Are My Cats Sick?

[Mrs. Overall]

There seems to be lots of cat people here.
I am concerned about two of my cats. My oldest one (14 year old female) seems to have slightly bloody sore-like things on her nose (on the pink part just above her mouth). I thought she had just scratched it, but yesterday one of my other cats (8 year old female) now has the same bloody stuff on her nose.
We recently brought in a six month old female kitten. So far, she is fine, but I am wondering if she could have been a carrier of something? She also just received some vaccinations and acted sort of sick for a day or two--could she have given my older cats something by being ill from the vaccine?
Just wondering if any of you might know what's up. I don't want to spend a fortune at the vet, if this is something I can treat naturally, at home.
Thanks for any insight!!

[Dookus]

1. hrmm....

two possibilities come to mind.

One: perhaps the kitten got off a good scratch against both cats.

Two: if the cats are outdoor or spend a lot of time in the sun, you may want them checked for skin cancers. if caught early, it's a pretty easy thing to treat. The nose and ears are the prime targets for these cancers, especially in lighter, pink-nosed kitties.

[WillParkinson]

2. Sick?

I don't know. I would, however, have it checked immediately.

We brought Cider home and then discovered that he has Ringworm and ear mites.

It's best to get a situation detected early so it can be treated.

(On Edit: Couldn't think of the word 'mites'.)

[Eroshan]

3. I'm not a vet

and I don't play one on T.V.. But I have a lot of feline experience. Your discription is incomplete so I will only guess. If there is no discharge from the wound then bacterial sources are probably not the cause. I would guess that it is either a fungus or that your new kitten has scratched the older ones while playing with them. A vaccination would definately not be the source of this. Keep an eye on them and if the sores get bigger or pustulate then a trip to the vet may be required. In any case good old neosporin or another over the counter cream will speed the healing. Good luck

[Mrs. Overall]

4. I'm mainly concerned

about some feline disease that is contagious and has the strange, bloody sores on the tip of the nose as a symptom.
I don't think the kitten scratched both of them, as they have hissed so much and she (the kitten) stays away from them.
It just seemed an odd coincidence that they would both have bloody noses, when I've never seen this before.
Thanks for the advice about neosporin--I was thinking of that, too. I think I'll put some on their noses.
Thanks!

[SoCalDem]

5. I would take the oldest one (most vulnerable)

to the vet and explain that another one at home has the same thing.. He/she will probably give you enough meds for all of them :)

It almost sounds like an impetigo type fungal infection.. Cats wash each other, so if they have conjuntivitius or any contagious skin infection, they WILL pass it to each other..

We had our littlest female spayed, and naturally, she picked up an eye infection AT THE DAMN VETS, and promptly passed it to 4 of the others, so we have been wrestling cats putting eye meds in for weeks now.:(

[TEXASYANKEE]

6. Have you changed food?

Have they eaten anything different? New treats? I have 2 cats that will have allergic reactions to just about any new food I give them, which means small areas of skin that get red. Not bloody, but red and irritated. Usually in the head region. Could it be that your kitties are having an allergic reaction to something new?