Cat Ailment

[tamaranth]

... by which I mean, ailment suffered by a cat, not ailment caused by one.

Sam has, for years, had a habit of licking his belly so much that he bleeds. The vet couldn't find anything wrong when I took him in for general checkup, and noted that he had been taken in with the same problem before. (She gave me some fungicidal cream, but it didn't have much effect.)

Looking at him this morning, I noticed two or three lumps, rather like blood blisters with scabs on them. It didn't seem to cause him any discomfort when I touched them.

Could these be the cause of the licking (though odd that I've only just noticed)? Or the effect? Or something new, an insect bite or infection or something?

Taking him to the vet is tricky, though obviously I'll manage it if the problem is serious or lasts for more than a couple of days. But I'm curious.

Comments

[ivory-goddess.livejournal.com]

Sorry, no idea on the blister-things, but excessive licking could be linked to fleas? And, come to think of it, recent flea bites can be quite noticeable/feelable lumps.

[tamaranth.livejournal.com]

No sign of fleas on either of 'em, at all (which hopefully means the anti-flea serum is working). I wonder if it's something that lives beneath the skin.

[tanais.livejournal.com]

if here is anything actually "under the skin" look out for any incidence of fox mange. The Summer heat means this common mange is on the rise and it is transmittable to pets from urban foxes. Its nasty stuff but totally treatable... If the skin is slightly puffy under the sore areas then its best to get to a vet soon.

[tanais.livejournal.com]

...the term is, I believe called a "Lick Granuloma". Its one of those closed-loop situations where animals get a skin reaction and complicate it by licking it... if its seasonal then it can be a type of plant or when a bug starts to bite etc, if its occasional, then it can be food-related or even heat related. Animals get skin conditions like excema that just disappear -- just like humans -- and even though it usually starts as a reaction to the environment such as plants they walk over/through causing an irritation, that irritation leads to licking, licking leads to sores (aka Lick Granuloma). Galen used to get them and we worked out it was tall grasses he was allergic to -- keeping him away from them stopped that problem.

Vet prescribed steroidal creams are a good way to start to break the cycle but thay are not ingestable so ypu need to add an Elizabethan collar which cats usually hate (dogs are usually fine though (http://www.flickr.com/photos/44113611@N00/13179909/)). Because of the fur the healing process is problematic and drawn out so to speed things up when it happened I shaved Galen's belly with hair clippers helping air get to the sores. I expect this last tip is an impossibility with cats.