Cat Skin Bump with Vomiting and Scooting

by Keane
(Adrian, MI)

Within the last month, I had a fence put up and have allowed my indoor cats to go outside. They do not or have not climbed the fence. I just noticed today that one of my male tabbies has a bump on his right front leg (in the back). I then noticed that he was missing fur. It really looks like someone took a razor and shaved it perfectly.

I've always had problems with this kitty who is about 8 years old now. He has always meowed a gazillion times, which has ceased since I have bought the fence. Problem one solved. He has also vomited...a lot. I was told to switch to a sensitive food diet, which I have (Science Diet Sensitive food) His vomiting improved but he still vomits and loves to eat grass now that he's outside. Except at times it ends up on my floor.

My other cat can eat a whole yard of grass and food with no problems. So I thought maybe my troubled cat was fighting for food. I put a whole bowl out that would last a week and even tried putting things in the bowl to slow his eating down. It all appeared to help but he still vomits whole food to mushy food.

He is extremely energetic...more energetic than my other cat. Oh, and I noticed that he boot scoots across the floor as well...annoying and quite disgusting. He has done this for quite sometime.

Suggestions about the bump, missing fur and vomiting? I took photos of the bump and missing fur but not sure if you wanted to see the vomit :D.

Vet Suggestion

Hi Keane,

First, let’s tackle the cat skin bump and missing fur. I’m afraid I can’t tell you exactly what is going on based on your picture and description, but I am suspicious that whatever the bump is, it’s itchy. The “shaved” appearance that you mentioned can come about when a cat is licking excessively at a location, often because the area is itchy. If you brought your cat into my clinic, I would perform a physical exam, a skin scraping to look for mites, skin cytology to check for infection, and a fungal culture for ringworm, and base my treatment recommendations on the results of those tests.

Now on to the vomiting and scooting. Many cats with these symptoms have a degree of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) or a food allergy. It is impossible to come to a definitive diagnosis of IBD without taking biopsies from a cat’s digestive tract, but in cases like yours, I will often make a tentative diagnosis after running fecal exams, blood work, and abdominal x-rays as long as they rule out other diseases that can cause similar clinical signs. You have changed your cat’s diet, but if he has IBD or a food allergy, a diet made from novel ingredients (e.g., duck and green pea) or that has hydrolyzed protein sources (e.g., Purina HA or Hill’s z/d) might work better for him. Some cats also need to be treated with immunosuppressive drugs.

It is possible that all of your cat’s symptoms are related. Cats with food allergies can have both skin and GI problems. Talk to your veterinarian to determine the best way to diagnose and treat your cat.

Regards,

Jennifer Coates, DVM