Shamelessly posting for traffic....any veterinary people around?

[LokiBear]

Sorry....aibu.

My eldest cat is a bit of a fighter. Regularly gets bitten on the leg, I see her limping, take her to the vets and hand over £70 for antibiotics for an abscess. This time, I noticed a scab on her head so no limping to tip me off that anything was wrong. She seemed fine, eating and drinking normally. Tonight I noticed there was a swelling that had developed. It was squishy so I removed the scab and I've drained the puss. She sat and let me do it, only getting grumpy when I bathed it in salt water. Do I need to take her to the vet? She seems fine. Can I just keep an eye on it? Going to the vets traumatises her. I would take her if she seemed like she's in pain, at the moment she doesnt. Wwyd?

Do you have pet insurance?

They tend to have a free phone number for advice.

There is an antibiotic powder you can buy from the pet shop off the shelf,sorry it's anti bacterial powder,it's very very good stuff,about three pounds.has healed numerous minor injuries on my cats and dogs.
Might be worth a try

No, it's not really cost effective for a cat.

Not a vet...

But my cat did the same. Big lump on his head. It was christmas and the ooh vet was two hours drive. So i lifted the scab, drained it as best i could, and bathed with salt water. Repeated for boxing day and the day after (sunday).

I did take him to the vets because he had a very complicated medical history, with post viral syndrome that affected his head and neck. Vet said i’d done a cracking job and sent him home with no worries.

That's that's really helpful I'll pick some up.

Thanks, really! That's so helpful.

Evening - I'm a vet.
You may or may not get away with it. Keep the wound open for a few days by removing the scab with salty water bathing. There may be a gravity issue with a head wound in that pus may collect below the exit point and not drain.
Cat bites quite frequently lead to fever and malaise so if she's off food or colour, get her treated. Also ongoing grotty wounds after several days.
Where there's one bite there may be more so have a good look - typically head/neck or forelegs and bathe those too.

Thanks. I've given her a good look over. I really don't mind taking her to see a vet, I just don't want to put her through it if I don't have too. I always opt for the antibiotic injection because she hates the tablets and I'm too soft to force her to take them! I'll keep an eye on her.