Cat is "raw" under tail - any experience?

[MuddyWellyNelly]

Firstly, I should say I have a vet appointment this afternoon, so he will be properly looked after :)

My 7yo neutered male has been a bit quiet. We caught him in a fight with another cat last weekend, then the next day noticed his tail was not quite right. Not totally broken (we've had that with another cat), still an inch off the floor and still had feeling in it, but he won't lift it; so we assumed he had taken a knock. I have been giving him metacam, carefully monitoring his eating and toilet habits, with a deadline of today to take him to the vet if there was no improvement. Anyway last night I saw him licking under his tail, and noticed it was red raw, just at the top near his anus.

Google tells me most likely explanation would be a bite that led to an abscess. But if he was bitten in his fight on Saturday night, would that lead to his tail being sore immediately (ie from the Sunday)? I only got a brief glimpse and as he is going to the vet anyway I don't want to p him off more my poking about myself. It didn't look like a seeping wound but I didn't get a proper look. My first reaction was that he had licked it sore, rather than the wound being there originally. During the week he has been eating ok, caught a mouse (only being let out during the day and if I am here, and we are very rural so it is very rare for there to be other cats around). He can jump up on things, go up and down stairs etc and his balance isn't affected which is why the original theory of injured tail didn't worry me too much.

Anyway as I say I will know more this afternoon but just wasn't sure if the tail itself seeming sore would fit with an abscess?

Our boy had something very similar, i looked one day and he had this ruddy great open wound just above his bum hole underneath his tail. Took him straight to the vet and he explained it was most likely a burst abscess, probably due to fighting, and poor thing had to have this wound stapled!

I don't remember it affecting his tail, but it might be a bit painful for him to sit and put his tail all the down maybe? After stapling the wound, our vet gave him some antibiotics to fight off any potential nasties. Does your cat fight with others? Our boy used to, but has mellowed as he's got a little older.

Abscess almost certainly, which ideally needs antibiotics.

My old lad had that. He'd been bitten by next door's (bloody) dog. AntiBs sorted him out, poor boy.

I thought I replied earlier but it was obviously lost in cyber space. Vet is later today so no diagnosis yet. But I did catch him licking at it and the bit I saw is pink and bald, with a couple of patches of redder, sore skin. Still can't see anything obviously abscess like but I am really avoiding prodding him. I will pay the vet to take the swipes .

My only experiences of abscesses are horses' feet. I am not sure the cat will appreciate an animalintex poultice, a nappy and some duck tape!

Update - surprisingly, given my history of unusual ailments, it is indeed the "number 1 result as providing by Google", an abscess. She gave him a good check over but said his tail tone and blood supply is good, abscess has burst, and looks like the right size to be a cat bite. Didn't take his temp as all other signs are normal and he's still quite uncomfortable. He got a long lasting AB injection so thankfully no trying to force pills down him (he's a nightmare) and twice since we got home he has lifted his tail to horizontal or even a bit more, so feeling much more comfortable. I hope having to use brute force to get him in the cat box isn't what made it burst

A few more days metacam and then hopefully he can just be allowed to heal. She has decided against Cone of Shame so he can still go out a bit, but if he continues to lick it then we will have to lock him in and face his wrath.

He's skulked off somewhere now to be cross as I put him in the car .

Oh bless him
Glad he's ok though and no thermometer up the bum was a bonus!