My cat has ear infection & skin issues after cattery. Is it allergies?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is possibly due to allergies. A secondary infection is likely and also needs to be addressed. 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!

I would definitely be suspicious of an ear infection from the pictures and what you are describing. Ear infections usually have a primary cause that allows it to be infected. Common primary causes are allergies, excessive moisture, ear mites, or something stuck down in the ear. It's always best to have her evaluated by a veterinarian, so they can have a good look in the ear and provide the necessary medication to clear this up. For now, it will be good to gently flush the ear once every two days to help remove the debris from the ear - this will help with treating the infection. Below are a few links that give helpful advice/tutorials about cleaning ears. The rash on the cheek is likely due to scratching and will get better when the ear infection is dealt with. I recommend cleaning the rash with a medicated wipe or shampoo (can get this at the pet store) once a day until it's better. If it seems to get worse, then you'll want to take Simba into the vet for an exam. https://www.petcoach.co/article/how-to-clean-your-cat-s-ears-what-you-need-to-know/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5Dh3mJBzts I hope that helps and Simba gets better soon.

Poor kitties! How frustrating! The three main things that come to mind with the history of recently been boarded would be ringworm (which humans can get), mites or fleas, or an allergic reaction if they were given a different food from what their regular diet is. If you have not ruled out either parasites or ringworm, I would recommend to rule out all of those. These would all be contagious and thus could be picked up at a boarding facility. Also make sure they are eating their normal diet again. If you have already ruled out both ringworm, fleas or mites, and food as a potential cause, please post again. Your veterinarian can perform a few simple tests to look for parasites or ringworm. Parasites are treated with a topical medication. Ringworm is usually treated with a medicated dip although oral medications can be used in some cats. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Poor guy. I see a lot of hair loss and folliculitis (inflammation of the hair follicles) there. This appears to be a bit more than a simple allergy condition. I suspect your pet may have skin mites. I highly recommend returning to your vet and getting a skin scrape done to check for mites. If Oscar does indeed have mites, then there is a completely different kind of treatment for that. Also due to the secondary infection, Oscar will need to go on a short course of oral antibiotics prescribed by your vet as well. I hope that things clear up soon with your pet Oscar! Best wishes and take care.

Hi and thanks for posting on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Thank you for sending along pictures but they are a little hard to make out clearly. This could be an infection-bacterial or perhaps fungal. It could also be due to a flea allergy. I would recommend keeping Jorfy on a flea preventative monthly to rule out a flea allergy but also have him see his veterinarian. Your veterinarian may do a skin scraping and/or fungal culture to rule out bacterial infection or a fungal infection. He may need antibiotics, antifungal medications, or other medications as needed. I hope this helps and thanks for posting!

Antibiotics are required. This may be a viral or bacterial infection (or a mixed between the two) and, from your description of the signs, seems quite severe. Poxvirus may be present as well so I would recommend to handle Jet Blaze with care. Please post pictures of the lesions to receive more specific answers from us. 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.

Hello, sorry to hear about Woezel. That looks like it could be associated with contact allergies especially if he likes to rub his face on certain things around the house. Common causes to cause contact allergies in cats could be associated with plastic food bowls and carpets. In addition to the allergies, they can also develop secondary local bacterial and yeast infections. Finally, it is important to rule out other causes such as mites and ring worm but that seems less likely in Woezel. You can wipe the area with skin sensitive baby wipes for the next 3-5 days and see if it resolves. If it does not, or if it gets worse, then Woezel should be evaluated by his veterinarian sooner. Hope this helps and best of luck.