Cat pulled off healing scab -

[QforCucumber]

Old man cat had an abscess on his neck, just above the shoulder blades last week, it’s burst and been checked out by vets and all drained away so now a matter of keeping him in and waiting for it to heal,

however this is where we have a problem, tonight he’s scratched off the healing scab - so it now looks raw and sore and is bleeding. Vet said it’s on the exact spot a cone would have sat so that’s a no go, any ideas from you lovely lot to help either stop him scratching or what we can pop on tonight before I can speak with vets in the morning?

(I’ll share a photo if needed. Just didn’t want to without a sporner warning)

First thought was an inflatable collar as long as there isn’t a seam that would rub the wound. Not ideal, but something soft and flat touching the area is a lot better than a cone’s sharp edge. We have used one in a very similar situation. But better might be one of those anti-scratch suits? I have no experience of those, however.

You can get the inflatable collars at Pets at Home. Maybe it’s still open where you are?

Cut the sleeve off a t shirt or if you have big enough socks, cut one down to tube, effectively making a tubigrip bandage for cats. Pop over the neck of the cat and arrange over the scab.

1. make sure it’s big enough that you aren’t chocking the old boy.
2. he may be more irritated by this.
3. keep an eye on to make sure he doesn’t get a claw stuck in it and keep him indoors.

or, if the wound is clean - pop some Vaseline? On it to keep the dirt out?

he may actually leave it alone now the scab is off - scabs tend to pull as the heal making you itch.

Oh I’ve never heard of inflatable collars thanks @Byllis ill have a look at those. I know he absolutely will not wear a scratch suit (past experience) he’s 16(ish) so very set in his ways and currently furious that he’s not allowed outside.

we’re watching him for a bit now to see if you’re right @Alphabet1spaghetti2 and he does seem to be leaving it alone now, maybe I’m panicking and it just looks worse than it really is. It just looks more sore now than it did when it first drained

Doughnut collar?

We bandaged a cats paw to stop him from scratching once it certainly distracted him from the wound spent all his time working on the bandage wore himself out went to sleep 😂

Haha @Theunamedcat what a great idea. I’m eyeing that back left foot and the bandages now, he can tell I’m plotting something as he’s ran off to stand in front of the window and glare at me with all of his anger - it is of course all my fault that 1) it’s raining and 2) the bloody nuisance got bitten and got himself an abscess.

Thanks for the advice everyone, he’s settled and asleep on a towel on the dining table now. The more he sleeps the less he can scratch so hoping it gets chance to scab over again and will see what the vet says in the morning (not that there’s likely much they can do)

He probably needs anti itch medication because they itch badly when they are healing! My cat used to get flea dermatitis the vet wouod give him an anti itch injection everytime he had a bad flare up he would stop scratching almost immediately

I had a similar issue with DCat after a locum at the previous vets put flea treatment on her neck which gave her an allergic reaction and then a wound with scab. She did same as your cat did itched/scratched the scab off so it was red raw twice and quite big.

Luckily after second time she left it alone and it got better. I did just use boiled water and salt on it or TCP diluted.

@Theunamedcat that sounds like my cat too will ask for anti itch medication next time.