Cat got a wound in July, wound closed and fur began growing in. Today there's a huge wound in the same spot. What's going on?? *Warning pictures*

[Aszira]

Something attacked Kira in July. I don't know the exact date, but it was likely after the 15th. He's very touchy and doesn't like to be handled, so I've mostly been hands off with it. I've kept an eye on it since it's so obvious and easy to see. The wound closed and fur began growing in so I figured all was well. Last night I noticed the area with the new fur had two small weeping wounds. Tonight he came to get love and the small weeping wounds are now a giant open sore. It's roughly the size of a quarter, and kinda looks like a popped blister. I remember last night he was licking at the area like it hurt. What the heck is going on? Did he have an actual blister that popped? Could it be a new wound? (If so, why the same spot?) What can I do to help care for it and help lira heal? A cone of shame absolutely will NOT work. He's an incredibly timid rescue and that would cause a panic to the point of possible damage to himself and others around him. Can I put something on it that will keep him from licking without risking a neck injury to him? He might also be a bit under the weather, not sure. I've had foster kittens for a while and he's been AWOL for the last week. He's only really been around the last two days. (Mostly he's been hiding in terror under the couch and various other furniture. Or in the yard at 2am - he never leaves the yard though)


The first wound he had

This is the new wound.

 

[maggie101]

It could be infected. She needs to see a vet asap

 

[IndyJones]

It looks very angry. She probably needs an antibiotic and possably a pain killer. Almost certainly infected. Especialy since it isn't healing in over a month.

Only antibiotics will fix an infection.

 

[Aszira]

He's definitely getting a vet appointment today. I don't understand how it could be healed, then explode like this. He didn't act like it was sensitive to touch after it healed. It might have looked slightly odd, but I honestly don't remember. I'm super confused by it.

 

[IndyJones]

It looks like a ruptured abscess to me. The raised bump in the last photo suggests it has been festering for a while now. Looks so painful.

Remember cats are very stoic about pain. Their threshhold is much stronger than ours because it is left over from wild survival.

But an abscess is something you don't want to leave untreated, pus and bacteria build up like a balloon and eventualy it pops or ruptures like you have seen and the nasty stuff leaks out. They can spread easily so don't poke or mess around with it unless the vet says you should do something with it.

 

[Aszira]

I had him at the vet. Fortunately he had no fever or pain so the vet gave him an antibiotic and sent him home. The odd thing is the vet noted the bald spot when I had him for his rabies vaccine and didn't think it was anything. I'm guessing he didn't have time to carefully look since poor Kira is a skitterish cat. (I mean, he DID come home from his rabies appointment with a big 'caution' written on the worksheet of stuff they were doing so...) It's weird to me since it wasn't like a big wound he originally had. It was two small puncture marks. I haven't had a major animal wound in 20 years so this is all a bit surprising.

Now for a more important question... How on earth do I get him to stop scratching it?? He doesn't lick or bite at it. He uses his hind paw to scratch it. A Cone Of Shame won't prevent his back paws from getting to it. All I can think of is that it's dry and uncomfortable/skin is tight. Is there like an ointment I can put on it to help with the itching? Because washing it out daily doesn't help if he just scratches and puts in more bacteria. (Scratching at it seems like it would be incredibly painful...)