Help! My cat has 2 problems?

March 5, 2007 10:03am CST
the first problem is his breath? it is awful! whilst i love my cat dearly this has never been a problem until recently. He is washing himself more often and has a really red nasty looking rash on the underside of his belly. Has anyone else's cat ever had this or does anyone know what it could be? Any tips for getting rid of cat breath? he is 12 years old and has no health problems that i am aware of. Any advice would be great! x here is a photo of my cat!
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6 responses
@beaniegdi (1964)
5 Mar 07
He might have a bad tooth, have you checked in his mouth. I think this could be the problem especially if it is recent. Have you got anything for his rash, he could be allergic to something, sometimes being in the grass irritates them. Is there not a vets you can take him to?
5 Mar 07
I thought i would ask on here first as there wasnt an appointment at the vets until tomorrow afternoon as they open very weird hours where i live. I havent checked his mouth, i will do this. He doesnt go out except for when he needs the toilet so I can see that it could be caused from grass. He has a good appetite and is happy enough in himself and is still playful and sleeping, he doesnt seem irritated by it which is odd...thanks for your comments.
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• United States
5 Mar 07
like the person above me said, perhaps his teeth are going bad? its not very uncommon in older cats.. as far as the rash goes, i cant say that ive ever noticed any rashes on any of our cats but a few years ago i had to take my cat to the vet because his belly was going bald and was mildly red or at least pinkish.. the vet said it was just that he had been overgrooming himself, probably caused by stress.. she gave a little powder to put in his water each day to help calm his nerves and it helped alot. either way id take him to the vet to see whats wrong.
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5 Mar 07
Thanks so much, he may be feeling a little stressed as i have just moved to the flat downstairs so he is having to adapt to change. Also i got the cat from the Animals in distress a few years ago and one of the first things they mentioned was that he was a very nervous cat so i will mention all these things tom. Also it is a reddy/pinky colour and is going bald, but he is constantly licking that area, so your suggestions makes sense. thanks very much for taking the time in responding to my post.
• United States
5 Mar 07
yes a move can deffinately put alot of stress on a cat, thats actually what my cat got all that stress from when he had that problem! when you take your cat to the vet, if they say the same thing my vet told me, ask them for the powder to put in the water to help calm him. i dont remember what its called but i remember it was a yellow powder and it worked GREAT!
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5 Mar 07
Thanks so very much for the advice, heres hoping that all will be ok. I will let you know.... thanks again :)
@sedel1027 (17846)
• Cupertino, California
5 Mar 07
Since he does go outside there is a chance that he may have been bitten by a flea. When we first got our cats the male had really foul breath. We took him to the vet and come to find out he had gotten bitten by a flea and picked up a gum disease. They put him on medication (which we paid maybe $20) and it cured itself. As far as his tummy, he may have an allergy. His skin probably got inflamed from touching something and the excessive cleaning is making it worse. There are cat wipes that have oatmeal in them that may help. Personally, I would call your vet. If yours is like mine, they give out suggestions over the phone. The vet may tell you to give the cat some over the counter allergy medicine for a week to see if it clears.
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5 Mar 07
Thanks. I have an appointment tom, however i called and explained the symtoms over the phone but the vet wants to see him as he hasn't been for a while and he has regular antibiotics because some time ago i treated him for fleas and he had an alergic reaction to Bob martin products. Again i will let you know what the outcome is and thank you for your suggestions on both teeth and rash.
@Anniedup (3651)
• Richards Bay, South Africa
6 Mar 07
I posted on your other one, check there about bad breath. Betty it sounds like a rash of some kind, or a skin allergy, on that website you can ask them, and try www.about.com I can't live without about.com they handle and help you from a pig to a Mercedes. Let us know the out come
@bkfuels (1603)
• Canada
5 Mar 07
Cats will all have bad breath from time to time. The vets do sell toothpaste for cats I have some it is not cheap and my cats do not like to have their teeth brushed I do not do it that often. As for the rash I would take it to the vet and have it looked at. They will probably give you a suave for it.
• United States
5 Mar 07
I agree with many of the others here about the breath issue being a dental problem. The rash could be nerves (one of my cats has recently done that too, but not to the point of developing skin rash). The flea bite allergy is also a good thought, although there should be other areas which are over-scratched too. A third possibility is a "hot spot." If you hover your hand over the affected area by 1/2" or so, you can actually feel the excessive heat coming of the poor beast. If this is the case, the vet will want to put the cat on hormones. Sometimes this works, sometimes it only works for awhile. I've heard great things about using a salve or spray with Calendula in it on these "hot spots." Good Luck!
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