Nasty abcess! (nasty picture)

[samwise]

My poor old Sammy has a nasty abcess on the side of his face!:( I feel awful that I didnt notice it earlier! He hasnt had the 'chubby cheeks' or been off colour or anything! He is the type of cat that comes home every 3 days for a good feed or if it is raining and cold outside. I dont see him that often.:( He is a farm cat kitten re-home. (If that makes sense). I would love closer contact and have tried but he is just not happy. I have to accept him the way he is!
He joined me on the road for the dog walk as usual (small country, no through road) and I noticed something on his face and picked him up and it was horrible grey pus, but not a big wound or anything.
I did try to clean it and have a look but he would not let me. He went MAD! I made a vet appointment this evening and he was an angel, let the vet clean it with Hibiscrib and everything!:? When the vet clean it and cut the hair off it was horrible! A big wound! He has had an antibiotic jab and wound powder put on it.
He is eating well and seem happy enough. Any tips? Do I have to clean it regularly and if so what with?
I feel really guilty! He was in last night for food and there was nothing odd about him! I just wish I had noticed it earlier!:cry:

It is not a good phot, but it gives you the idea of the poor boys abcess!:(
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y223/LianneC/2006_0922dogs0001.jpg

[dinahsmum]

Poor boy!
And I bet the antibiotic sorts it in no time - it's amazing.
best wishes to him

[Moli]

Poor Boy! Looks like he has had an argument with another cat....Hope he recovers soon..

[samwise]

Do abcesses grow quickly? This is the first one I have ever had in my cats!
Am feeling really bad that I should have noticed it earlier :(

[Mags]

My previous cat Sam used to get in lots of fights with other cats and often came home with bites etc. I could see the puncture marks and where it had bled, then within a couple of days it had turned nasty. Antibiotics used to clear it up quickly.

If your Sammy's wound looks 'messy' I would try to bathe it with some cooled boiled water to get rid of the pus.

I hope it clears up soon Lianne, it does look nasty......:(

[Kim]

Don't feel bad, sometimes they are hidden and hard to find. Misty has regular abcesesses from 'disagreements' with neighbourhood cats. An abscess will form from a cat bite or scratch as cats claws and particularly teeth are full of bacteria. The first sign that Misty has an abscess is that he he is quiet and I check for a lump. Last week I found a lump on his neck, I squeezed out all the gunk and bathed it. Cooled, boiled salted water is good or you can get some hibiscrub from the vet Make sure you 'empty' the absess of the gunk and don't allow it to heal over until it is all out. I must confess that as Misty has had so many of them I treat them myself and don't bother with the vet unless it is particularly nasty. Never had any problems with this.

[samwise]

Thank you!
I was getting all guilty and getting dramatic!
I hope it does clear up quickly! Will keep you posted!:)

[dinahsmum]

I agree with Kim. I used to have an inveterate abscess-collector (and i don't think he was much of a fighter ... more of a wimp really, obviously all the bullies picked on him!). That spot, on the eyebrow, is a classic site for them - bitten by another cat and not a place they can lick and keep clean.
So, if you find another, the self-help treatments suggested should do the trick. Obviously, if it's not healing you need vet intervention and the good old antibiotics.
Hope he's OK this morning.

[Sweet]

Poor little boy, dont beat yourself up over it - I am sure he will be as good as new in a few days :) x

[tilly]

My buster has had several abcesses and it can be hard to notice. His were on his face and I only notice because it look like he had a black eye even then he had to be looking directly at me to be able to compare and notice the difference and he is a very cuddly cat. So I can see how you missed it for a bit. He had to have his face shaved and they shaved off his whiskers on one side then 2 weeks later he got another abcess and they shaved off his eyebrows!!!! The poor thing looked like a thug. Anyway to get back to the question I would wash it with warm salt water and try to keep the cut open. As that is what my vet said to do.

Hope this helps

Sally

[alexgirl73]

Hope the poor baby recovers soon. Best wishes to you both!

[random]

Dont feel bad, when Tabs was younger she had one on her side, it was unnoticable untill it burst, and it was huge. Our vet said a lot of people dont notice them until they burst. We just washed it a few times a day with salt water, and dettol before bed (as advided by our vet at the time, about 10 years or so ago now), but Tabs was particularly nasty, and much bigger than Sammys one, so im sure he will be fine, hope it heals up nice and quick :D

[samwise]

Thankyou all!
He has been in for food this morning and the wound is drying up nicely, there is no ooze or anything! Am really pleased!:D

I didnt clean the wound as it was dry and beginning to scab already. Was that the right thing to do?

[dinahsmum]

As long as you are sure there is nothing still in it (and there prob isn't as he has had a/bs).
If you hadn't been to the vet (or for next time) it might take a couple of days to empty and then heal, or you might have to actually (sorry) knock the scab off, to allow it to drain properly.

[Kim]

DM is right, if you squeeze and no pus comes out it has probably drained. You may possibly have to take the scab off, but it will soon heal over again. I usually find that once the pus is out they feel so much better, bit like squeezing a spot!! ;) sorry!!!

[samwise]

The wound has scabbed over already!!
He is doing really well!
Thank you all for your concern, comments and advice!:D