Just noticed this while giving him a bath

[NASCAR Junk]

I was giving my cat a bath today, he’s about 14 or 15... can’t remember, but I noticed this massive scar and I’m not sure where he got it from. My guess is it was itching and he scratched it until he got to raw skin... I have seen patches of “hairballs” by his eating area but didn’t think much of it.

alright literally as I’m posting this, he’s licking himself to dry off because I just gave him a bath, but he’s licking more aggressively near the scar area.

My dad will refuse to take this cat to the vet, but will something like trimming his claws be sufficient enough to get him to stop making it worse?

last time he ever went to the vet, it was because of an ear infection in his right ear, which has mostly been taken care of, but now it’s been getting worse again and we’ve had to clean bloody earwax out of his ear often, it also stinks bad.

He seems to be losing a lot of weight, he’s got a scar on the top of his head as well, and this new scar. He’s an old indoor cat, I’ve been taking care of him as best as I can, feeding him enough food and he always has access to water and his litter box. No problems with diet. I feed him Sheba once a day in addition to his regular hard food. I bathe him once or twice a month.

He is an arse of a cat though, which is why my dad doesn’t like him much. A few days ago he found a way into the attic, or rafter area, the area above the ceiling of the first floor, and there is a lot of sharp wood posts and edges in there. I went to retrieve him and he of course found a way out right as I got to him, leaving me stuck in the area for a bit

Last time I posted here it was because he acted like he had something stuck in his teeth. I’ve only noticed him doing that once or twice since then.

what can I do to get the area to heal?

 

[vince]

Does he go outside? Could he have gotten into a fight with another cat?

If you can get some Bag Balm (Tractor Supply or other farm supply houses), you can put that on. It's lightly medicated and is safe for livestock (primary purpose was to soothe the teats of nursing cattle). Should offer your kitty improved healing and some soothing without being dangerous if he licks some.

 

[NASCAR Junk]

No, I said he was an indoor cat. If I do ever let him outside, I sit out with him. He never goes far, and if he ever gets too far, I’ll walk over to him and he’ll just run to the door and beg to go back inside.

I do have dogs, but they are just little Maltese and they don’t bite him. Sometimes they’ll chase him off, but never bite him. My youngest dog likes to shove his toys in his face though.

 

[fionasmom]

Trimming his nails might help; however, there are multiple signs that the cat needs to see a vet and I know that you are aware of that. The bloody ear wax with the odor, weight loss, and the mysterious sore are all signs that something is not right. Even if you could take the cat for an assessment, no plans of any expensive long term treatment but just some help to make him comfortable, it would be a good idea. Are you sure that is a scar, especially in an indoor cat? I am thinking that it might be another type of lesion.

Care of Open Wounds in Cats

 

[FeebysOwner]

Is there any way to contact the vet that treated him before for the ear infection? Tell them that the infection appears to be back, and also send the vet a pic of that wound. Perhaps, they will advise treatments for both. It is possible he cut himself on the wood/posts you spoke of when he got into the attic? That is, as said above, an open wound, and needs to be treated accordingly to prevent infection.

And, while you are at it, mention his weight loss (do you have any idea how much?) to the vet, perhaps you can convince your dad to take him in to be checked over with additional information you get by talking to the vet?

He's older too, so he probably is more annoyed with the dogs than he might used to have been. Make sure he has some places to 'escape' to when he wants some peace and quiet from them - and, please make sure that is not in the attic! He might have gone there to get away from the dogs, so if you can give him some other places to hide out, maybe he will use those instead.

Btw, he is an indoor cat - is there any reason you bathe him? Most cats don't generally need baths unless they get into something that really makes them dirty. A lot of times, routine brushing will take care of mats/messy hair. The baths tend to dry out a cat's skin - even more so with an older cat. There are tons of different options to try if your cat isn't crazy for regular brushings.