He does fight, but this is a weird one - he came home on Monday evening with a mark on his head (sort of between his ears but lower, on his forehead). He wouldn't let us near it to look and was very skittish. I got to have a bit of a look yesterday and it looked like a small scratch or cut, but the fur around it was matted down so I couldn't see properly. He wouldn't let me get hold of him. (he is very independent and not a 'cuddly' cat at all!).
Today DD and I got him wrapped in a towel so I could properly see it; it was red and raw under the fur and there was a lump, it smelled awful. I bathed it in warm salty water and managed to get the matted fur off, it bled a bit and is now raw and open, about the size of a 5p. The lump has gone though.
I think it may have been an abscess that has burst, does that sound likely? And do they come up that quickly? He was absolutely fine on Monday morning.
He was fine when I was bathing it, no hissing or growling, in fact he just sat there quite happy. I think it may have been painful over the last couple of days but it obviously wasn't today.
I'm keeping a close eye on it but do I need to be putting anything on it?
One of our cats had an abscess once and the vet lanced it but then left it open to heal, he didn't give us any cream or anything to put on it. I honestly can't remember if he gave an antibiotic injection; I know we didn't have to give her any tablets though.