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My cat has red dots and a rash around his mouth. Is it serious?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Maine Coon | Male | unneutered | 7 months and 16 days old | 9 lbs

Hello, My cat seems to have some what redness on the right side of his mouth like little blood dots under his skin I noticed it yesterday might of been there for a couple days now kinda looks like how we get a dry red rash by our mouths but a cat version but I can't tell do you think it's something I should be worried about and do you think I should try and put some polysporne on it

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Andrea M. Brodie, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on December 6th, 2016

This may be a bit of feline acne, especially if he is a ginger cat or if his face is white. This is quite painful and needs treatment, if it is more than one or two spots, very painful, infected or swollen. There are other skin diseases that need to be ruled out, such as contact dermatitis (e. allergy to plastic food bowls) yeast dermatitis, demodectic mange, ringworm, or eosinophilic granuloma complex. This is why you should not put any antibiotic ointment on the lesions and should take Baby to a vet to have the skin examined. I suggest you take Baby to your vet for an exam. Depending on the results the vet will either prescribe a course of antibiotics and instructions on how to cleanse the area, or, if it is minor, no treatment may be required.

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    Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    I would not put any topical ointment on it. Although quite safe on superficial wounds, cats groom and ingest most of the topical ointment you apply and therefore should be used only under direct veterinary supervision and if there are no other appropriate options. Many human ointments contain multiple other ingredients which are not necessarily safe to be swallowed. This could be a skin infection, feline acne, due to allergies, or insects such as fleas or mites. I would take Baby into the vet tomorrow for an exam. The vet can diagnose what is causing these rash, and can give an appropriate treatment for it.

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