Help please, my cat had a lump that burst?

Question

My cat has had a large, mobile lump on his neck for ages, but my parents never got round to taking him to the vet. Now they're away and I've noticed the lump has burst, and his fur is now wet and matted in the area. He seems fine within himself, eating normally and everything. I don't drive and the vet is ages away and not open on the weekends anyway, Im not sure what to do. Could anyone suggest what it could be and what I should do, ie dress the area or anything? Thank You.

Hi, thanks for all the answers, I called the emergency vet and she said pretty much the same, bathe it in salt water, which I have, and take him in on Monday. I don't have any money so I'm going to call the PDSA hospital tomorrow and see what they say, I called my parents and they said to take him and see if they can pay the vet back when they get home in 2 weeks. Hopefully my neighbour will drive me there. Thanks.

Answer 1

You seem to have this one nailed, but just to add on....
My cat had exactly the same last week. Big abcess on his leg, it burst, pus everwhere and a big hole in his leg. I was convinced it would need stitching as it looked so deep, but it was late at night so there was nothing i could do. As puss was ok in himself (like yours) I bathed it with salt water and left him on my bed overnight. In the morning I rushed him off to the vet and in actual fact his leg had already healed up quite nicely on it's own. The vet gave him an antibiotic injection and a bunch of antibiotic pills which I never bothered to give him as he was FINE. Visit cost £42.60!!!! I don't want to upset all the vetinary experts on here giving good advice, but I'd use your common sense on this one - my cats have had LOADS of the abcess' over the years and only one deep in his neck that never burst had to have further treatment. I'm only sharing my story to maybe stop you from feeling so anxious about your puss! Good luck

Answer 2

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Answer 3

Well, that is a tough one. Normally I would recomend a visit to the vet. There are many reasons why lumps appear, and if it burst then that means that there was pressure building up and the skin couldn't stretch any further. Don't dress it or medicate the area. The cat won't tolerate a dressing very well, and also you don't want to lock in any bacteria and create a breeding ground for more germs to grow. On Monday have your Mom take the cat to the vet. Until then, watch for listless behaviour, not eating, not drinking, any more discharge that may be bloody or foul smelling. If you see these things you should call an emergency vet by looking in the yellow pages or online. GL

Answer 4

Do your parents know that the 'lump' has burst open?
Have you tried calmly and maturely talking to them about the health of your cat and your great concern for the cat?
If there is no one else willing to take you and him to the vet, at least call them.

Since you're vets office is closed on the weekends, get out the phonebook or look up a local EMERGENCY clinic. They're usually open 24 hours, or at least through the weekend.

Explain to them your situation and describe for them what's going on with the cat. They may be able to help you or give you better advice.

P.S. Ignore the answers telling you that it will heal on its own or the cat will heal himself. Only a veterinarian should diagnose what this lump is and the best course of action to take to treat it.

Answer 5

Your Cat probably feels better, Was probably an Abcess of some type...Try to keep in Clean.You can put a warm washcloth on it to help it drain.He needs to see the Vet ASAP. For some Antibiotics and a complete diagnosis.Dont Dress the Area, Let it drain, Just make sure he keeps acting normal until you can get him Vetted

Answer 6

Rodent ulcers look like raw sores and are usually on the lips or in the mouth tissues. They usually aren't bumps, they look like scraped skin. If the bump is 1/4" across, it could be cat acne, a clogged pimple. Especially given that you've found it on the bottom of the lower jaw. However if it's larger than that, it could be something else. If it's a pinple it can burst when you press on it. If it's not, it won't burst. If it's large then I'd start thinking abscess.

Answer 7

Your cat was probably in a fight a while ago and the lump was an abcess that formed around a cat bite. That abcess has now burst. My cat used to have this happen lots of time and there is nothing to worry about.

Your cat will clean the wound himself by either licking it direct or by licking his paws and wiping it. You could clean the area around the wound with a clean lint free cotton wipe, but it is not essential and the cat might object.

Try and keep him indoors while it heals, only to stop him getting in another fight. Dont bother with a vet unless he shows obvious signs of distress.

Do you know if he gets into lots of fights? If he goes off and invades other cats territory, you might consider hormone treatment. I assume he is desexed. Intact toms will always get into fights and their life expectancy is much shorter than neutered toms.

Answer 8

Clean him up as above and them tell your parents not to be so selfish in future. The cat could have been in a lot of pain for all they knew. Im sure that if one of them had developed a large lump of their neck then they would have got round to going to see the doctor.

Answer 9

ring the vet. I'm sure they will tell you what is 4 the best. The vet may come out, they will charge extortionate prices but your cats life is worth more than a few pounds. Trust me it will be worth it in the end, think of how you will feel if anything happens to her. Hope this helps

Answer 10

Good for you for being more responsible than your parents when it comes to the care of your kitty & shame on them for not taking kitty to the vet sooner.
I would call the vet and explain the situation...hopefully they can give you some advice on the phone....they should have an emergency number or be able to refer you to a weekend clinic phone number somewhere.