Cat with Abrasions/Scabs on Neck/Chin

[wake]

Hello everyone,

I appreciate all of the help that is provided by all of the members here at the site.

I have two cats, MJ and KO. MJ is 2 years old, and KO is slightly younger. MJ was my first cat, since he was a kitten. He developed a patch of dry skin on his stomach, followed by a loss of a lot of hair. I took him to the vet, where they put him on medicine and then declared that a culture would need to be taken if that didn't fix the problem. Well it didn't fix the problem, so I found TheCatSite. Through reading, I decided to try and change his food. I switched him from Purina to Iams Indoor Weight/Hairball control. His stomach healed in no time.

I have since taken KO in from the shelter. He's a rowdy little guy and likes to tackle MJ and go straight for the neck. Both cats are Neutered by the way. KO will attack MJ and MJ will yelp, and KO bites his neck. I noticed MJ was having some scabs form on his neck, and he also had some wattery eyes every once in a while, so I took him to the vet. The vet claimed the scabs were probably an open wound from KO biting, so he put him on medicine.

The medicine didn't help.

Now MJ has some scabs on his chin, and I just noticed today that they are patches like his stomach, with dry patchy skin, except this time they are actually bleeding a little. It's not enough to get on anything, but you can see it's an open wound of some sort, and not just dry skin.

My question is this. I have been reading about food allergies, and I'm interested to hear opinions on if I should try changing food again to something like Natural Choice, or if I should make another visit to the vet. If I visit the vet, I will be seeing a different one. I really do not have any faith in vets, but I know they are there to help. With my last two experiences, I just haven't found the trust in them.

If I go to the vet, should I suggest something? Is there a common thing that they can for SURE find out? I am sick of the guessing and here is some medicine to fix it, when in fact that does nothing. I just want my cat to be healthy.

I was initially worried that KO was playing too rough, but now that I see the scabs elsewhere, I'm starting to wonder if it's a food allergy or some disease, and not just KO pouncing.

Thank you all for your help, it's greatly appreciated!

Lance

 

[sharky]

It could be any number of things ... If you have a cats only vet clinic I would go there and explain what you did here

 

[solaritybengals]

Could it be a fungal infection? Ringworm can cause very flaky skin and it could be bleeding because its sooo itchy. It glows under a black light so thats the easiest way to check.

 

[wake]

Here is a picture of poor MJ, to give everyone a better idea of what I am referring to.

MJ's Chin

 

[opilot]

Just on the off chance, have the vet check for mange... demodex mites aren't as common in cats, but they do occur and can live on the skin and cause something very much like that.... from what i've heard its pretty itchy and nasty stuff!

Can be picked up outside (shelter maybe?) and brought in...

Just my 2 cents. Tho I agree a vet that does felines only would
be best...

 

[wake]

Thanks for the input!

Both cats are indoor only, and I have had MJ for ~2 years now. KO came from a shelter, but I have had him for quite some time now as well, almost a year.

I think a vet visit is in the very near future. I will do some research and see if I have a feline-only clinic around my area, as that sounds like a good idea.

 

[solaritybengals]

Its hard to tell in the pic as your kitties chin is black but sometimes feline acne (black bumps) can be itchy which could have created a larger wound when scratched. Feline acne is not serious but you don't want to rule out the possibility of mange/ringworm which is more serious.

 

[menagerie mama]

Another thing is get rid of plastic bowls if you have them. They harbor bacteria and sometimes kitties are allergic to them too. Use glass or stainless steel, and wash them regularily with mild soap and rinse well. Maybe that will help...

 

[wake]

Thanks for the replies again. I have been using ceramic and stainless steel bowls for quite some time now, so hopefully that has limited the ability of issues related to food bowls.

When I schedule a vet appointment, I will report back with the findings pronto.

 

[hissy]

I would say it is feline acne, it does not look like ringworm to me, though the photo isn't that clear. You can make a mixture of bottled water and hydrogen peroxide and gently scrub the chin several times a day. Blot dry after the scrub. It should vanish in a few days.

 

[laureen227]

ask the vet about feline herpes, too...Pixel's didn't appear until after she lost her littermate and we got a new cat in the house, & she was misdiagnosed as allergic prior to the herpes diagnosis. she had little scabs all over her face that spread to her front legs before it was properly diagnosed. the antibiotic ointment the 1st vet gave me did nothing. the lysine cleared it right up. worth asking about, anyway. i couldn't see anything in the photo...but herpes, if present, tends to flare-up under stress situations.