my cat was in a fight.?

Question

most of the time we just see scratches on his ears and scabs on his need. but they are small and no big deal.

this weekend though i found him and on the side of his neck he has hair loss (about as large as putting your index and thumb together) and hole (quite smaller). the hole went deeper than normal. but all i could see was blood and it was swollen. then the next day it was bursted, and gooey, and wet, you know? so we think its healing. and we put some medicine on it. he continues to scratch at it. so i am thinking that might be because a scab is forming, which is good.

are there anyways for me to tell if its infected? do you think what we did was good enough?

thanks guys, you're a big help. :D

my cat wouldnt be able to adjust to indoor life all the time. we rescued him. its who he is.

but yes, he is neutered.

i think ill convince my mom to take me with him to the vet,

Answer 1

It's an abcess, it needs to stay 'open' till it heals from the inside out. Help him keep the scab off for a while, and press gently around the area to get the pus out (use a kleenex!). It'll heal, it just needs time. A warm rag on it can help, if you use soapy water on the area make sure you get all the soap rinsed or patted off.

Answer 2

Well that depends, what medication have you used on it?

Cats are very fast healers, and that comes from someone whose cat came home one day after some prick that should be shot (pardon my french) kicked him in the jaw and broke it.

My cat was healed within a week, though we took him to the vet of course.

When he was still a tomcat, he used to come home all bruised all the time. We didn't do anything other than wash and sometimes sanitize with some hydrogen peroxide or iodine. Is your cat neutered? If not, you should consider that to prevent other such unfortunate injuries. But neutered cats have a go at it every now and then as well ;)

And yes, I would take it to the vet. I know it's expensive but in case it IS an abcess, you should do it.

Answer 3

Your kitty's fight caused an abcess & that can be very serious if left untreated. It needs to be cleaned out well, & it needs to drain & heal from the inside out. This can make the cat very sick. If at all possible, see your vet to have it cleaned well, the vet will usually give an ointment & oral antibiotics to fight infection. If not treated properly, they often heal over on the outside, become infected inside, and make the cat extremely ill, sometimes even requiring surgery. If you can't go to the vet, use clean q-tips & sterile saline solution tor hydrogen peroxide to clean the wound & remove dead tissue - you may be surprised how deep the wound is, but clean it & flush it daily. Use a triple antibiotic ointment, like Neosporin, but keep it OPEN, or it will cause problems. The meds the vet can offer are better though & most cats w/abcesses need oral antibiotics. Now, here's the next thing - is your cat fixed? If not, get him fixed pronto, as unneutered cats are most likely to fight & he's highly likely to catch a deadly disease like FIV or Feline Leukemia as this is how it is most often transmitted. Also, if you keep your cat inside, it is way safer for him - think of all he comes into contact with - cars, dogs, diseased cats, worms, fleas, ticks, people who hate cats, poisons on lawns, deadly car antifreeze drips, becoming lost or injured & unable to get home - most cats will adjust to an indoor life.

Answer 4

What did you put on it? Antibiotic cream, like Neosporin? If so, that's a great first step.

This doesn't sound like an emergency, so I think you can just take him into the vet's office tomorrow. In the meantime, keep cleaning the wound and applying the cream, and keep your kitty inside for the night. But if it's swollen and gooey, your cat may need some antibiotics. It sounds infected. Luckily, antibiotics are cheap. It shouldn't be too expensive to get him all fixed up.

Answer 5

Is he neutered? He maybe getting in fights with other male cats over a female in heat. As long as you allow him to go outside he is going to get in fights. on the wound to help clean out the infection. Then put an antibiotic on it. Also watch for flies around the wound, they can lay their eggs in the wound and the cat will end up with maggots. If it is not healing well you may have to take him to a vet for a antibiotic.

Answer 6

Swelling indicates infection, as does hair loss and redness. What you described was an abscess that burst. If you see that wound swelling again, it indicates that the abscess is reforming. If that happens, please take your cat to the vet to get some antibiotics. Its a very big problem if the infection starts to spread. For now, keep the area very clean and watch it closely.

Answer 7

The hole has me concerned. I had a cat with this same issue and cleaning it wasn't enough. It abscessed and we had to take her to the vet for meds.

Answer 8

Take him to the vet because it might be infected.

Answer 9

poor kitty hahah