My cat keeps licking his nipple and it's sore and irritated.

by Ashleigh
(Burlington, Ont, Canada)

Hello,


I have a male cat about 2 years old and he is an indoor cat, never been outside. He is licking and biting at his bottom nipple and now the hair is compleatly gone around the nipple. It looks sore, scaby, red and swollen.

But otherwise he is acting fine and drinking and eating.

Can anyone help me ?? Why does he keep doing this?

Answer by Kate
This can be either be caused by a skin allergy or parasite bite or could be caused by anxiety. However as it is localised to one area I would say that the area must be agitating him.
You really need to get the area checked by a vet, that way you will know exactly what the cause is and what the best treatment is.

I have a web page about loss of fur etc which you may find of further interest.
https://www.our-happy-cat.com/cat-hair-loss.html

Hopefully the problem can be sorted out soon before it gets any worse.

best wishes Kate

Comments for My cat keeps licking his nipple and it's sore and irritated.

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my cat licks nipples & breaths different
by: Anonymous

my female cat has sores where looks like two of her nipples use to be she licks them some times, anyrhing I can do ??? Also I notice she is breathing different like she takes shot breathes like she just played real hard when she just went from one spot to another..

Comment from site owner.
Yes there is something you can do. Take her to see a vet. It is not normal that her breathing should be like this, plus she may have an infection due to the licking which may be causing sores etc. there really is no other way to deal with this. If you do not have the funds to help her, please contact a local cat charity in your area for advice .
Just a thought
by: Rob

Just a thought here but I came to this thread because we just lost our little lad 2 days ago, who was always at his bottom nipple/s and who we took to the vet. She said there is no need to worry, but whack him on a diet.

He was a big cat but even when we had him on the Hills specialist diet, he would still go for that area. Nothing would stop him and it was horrible to see even when we were nearby.

I get the feeling that whatever caused his heart to give out was related to this in some way but will never be able to prove it. We have not had a PM done as we cannot afford it, so will never know what made him have the heart attack, so my advice is get the cat to the vet if this happens.

Best to be sure eh than find someone so young and vivacious at the bottom of the stairs?

Licking Nipples
by: Anonymous

my older cat also licks his nipples until there are round red raw spots. I took him to the vet, put him on a diet, and changed his food numerous times over a years time. finally realized that the worst of this occurred when I was on vacation and he was with a babysitter...a symptom called fur mowing.... and totally psychological. After things getting back to normal, and giving him lots of attention, the behavior stopped for the time being.
female
by: Anonymous

my female cat does the same thing, licking when i'm not near so thinking she is pining for me,contact.
Older cat nipple problems
by: Anonymous

I took a cat to the vet with a swollen nipple but when we got there, it was gone. My cat is ten years old. Vet said sometimes older male cats chew their nipples. Now both ten year olds have bald areas around the bottom ones. It is strange but doesn't seem to hurt them. Nipples themselves seem a little scabby at times but cats are healthy.

I have never had a male cat live to be this old. They were both indoor cats wgen this started.

Hope this helps.

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