What is this hole on my cat’s head?

[OrangeSamphire]

Just back from holiday. Tabby cat seems on good form except he is without his collar and has this hole in his head. I expect he has been in a fight.

Not sure if this needs vet attention or not? Not oozing or hot and he is well in himself.

Would you watch and wait? Clean it?

Looks like a bite, from a dog, a fox or another cat. Looks like it needs a stitch or two.

Yeah, looks like he's been in a little scrap or something.

I'd pop him to the vets, no harm in checking. They might want to give him an antibiotic and anti inflammatory jab to ward off infection.

Could be a bite. I'd take to the vet.

abother vote for the vet. If it is a bite it is likely to get infected and abscesses can be nasty

Pour hydrogen peroxide over it to stop infection.

Bite wound, no hydrogen peroxide please ( this very, very dated advice from the early 1980s) and is likely to send the cat into orbit. We now know that hydrogen peroxide causes localised tissue necrosis and slows tissue healing.
Bathing with warm salty water and vet attention.

If it's a bite it's likely to become infected , vet for cleaning and antibiotics , probably will not stitch as it's a puncture wound and needs to heal from the inside and be able to drain freely whilst healing

Put some diluted hibiscrub on it.

@Lonecatwithkitten does it? We use it as first line treatment for post tonsillectomy bleeds. (Not that it works!) maybe we need a rethink!

Hibiscrub diluted 1 part to 10 parts water; apply with small piece of sponge (Not cotton wool) leave to foam for 5 mins then rinse with sponge. This was advice from a vet last year after ours got a bite wound which got infected (the smell was horrible). That said you likely won't have Hibiscrub in the house so salt water.
I would go to the vet and they'll likely give an antibiotic injection and clean it up thoroughly.

Salt water! Clean it gently.

It needs cleaning and yes I would take him to the vet. It's cheaper to catch a problem before it takes hold.

Looks like a bite puncture wound. There'll probably be more than one. Keep bathing with hot salty water frequently. Keep close watch on it in case gets infected. Vets if looks infected or any concerns. But make sure no others, tends to be the ones you don't notice that'll get infected in my experience

I had this with my cat. He had been in a fight, it turned nasty and all his hair fell off his head when it was infected from another cat bite. Went to the the vet panicking, she gave him an injection of antibiotics and prescribed tablets for a week £46 me and the cat have now recovered

Could it be a tick bite and the tick has had its fill and dropped off >
(And might be hanging around your carpets now eurgh )

Interesting with the Hydrogen Peroxide - we used to use it loads in Podiatry in the 80s/90s and it fizzes where there's infection and loosens any debris ...leaving water which can mascerate the wound .
But my DD had her belly button pierced last year and was told to use hydrogen peroxide !

Hibiscrub I personally wouldn't use near an animals eyes , it is really bad for corneas . So unless I could trust them to stay absolutely still, I wouldn't put it on the head ,

Salted boiled water cooled - much safer .

Abscess. See if the fur around it starts to come away. If it does, very gently continue, but start stroking upward towards the hole from under the chin and behind the ears. Chances are that a godawful stench will herald the arrival of gunk. So much gunk. And what a stench.

Warm salt water, keep on cleaning it three times a day, get him to the vets for antibiotics, keep gently reopening it and pushing the gunk out (cats' heads pretty much provide unlimited space for pus) and it'll heal once you can't get anything out from going under the chin repeatedly for about 10 minutes throughout a full day.

The smell is never as bad as the first time it hits you and make sure you give him the full course of antibiotics.

Am in week 3 of dealing with am abscess that won't heal, and cat now has a cone of shame, and is still gunky, despite hibidil being used for cleaning (as per vet), two vet visits, an antibiotic jab, and a week of antibiotics. His ear will never be the same again.

Please get it checked OP.

@Toddlerteaplease in veterinary medicine we stopped using it in about 1985 it causes tissue necrosis and intense pain. Something like a tonsillectomy - BOAS surgery is not totally dissimilar we would use cautery under anaesthesia.

Mine had that but we didn’t know till it burst. He had to go to the vet and I drained it at home every day or he’d walk round with green pus on his head like an rspca poster boy.

In the morning he’d rub his scab on my leg 🤢

And a word of caution, while you are cleaning the wound keep your mouth shut. I still remember the vet who was talking as she cleaned an abscess on one of mines cheek, cat suddenly shook her head violently and we all got a bit splattered, me on my cheek, but the poor vet got a direct hit in the mouth.......

@viques that is grim. Vets must get covered in all sorts but straight in the mouth..... When ours had his cleaned the smell in the room wasn't the most pleasant but at least there were no explosions.

My vet recommended Epsom salts dissolved in hot water and left to cool for possible bites when one of mine got bitten years ago.

Works bloody amazing, helps draw out any infected gunk!

Yes yes to keep your mouth closed if an abscess does form gavoms a bit

vinorosso it was indeed grim. The irony was that just before she had been telling the vet nurse that despite the smell she loved cleaning out gunky wounds! She was obviously a founder member of the sporners corner.