Licking at bum and feet.

Dr. Marie replied:

Oh, how frustrating for both you and Fluffy!

The black dot that you are seeing can be a normal part of a cat's anatomy. Sometimes that can be a little bit of the anal sac debris coming out but it's not usually something to worry about.

This is a tough question to answer for you as it's really hard to know what is going on.

If Fluffy is constantly licking at her bum then I really would be thinking this is connected to her anal glands. But, what you have described with her also biting at her feet doesn't seem to fit with an anal gland problem.

I'm almost wondering if what you are dealing with is an allergy issue. Cats (or dogs) with allergies will often have an itchy bum and itchy feet. It may be worthwhile to ask your vet about that possibility. If they think that could be the case, then they may try a course of steroids, or possibly even a steroid shot that lasts for 6 weeks or so. Cats tend to handle steroids well without side effects. If this is working well, then you can also talk to your vet about trying a hypoallergenic food. It takes time for the food to work though so steroids may be necessary.

Another possibility is something called lumbosacral syndrome. This is where a cat has pain at the very end of the spinal cord. It can cause pain down the legs and around the hind end as well. You can ask your vet about that too...if they think that is possible they may talk about putting her on an anti-inflammatory medicine to see if that helps.

Sorry that I dont' have an exact answer for you, but perhaps this info can help somewhat.

Let me know if you have more questions.

Dr. Marie.


Do you have a pet website? Interested in learning more about SEO for Wix?

---

Check out our dog age calculator and cat age calculator.

Dr. Marie replied:

Cats certainly can be allergic to things outside. However, *most* of the time if allergies are causing an itchy bum, I have found that food allergies are the culprit. Cats can develop an allergy to a certain food ingredient at any point in their life. It's often hard to know what the actual ingredient.

One final thought that may seem silly is the possibility of fleas. Some cats can be supremely affected by even just one flea bite. Does she lick at all at her back (i.e. just before her tail)?

Again, it's something to ask your vet about. If this problem started happening shortly after she went outside then getting her on a good prescription strength flea preventative is a good idea.

Hope things improve soon!

Dr. Marie.