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How to stop my cat from licking and scratching and heal his wound?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Male | neutered | 1 year and 6 months old | 13 lbs

My cat Oliver is a Siamese/Tabby mix and he has been compulsively licking/scratching himself for the past 2 weeks. He now has a nasty wound on his shoulder from scratching so much. I have hot spot spray which seems to help but the fact that he’s wet makes him want to lick it more. What is the best way to get his wound to heal and for him to stop scratching it? He’s been showing signs of FHS for over a year now, I’m not sure if that has something to do with it.

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2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Ricardo Fernandez, DVM

Veterinarian, Veterinary Oncology Resident

Published on August 6th, 2019

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is possibly due to allergies. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing his allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. A secondary infection is likely in this wound and also needs to be addressed. There are many things that can cause allergies though in most cases they can be broken down into 3 big categories: flea, food and environmental allergies. Allergies are usually worked up in a stepwise fashion starting with flea allergies as this is the easiest and cheapest to take care of. If not on a flea preventative, then it would be a good idea to get started on one. If already on one then it would be a good idea to change to something else (there are many new products out in the market). If not improved in 1-3 months then it is time to move on and check for food allergies by switching to a novel diet (new protein and new carbohydrate). If that does not seem to be the issue then you are left out having to check for environmental allergies which require blood and/or skin tests. Allergies can be very frustrating to deal with at first but so rewarding at the end when we are able to treat them effectively!

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    Answered By Stacey Anstaett, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    The FHS could be contributing, but it would be best to get Oliver seen by a vet, if there is a secondary bacterial infection and/or an underlying allergy, these issues will need to be addressed. Best of luck with him!

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