Expert: Jessica - 5/29/2010

Question
Hi....my cat has a red spot on tongue and cannot eat or clean....and he keeps his tongue a little bit out side his mouth.hes a 1 year old male....an in/outdoor  cat.He also has something like an infection on the left side of his back and got really swollen....the liquid that came out was like yellow/red....not smelly and the wound looks better....the vet didn't knew what it is and he gave us antibiotic.
Hopefully You now something about this.
Thank You!

Answer
Hi Andrei.  A picture would be helpful, but the swelling/discharge on your cat's back really would sound to me like an abscess.  These are pockets of infection under the skin, usually caused by bites.  Pus begins to build under the skin, and eventually, the infection erupts through the skin, and this is when you'll see the yellow fluid (pus) mixed with red (blood).  If the infection has been there for long, it may have a foul odor, but not always.  However, I'm sure your vet would recognize an abscess.  Without a lot of other information, I'm afraid I don't have a better answer for you than your vet did.

The red spot on his tongue sounds like it may possibly be an oral ulcer, which can be caused by several conditions.  One of the most common causes is a viral illness called calici.  Another cause is a condition called stomatitis, a disease that cats of any age may have.  It seems to be caused by an overreaction to bacteria in the mouth.  Cats may also have bacterial infections in the mouth that cause sores and respond to antibiotics.  Oral ulcers may also be found in cats who have kidney or liver disease.  Another disease that can cause oral ulcers is feline AIDS.  This is a virus that causes symptoms similar to human AIDS, but it cannot infect humans.  Your cat is at risk for this disease, since he goes outdoors, and this disease is passed through bite wounds.  You may want to have your cat tested – it takes only 10 minutes to get results in most vet offices.  The test will also test for a virus called feline leukemia, which might also cause oral infections.

There are other types of red spots on the tongue, which might range in cause from inflammatory growths to cancer.  So having this spot checked out is very important.  You should certainly have your kitty back to the vet.  If he’s unable to eat, his health will go downhill very quickly.  Hopefully an antibiotic targeted toward mouth infections will have him on his way to recovery.  A cortisone shot may also help reduce inflammation so he can feel better right away, too.

Best of luck!

Jessica