.

I'm not saying this is necessarily what you guys are dealing with, just that's what it was in Muffin's case. Muffin's sore was right on his lip, and it didn't bug him at all. Of course it went away the day before his vet appointment... :roll: 

Allergy sores are generally red and itchy. Dry skin would be flaky and itchy. If it is one of those two you should still be fine putting polysporin on it, and that will help keep it from getting infected as well.


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## BigBurma (Apr 26, 2009)

Thanks for the info! The scabs are definitely red and itchy, I didn't think about herpes, that's a possibility. What is polysporin? Like Neosporin I assume? Is it safe if he licks it off or gets it in his eye? Here's what it looks like:

Along the face/nose. His nose is also kinda swolen:









The ears, it's mostly just the one ear, just a couple little bumps on the other...









You can see it better in this lighting:









And another just for fun since he is so photogenic!


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## BigBurma (Apr 26, 2009)

Well, Toby's been eating the grain-free food for a week or so and no change yet. He doesn't appear to have fleas or mites of any kind... anyone know what else it could be? I'm worried about my little dude. Any help is greatly appreciated.


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## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

You didn't mention if you've been to the vet....if not, I think that would be the best next step.


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## librarychick (May 25, 2008)

I agree, a vet visit would be a good idea.

If you look at his nose in the last pic it's very obviously swollen. That looks so uncomfortable for him.

I hope your poor boy feels better soon!


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## BigBurma (Apr 26, 2009)

Finally got a chance to take Toby to the vet today and he's fairly sure the scabs are an allergic reaction to *gnat bites*. He gave Toby a steroid and a Cortisone shot. It should help clear up the scabs and once they're gone he said get some Avon skin-so-soft and rub it on my hands and pet it all over him. In his experience it is the only thing for humans or cats that will repel gnats.

He also weighed him... *14.5 lbs!* :yikes


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## Mitts & Tess (Sep 4, 2004)

I would have a cat savy vet do a scraping of these spots and send it to a lab. Giving a shot or cortizone or steriod can solve the issue for now but you need to find out what is really causing this. Poor Toby has to be very uncomfortable. My heart goes out to him. Luckily he has you taking care of him so he will get answers and not have to live with that.


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## BigBurma (Apr 26, 2009)

He is a very good vet. It wasn't steroids like my mom said, it was an antibiotic for the sores that were already there and then a long-term cortizone shot. In just 2 days there is a huge improvement so hopefully I can just use the skin-so-soft to keep the gnats from biting in the first place. He is hardly even touching his ears or face now so it must not be itching too bad.


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## hildamrodriguezm (Feb 14, 2010)

Hi... just wondering if the Avon skin so soft worked to repell the gnats. Please let me know.

My cat has the same issue and it repeats every year around July. The poor thing bears with it until winter when all the bumps stop comming out and the scabs heal. The vet said it was somekind of seasonal allergy. They did a biopsy so they ruled out other possibilities. She was on antiestaminics for a little whyle (two weeks) but it did not solved the issue.


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## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

This thread was started over 3 years ago, the last post was 9 months ago and the person you're asking for an update from hasn't been here since Sept. I don't think you'll get an answer from them. Feel free to start a new thread to address your specific issue, I'm going to lock this one given it's age.


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