What would the vet do?

[chocolateface]

My cat is a fighter and a hunter and often comes home with wounds and surprisingly large animals. DH thinks I should take him to the vet tomorrow but I think you wouldn't take a child to the doctor for something like this, you'd deal with it at home, and this will heal by itself.

I'd take him to the vet. It looks bad and puncture wounds drive the bacteria deep, potentially causing a very serious infection.

If you go to the vet now, it’s likely the vet will prescribe antibiotics and anti-inflammatories. Cost and trouble minimal.

If left untreated, the wound could become infected, meaning several vet trips, pain for your cat and inconvenience for you.

I'll take him tomorrow and report back. Cat is going to be very cross with me about it, bless him.

Good decision. I hope that your poor boy feels better soon.

Cat will need antibiotics.

But you would if a child had a half inch deep penetrating bite wound from an animal in the back of their head though - wouldn't you?

The abscess that bite is very likely to cause could spread from chin to chest to waist within a couple of days. It needs to be encouraged to stay open, to be irrigated with saline repeatedly and to be backed up with antibiotics.

Definitely the vets and antibiotics. I don't know how many times I've seen this and it's never good if it's ignored.

My dad left one of his dogs for a few days thinking it would heal, the vet bollocked him and the wound took longer to heal and cost him more money.

It's not comparable to children because cats' mouths are filthy and puncture wounds will generally get infected.

Cat bite wounds require antibiotics and cleaning properly - you really don't want to have a cat with an abscess or worse!

So we're just back from the vets. The vet gave the wound a good poke and declared it didn't need any medication. He said if cat starts to scratch the wound to put socks on him. I assume little baby socks. (I said cat really wouldn't like that! )

I'm now £45 poorer, quite stressed from getting cat in the carrier, and cat is very cross with me. Hopefully I won't have to make him wear socks!

I'd be tempted to put some manuka honey on that, speed up the healing process. Or johnsons to a specific pet balm

Hydrogen peroxide has kept many a wound clean and uninfected on our fighters.

Ooh, three ideas to investigate, thanks!

Cat seems to be healing nicely atm, but I never know what he'll get up to next!