Why is my cat biting and scratching his swollen, inflamed stomach?

Hi, and thanks for your question. This presentation could be due to a trauma or localized spot of skin infection (likely to be caused by bacteria). A check up, appropriate disinfection and possibly antibiotics (oral, topical or in a shampoo formulation) are needed to solve the problem. Disinfection may be started at home with very diluted hibiscrub or betadine or salted water baths. Buster collar may be useful as well to avoid any licking/scratching (if any). Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!

It's possible Chse may have an abscess if the area is swelling and painful on touch. Abscesses, or infections under the skin can happen if she recently got into a fight or had another wound occur. Other possible causes can include growths, skin infections, potential muscular hernias, allergies or even parasite bites. Having it checked out by your vet is best to find the underlying cause and start on treatment. Until you can get to the vet, keeping her from licking or chewing at it with the use of an Elizabethan (cone) collar is best to prevent further irritation.

She may be licking excessively which could be contributing to the inflammation. Cats have rough tongues which can traumatize the skin leading to infection. Place an e-collar (cone) on her to prevent licking and have her rechecked by your veterinarian. She may need antibiotics and/or anti-inflammatory medications to resolve the issue.

From the picture I can only say this may be due to a trauma or localized spot of skin infection (likely to be caused by bacteria or fungal). A check up, appropriate disinfection and possibly antibiotics or antifungal meds (oral, topical or in a shampoo formulation) are needed to solve the problem. More investigations like sampling and bacterial swabs would be needed to determine the underlying cause more specifically. In my experience I have seen large wounds like this one from Poxvirus infection (but usually other wounds are present as well). I would suggest to handle this wound always with gloves (you are doing it anyway as I can see from the pic). Buster collar may be useful as well to avoid any licking. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Sylvester. I am glad that he is seeing his veterinarian. I suspect that he will require treatment. He could be experiencing an allergy to something in his diet or environment. Infections are also common. For example, cats can develop ringworm. This is especially common when a new kitten is brought home. Fleas are frequently seen in cats, but obviously of an issue in the winter. Mites are also possible. The veterinarian will examine him and may test samples from his skin. This will help to reach a diagnosis and guide treatment. If he is licking the lesion, then place an E-collar on him until your appointment. I hope this information helps!

Even though a picture would help to understand better the underlying cause, this presentation could be due to a trauma (bite wound) and/or localized spot of skin infection (likely to be caused by bacteria). A check up, appropriate disinfection and possibly antibiotics (oral, topical or in a shampoo formulation) are needed to solve the problem. Disinfection may be started at home with very diluted hibiscrub or betadine or salted water baths. Buster collar may be useful as well to avoid any licking/scratching. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is likely a skin infection which may be secondary to something like allergies. The infectious component would have to be taken care of but it is crucial to take care of the possible allergy as well so this does not continue to happen. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing his allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. There are many things that can cause allergies though in most cases they can be broken down into 3 big categories: flea, food and environmental allergies. Allergies are usually worked up in a stepwise fashion starting with flea allergies as this is the easiest and cheapest to take care of. If not on a flea preventative, then it would be a good idea to get started on one. If already on one then it would be a good idea to change to something else (there are many new products out in the market). If not improved in 1-3 months then it is time to move on and check for food allergies by switching to a novel diet (new protein and new carbohydrate). If that does not seem to be the issue then you are left out having to check for environmental allergies which require blood and/or skin tests. Allergies can be very frustrating to deal with at first but so rewarding at the end when we are able to treat them effectively!