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My cat has a sore on her upper lip. Is it an allergy or an ulcer?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Domestic Shorthair | Female | spayed | 10 lbs

Noticed a sore on my cats upper lip. She doesn’t not seem to be acting strange or have any pain or loss of appetite. She does not mind me lifting her lip for the picture or lightly touching the scabbed area. She is 2 years old and an indoor only kitty. Concerns me to see this as I’m not sure how she could have been scratched or cut. Does this look like an allergic sore or rodent ulcer?

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2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Massimo Orioles, DVM, Cert AVP, MRCVS

Veterinarian

Published on March 10th, 2019

Hi, and thanks for your question. This could be due to an allergy, although it could also be infection or mites. I don't think it looks like an ulcer. First of all, in order to rule out skin parasites, you will need to treat with a high quality flea treatment, then ask the vet to perform a skin scrape - this might reveal an infection or a mite infestation. If all of those came back negative, the next step is to treat the allergy symptomatically and try to discover the cause of the allergy. Three main type of allergies are usually affecting pets: food allergies, flea and parasite related ones and environmental type (allergens coming from trees, pollens, dust etc etc). Some medications can be given by the vet in order to repair any possible skin lesions (like steroids and antibiotics). Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!

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Other Answers

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    Answered By Dr. Massimo Orioles, DVM, Cert AVP, MRCVS

    Veterinarian

    Published on March 12th, 2019

    Hi there and thanks for your request. This could be due to a trauma (lower canine contact) an infection or could be a indolent ulcer. A clinical examination at your local veterinarian is essential to confirm these clinical suspicions and treat appropriately. Antibiotics and a sample of the lesion may be needed to rule out infections. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!

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    1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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