How on earth has he managed to do this?

There's a massive chunk out of the back of his head. I think he must have hit it on something but I can't find any blood and a pile of black fur anywhere.

I've put some iodine on it but is there anything else I should watch for? It's a good 1.5cm across.

Iodine burns terribly, I wouldn't use it again. Triple antibiotic salve would be good now to use, watch it for signs of infection, swelling, heat, and green discharge. He may need an antibiotic if it starts to look bad. Does he have access to the outdoors? i would say a dog or another cat got hold of him, it could be many things, even a fan motor from a car. No matter what, he is extremely lucky it wasn't worse, please watch him for any signs of concussion, lethargy, wobbly legs, crying nonstop, and drooling. Get him to a vet right away if any of these things happen.  I hope you can find where and how it happened, I am curious to know too, one of the great mysteries in a cat's life!

Thanks @Di and Bob

Indoors, up high so it wouldn't be an outdoor injury. Him and his sister wrestle but they've never hurt each other and he gets on with the foster, she'll slap him if she wants to steal a toy but they don't fight. So I don't really think it'd be one of them. It doesn't look like a bite either.

My foster hit her head on the table on her first night here and they recommended iodine, I didn't know it stung so I'll go to the chemist and see what they have.

He's his usual self, I didn't even notice the wound until I went to give him a brush, although he was slightly shoutier than usual this morning and wanted a bit more attention and comfort.

I really want to find out what it is because if there's something that can hurt them it needs to be dealt with. I'm giving the entire flat a full clean today so I hope I can work it out.

My poor Biffs.

Oh dear!
@Pegleg, please bring him to the vet asap? Don't let it get infected.

Look under your bed, couch, etc. for exposed springs. I had some springs under my daybed and every time I crawled under to get something, I'd tear my shirt on the spring ends :/. None of my pets ever hurt themselves on it but there was definitely the potential. Hope you can find out what happened to prevent it from happening again!

I don't think he needs the vet necessarily, but keep a close eye on it for infection and call the vet right away if anything seems wrong.

I hope you find out what happened, that's a worry! I suspect it's one of those injuries that looks worse than it is? Like he got a bit of fur scalped off rather than his skin sliced open? Obviously you want to look after it and hopefully some antibiotic salve does the trick. I didn't know iodine stung either, I usually just use Polysporin on myself for my many cuts and scrapes.

I just remember when my mother (50 years ago) put iodine on my scrapes when I fell on my bike, it was cheap and readily available back then. It stung so bad I wouldn't tell her about my injuries, the iodine hurt worse then the scrape! I don 't know if teh modern stuff is different, it may be. The next time you get an open sore like a scrape, put some on and see!

 I don't think it was a cat fight, there would be hair scattered around. If your cat is indoors there must be something hanging from somewhere that is sharp and can catch the skin. You might want to check under your couch and chairs, cats love to squeeze under them. I hope you find it! 

pushylady Yes it's a bit of a scalping. It does look worse, especially as he has really lovely thick fur.

W Willowy This is the problem, they don't have springs. I thought it could have been something under the sofa bed but he can't fit his head under far enough. I'm a bit more worried about the culprit than the wound so I'm going to keep on looking. I messaged the vet with a picture and he wasn't concerned.

di and bob We were generally left to bleed as kids, maybe get a bit of antiseptic cream if there was any about. I bought it for Hanna's scrape and have been using it on the scratches from the kittens. It didn't hurt so I don't know if it's milder or I have a useless superpower.

The wound's improving, the most trouble he's had is with me disturbing him to check when he's having a good lie down.

Pegleg said:

My foster hit her head on the table on her first night here and they recommended iodine, I didn't know it stung so I'll go to the chemist and see what they have.

My poor Biffs.

Click to expand...

I am a human doctor, not a cat doctor but the management of clean wound is, in general, similar in both humans and felines.  Iodine, by itself, doesn't sting but Tincture of Iodine is iodine with alcohol and this certainly stings!  Tincture of Iodine is not used so often now but used to be used commonly for human cuts and abrasions, particularly on children by their mothers!!  

I must apologise for contradicting Di and Bob but, in the absence of infection, the use of antibiotics, in ointment or otherwise, should be avoided as this increases the risk of antibiotic-resistant organisms.  In general clean uncomplicated wounds are best left alone, uncovered, to heal by themselves, particularly in this case where the cat is unable to reach the wound.   Of course, if in any doubt you should consult a vet.

Best wishes,

Geoffrey

Because of the round shape, I wonder if it was a small abscess that popped? Even small scratches can abscess if they get bacteria in them, and they can be easy to miss- until they pop and you see a raw, round hole. Cat claws are full of bacteria from the litterbox, so a little scratch from playing with your other cat could be the culprit.

Maybe a tiny little dab of Neosporin to keep the wound moist while it heals would help- but anything you put on him, he'll likely be able to groom off by wiping his paw across the back of his head. It is tempting to use hydrogen peroxide since it disinfects and doesn't hurt, but is only useful for cleaning an injury right after it occurs. HP should not be used on wounds that are already healing because it will damage the new skin trying to grow (I just found that out recently while talking to my vet sister in law I used to use hp on all our healing cuts and scratches to prevent infection, but come to find out, I was probably doing more harm than good).

I'd just keep a very close eye on it while it heals, and occasionally clean the wound gently with a warm, very lightly soapy paper towel or cotton ball, and then rinse with plain water to make sure the soap is all gone. Then a tiny little dab of the Neosporin, just enough for a paper-thin layer to cover the open wound once it's dry. It should heal on it's own, but if it gets or looks any worse, take him in to see the vet.

Geoffrey said:

I must apologise for contradicting Di and Bob but, in the absence of infection, the use of antibiotics, in ointment or otherwise, should be avoided as this increases the risk of antibiotic-resistant organisms.  In general clean uncomplicated wounds are best left alone, uncovered, to heal by themselves, particularly in this case where the cat is unable to reach the wound.   Of course, if in any doubt you should consult a vet.
Best wishes,
Geoffrey

Click to expand...

I agree, we're running out at an alarming rate. I've got some antiseptic cream if needed.

happybird Thanks for the tip. I don't think it was an access as there's no hole, it's more of a surface abrasion, but it's good to be able to discount it.

The wound is starting to scab up nicely and he was in full voice this morning to remind me that he hasn't been fed since last night.

He's likes to sit in the sun (then complain he's hot) so that's helped too.

Thanks for all your help. Obviously I'm going to keep an eye on it but it looks to be healing, not oozing, which is a good sign. I'm still worried I can't seem to find what causes it, so I'm tentatively hopeful that this is just a one off. All my furniture's from Ikea and I made sure everything was cat friendly (turned out to be excellent for cats).