Expert: Dr. Louis N. Gotthelf - 1/18/2012

Question
My 8 month old Himalayan has sores that magically appear over night and take just a few days to go away. His hair doesn't fall out, he doesnt lick them, they don't itch he acts like they exist even when im poking & looking at them. I am getting a little concerned but he is not an easy cat to treat by the vet. He has Trichomoniasis and vets avoid him at their clinic like the plague. I'm wondering if this is another symptom of his disease or something else and what home remedies or drugstore meds can I use to narrow the possibilities. I have called several vets and their cure was to be put down due to the disease but otherwise he is a ball of joy, acts healthy and all.

Answer
If he is only 8 months old, then I would treat him with a drug like metronidazole for the Trichomonas.  Your vet may need to do a skin biopsy of the active lesions and send the biopsy to a pathologist to see what this might be. I would also want this cat tested for Feline Leukemia and Feline Immunodeficiency Virus.  If either of these show positive, then you are in for a long road of treatment because the immune system will never work properly.