Cats - constant infections and antibiotics - puzzled.

[TheSilentSister]

I had cats when I was younger (born in the 60's) and after a fight, they'd lick themselves clean, never needed a vet, never had vaccinations either! I've only had cats since then for the last couple of years and they constantly need the vets. Every bite seems to get infected. Vets always say it's likely another cat. I live on the edge of town and there's a lot of cats around here.
I can't keep them in as they are too used to going out. I've stopped them being able to use the cat flap to go in and out at night now but still they get into fights. They are healthy cats otherwise, no underlying health conditions etc.
I'm wondering if constant vaccinations somehow weakens their own immune systems. Also, constant antibiotics can't do much good either. Any theories on this anyone?

bath the cat in inadine or similar. Stops the abscesses and infections.

are they neutered?
Uneutered males fight a lot and then get bites and abscesses.
Neutered males tend to fight much less, and females even less.

The problem is usually that you don't know they have a bite until it gets infected.
You could spend 10 minutes each night gently stroking them and feeling for cuts and bites. Then squirt disinfectant into the wound.
Cats mouths are notoriously filthy (in terms of bacteria) and bite wounds, becuase they penetrate, take the bacteria down and then the bite closes over, hence the infection.

I've had cats for years, and we have some phases of problems liek this, which I tend to think is related to what other cats are around and being a pain.

Keep them in at night does help. (although mine would have scratched the door to peices in frustration and then sat and howled.)

Thank you both for replying. Both male, both neutered. I'll get some inadine/iodine in for next time but currently 1 cat had an abscess burst and am taking him to the vets tomorrow.
I'm glad the xmas decs are down now as they took a bashing during the night. They've also stopped trying to suffocate me by sitting on my face so I wake up. Lol.

Newer thinking on cat bite abscesses is to clean them, give pain relief and not antibiotics unless the cat has a temperature/is unwell or there is a suspicion a joint is involved. 9/10 will get better without antibiotics. This is something vets are moving towards with relation to not overusing antibiotics.

unfortuately it’s not always easy to persuade owners that their animal doesn’t need antibiotics.

We're the opposite I think. None of our cats have needed antibiotics for wounds for 30ish years. Constant prior though!

thinking about it, when we did have phases of bites and infections, I only went to the vet about 1/4 of the time. If the abcess burst, then I didn't automatically take them to the vet, clean and wait was what I did.
If cat appeared unwell, or the abcess looked nasty or they were limping/struggling in some way then we went to the vet.

But with current cat 15 years and no abcess. It must depend on the other cats they are fighting with.

It will depend on the cat density where you are. Current thinking is unless the cat is unwell pain relief, lancing and cleaning is what is needed - this is what we did in the 80s.
In the 1960s cats had a much shorter life span average about 10 years now lifespan is longer average about 15 years. So yes they live longer they are kept health by seeing preventative medicine.