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A couple months ago I noticed one of my cats had a pretty swollen area above his eye. With closer examination, I found the entire area between his eye and ear was red and puffy. There were scattered scabby looking pimples with a half-grape sized sac of pus with a semi-healed scab in the center.
I wrapped Keeker in a towel (for my protection) and cleansed the area with warm soapy water until the drainage stopped, then loaded them both up and headed for the vet.
The assistant took his vitals and everything was normal. No fever!
Vet: What happened?
Me: I have no idea. I just found him like this this morning.
Vet: Is he an outdoor cat?
Me: No. They are both strictly indoor.
Vet: Are they up on their shots?
Me: Yes. They are up on everything.
Vet: This looks like a puncture wound from a few days ago. If he is indoors, I would say his brother here got the better of him.
Me: OK. But what are those little pin-point scabs?
Vet: That is a type of unknown dermatitis caused by the bacteria in the cat bite. I am going to give him a shot of Convenia for the infection. It's a slow-release antibiotic that will stay in his system about 65 days. I am also going to give you a bottle of TresaDerm drops for his ear. It looks like the dermatitis has spread into his ear and it will itch. If it doesn't show signs of improvement, it gets worse, or he gets lethargic or stops eating bring him back in. He should be looking and feeling better in a few days. It's possible he could get a little diarrhea from the antibiotic so keep him hydrated.
A couple days later I noticed some of the hair around the area had fallen out and it seemed to have spread across his forehead. That was caused by the dermatitis and the vet assured me it would heal and fill back in.
Well, it took 3 weeks for everything to clear up and he is healthy as ever. Luckily, no side effects from the antibiotic.
The purpose of this post is because I just wanted everyone to know (because I sure didn't and I have had cats for over 40 years! Proof that you are never too old to learn.) that cat bites are just as dangerous and serious to cats as they are to humans. If you have a cat that has been bitten by another cat - regardless if it is from an unknown stray or, as in my instance, a well vetted indoor cat - get it to the vet!
My boys have always 'played rough' (since they were kittens - see pic below!) like two cowboys in a bar fight! But now I make a habit of checking them for injuries on a regular basis just in case.
I've included pictures below that were taken a few days after it happened.
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I wrapped Keeker in a towel (for my protection) and cleansed the area with warm soapy water until the drainage stopped, then loaded them both up and headed for the vet.
The assistant took his vitals and everything was normal. No fever!
Vet: What happened?
Me: I have no idea. I just found him like this this morning.
Vet: Is he an outdoor cat?
Me: No. They are both strictly indoor.
Vet: Are they up on their shots?
Me: Yes. They are up on everything.
Vet: This looks like a puncture wound from a few days ago. If he is indoors, I would say his brother here got the better of him.
Me: OK. But what are those little pin-point scabs?
Vet: That is a type of unknown dermatitis caused by the bacteria in the cat bite. I am going to give him a shot of Convenia for the infection. It's a slow-release antibiotic that will stay in his system about 65 days. I am also going to give you a bottle of TresaDerm drops for his ear. It looks like the dermatitis has spread into his ear and it will itch. If it doesn't show signs of improvement, it gets worse, or he gets lethargic or stops eating bring him back in. He should be looking and feeling better in a few days. It's possible he could get a little diarrhea from the antibiotic so keep him hydrated.
A couple days later I noticed some of the hair around the area had fallen out and it seemed to have spread across his forehead. That was caused by the dermatitis and the vet assured me it would heal and fill back in.
Well, it took 3 weeks for everything to clear up and he is healthy as ever. Luckily, no side effects from the antibiotic.
The purpose of this post is because I just wanted everyone to know (because I sure didn't and I have had cats for over 40 years! Proof that you are never too old to learn.) that cat bites are just as dangerous and serious to cats as they are to humans. If you have a cat that has been bitten by another cat - regardless if it is from an unknown stray or, as in my instance, a well vetted indoor cat - get it to the vet!
My boys have always 'played rough' (since they were kittens - see pic below!) like two cowboys in a bar fight! But now I make a habit of checking them for injuries on a regular basis just in case.
I've included pictures below that were taken a few days after it happened.
View media item 295176
View media item 295177
View media item 295179
View media item 295181
