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Cat has burst abscess

23 replies

OhYouBadBadKitten · 01/07/2009 20:39

Not dealt with this before. All 3 cats have been moping about in bushes over heated past couple of days. Bad Cat has just appeared with a burst abscess in her side. It is really foul. Shes active, hungry and drinking too.

Have cleaned it with saline and will make an appt first thing in am (out of hours vet is miles away and very very expensive.) Will pick up her food bowl in a bit in case she needs an anaesthetic.

anything I need to consider? poor bad cat Can't believe I didnt spot it until it burst

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LynetteScavo · 01/07/2009 20:40

The vet squeezed my cats to burts it, then just gave antibiotics.

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bamboobutton · 01/07/2009 20:43

i ahve never needed anti-b's for my cats abcesses and they have had loads. just keep squeezing the pus out and cleaning it with salt water.

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OhYouBadBadKitten · 01/07/2009 20:44

really? thats good. Its hard to imagine that something so horrid just needs antibios!
Hopefully she'll be alright til tomorrow?

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LynetteScavo · 01/07/2009 20:44

I don't think my cat actally needed the anti -b - but my vets are very keen on on off shoots of "tonics" etc.

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OhYouBadBadKitten · 01/07/2009 20:45

x-post. bamboobutton cool It seems big to me so I will check it out. What worries me is that she let me clean it without wincing.

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OhYouBadBadKitten · 01/07/2009 20:46

LS - my vet too

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differentID · 01/07/2009 20:46

tbh- the fact it's burst already is a good sign. Wash it down again and keep an eye on her. If she has long fur, see if she will let you clip around around it which will stop fur from getting trapped in her wound.

Poor Bad Cat. Poor Kitten as well- have something ice cold and realxing.

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OhYouBadBadKitten · 01/07/2009 20:47

thanks DiffID am silly worried about it!
Beer sounds good.

So she can eat dinner tonight?

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bamboobutton · 01/07/2009 20:49

i'd give her food.

the only time the abcesses bothered my cats was when i was trying to squeeze them

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bamboobutton · 01/07/2009 20:52

fook me badkitten, you need a warning about that loofah on your profile.

that'll teach me for being nosey

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differentID · 01/07/2009 20:52

give her a light meal early on, but make sure she has plenty of access to water.

bamboo button, did you end up with nice sets of 4 red stripes going down your hands as well and several small sets of puncture wounds on your arms?

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bamboobutton · 01/07/2009 20:53

yes. yes i did, who would've thought a cat would object to someone helping them?

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differentID · 01/07/2009 21:04

haha

you are funny

it's not as bad as bathing a cat.

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OhYouBadBadKitten · 01/07/2009 22:08

oops bamboo - must take that off - sorry!

bathing a cat horrid. First time I tried it, I tried just dunking the cat in the bath. Ended up with her hanging from my earlobe by a claw!

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DollyPardonme · 01/07/2009 22:11

cats' skin is very easy to break but then they are (so I understand, I am no vet) programmed to get abcesses, which often clear up on their own, they just look vile. Vet will pump in the antibiotics, best to take the cat but it's quite normal. If they fight a lot they get them from bites. My dearly departed Parsley used to get them in her bum all the time (useless fighter AND slow runner).

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OhYouBadBadKitten · 01/07/2009 22:12

Its funny, had cats as a child and my older cats are now 12 and somehow still never had to deal with it. I'm just astonished at how deep they are. I'd always imagined more like a burst blister!

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differentID · 02/07/2009 07:57

Hope Bad Cat is feeling better today and hope that vet visit is ok.

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OhYouBadBadKitten · 02/07/2009 12:05

Thanks DiffId. Looked horrid this morning, full of pus, it was huge and she really smelled poor cat.

Was really stressed as one of our other cats who never ever misses a meal was no where to be seen last night or this morning. neighbours kindly told me that they thought it was a fox as we have had 3 hanging round in the street and he thinks they are hungry with the drought round here.

Vet shaved Bad Cat and cleaned her up. Given her 2 weeks worth injection of anti bios and also anti-inflams as its pretty swollen. told her that normally we should keep her in for a couple of days but in this heat that would stress her even more. Bad Cat peed everywhere. Vet said it was good that it was a big one because it meant that she didn't need to open it further to drain it.

Got back home, no sign of other cat. Went into school to help but couldnt concentrate. Was imagining other cat being massacred, so got sent back home Opened the door and there was Missing Cat miaowing to ask for food. Bad Cat looks gruesome and smelly and the other 2 keeping curling their nose up at her. But generally all is well in our cat population.

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differentID · 02/07/2009 18:45

Glad all is returning to normal in the Kitten household.

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zjml · 25/07/2009 11:52

I've encountered a few cat abscesses, the first was on the top of my 17 year old tom cat's head. As he was very poorly and off his food we took him to the vet. The vet gave home some antibiotics and decided to take him out the back to try bursting it himself. The abscess was clearly not ready and really distressed the cat. He was unsuccessful. After paying a small fortune we took home a poorly cat who felt worse than when we took him. A day or two later, the abscess began to burst by itself, probably with the aid of the Cat cleaning he's head. We helped the old tom to get the remaining pus out. The following day, he was right as rain, although he looked a bald mess.

The next abscess I encountered was on my 1 year old kitten. He came home one day with a lump the size of a golf ball poking out from behind his ear. Initially I thought it was a bee sting, but two days later it was still there. Being as he was only a year old and must have a good immune system he was still eating and drinking, although he wasn't as playful as his usual little self. Once I realised that this would be another abscess I was quite reluctant to take him to the vet as I remembered clearly how useless the vet was with my old tom.

Sure enough, the fur started to full out around the affected area to reveal a monstrosity of an abscess! Once revealed, I began to soften it by soaking it in warm salty water a few times a day. Another day or two later (Keeping in mind my cat was still eating) I found him 3 in the morning frantically cleaning his fur, the abscess had begin to burst.

Time for the two man job, we took little Zak into the bathroom, my partner held him whilst I gently squeezed about 2-3 table spoons of pus from this wound! I never seen an abscess like this! Once all out, there remained a hole big enough to poke your finger in. Through out the delicate operation, I wore rubber gloves and used some more warm salty solution and a clean cloth. He looked and absolute state but he brightened up by morning and was back to chasing butterflies in the garden. I kept soaking the wound in warm salty water a few times a day. Throughout this whole time, the cat was very good and let me do what I needed to do without any fuss, however some cats aren't as trusting, so you may need to wrap them in a towel to prevent you from being clawed. Try not to let the scab form as this can trap in the bacteria. Fortunately Zak kept scratching it off himself as it was healing. His face has healed beautifully now and there was no need for any traumatic, expensive vet visits. As an owner though, you do need to judge whether your cat needs to visit the vets. This was just my experience, and remember my cat didn't loose his appetite, which was less cause for alarm.

I hope this may help someone else and also save them an expensive vet bill.

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bigfatfrankbruno · 01/06/2011 14:50

Hi, i'd like to thank all of you for your posts i read them with great interest, my very old cat Fat Frank Bruno came home last night with his jaw looking like someone had kicked him and dislocated it, he had his dinner and bedded down for the night. in the morning this huge lump had burst, possibly with him scratting at it and the amount of puss that came out was amazing then came sticky bloody fluid. I called the vets and got an appointment, then cleaned him up with salted water gave him his breakfast, pureed with a little water, so he could just lap it up, he's already lost a fang fighting with local smaller toms!!! he's a swine!! I dropped my child off at mums, came home and the bugger had got out!!!!! so I rang cancelled appointment and went on the net to see if there was more I could do, and to my suprise I found this site and never realized this happened a lot with cats, so thanks to you all I too have saved a packet in vet bills, but must stress that if he dosent look any better in a few days I will get another app

x thanks again folks Leslea x

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dawner1 · 07/09/2017 23:57

Just wanted to say thanks for this chain of conversation, it has been so useful. We live in rural Aberdeenshire and I have recently been to the vets with one of our cats with what must have been the aftermath of a burst abcess, where I paid a great deal if money for a check over and injection of antibiotics with a cat that was basically already healing. 2 days ago my other cat came in with what looked like an injury on his head, kept my eye on it and yesterday it started to ooze pus, I squeezed it and bathed it, did the same again today, removing loads of pus (ugh), bathed it again. His appetite is good and is behaving quite normally. I will check him out again in the morning and will gather it again - hopefully saving myself at least £60 and a long and very disressing trip to the vet with my cat! Thanks all xx

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Worldsworstcook · 04/11/2017 20:38

I am very fortunate that in our very rural area our vet is a farm vet wh charges peanuts to treat cats. My Persian (RIP Oscar) had a stroke the day before we were due to go on holiday. He boarded her for a week, fed her fresh fish and chicken. Came back to a bill of £90. Couldn't believe it - I was expecting hundreds. That said if my Ddog Mac needed an operation I'd be off to town to use the services of a pet vet with my insurance.

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