Cat Bumps and Sores around Neck and Ear

by Debra
(Houston, Tx, USA)

Our 20 month old neutered female tabby developed bumps on the underside of her neck and a sore on her face just below the ear opening around the 18th of December 2010. The first round of antibiotics seemed to diminish the bumps but the sore near her left ear never quite subsided.

Two days after the antibiotics stopped the bumps began coming back around the neck, one developed on her eyebrow, one on the elbow and others in the inner thigh.

After microscopic study the vet ruled out fleas, mites and any fungal disorder. Tests for feline leukemia and ring worm were negative. Tomorrow she will send a biopsy of good skin, new and old sore areas off to have analyzed.

This sweet female cat is otherwise healthy, no loss of appetite or energy level.

Stay tuned...

Vet Suggestion Cat skin bumps and sores around neck and ear

Hi Debra,

It sounds like your veterinarian is on top of things. She ran some simple diagnostic tests to rule out diseases like ringworm, mite infestations, etc., and when the answer wasn’t there she moved on to skin biopsies. I suspect you will have your answer when the biopsy results come back from the lab.

Your cat obviously has a bacterial infection of the skin, since most of her problems resolved while she was on antibiotics. I don’t know how long your cat was on her antibiotics, but it can take up to three weeks of continued treatment to completely eliminate a significant infection. If she was only treated for a week or two, a longer protocol may be called for. I usually continue antibiotics until a cat’s skin looks normal and then for another five days or so.

Many bacterial skin infections develop because of an underlying problem (e.g., allergies). So even with appropriate antibiotic treatment, they have a tendency to reoccur until that primary issue is dealt with.

The biopsies should help your veterinarian determine if anything like this is going on.

Good luck,

Jennifer Coates, DVM