Cat abscess hell!!

[lilyflower1803]

I have two outdoor cats. Rescued in October 2024, when we got them there was no evidence or sightings of any other cats on the block.

Over the last two months we have had three cat bites related abscesses and multiple cat fights. Two abscess needed veterinary care and were quite gnarly/made them unwell, and now my cat has returned with a smaller but still infected cat bite abscess which has burst.

I feel really bad for them as there is obviously a cat around which is causing problems for them both and I feel stuck on what to do next. I don’t want them to keep getting hurt, but don’t want to rehome them if I can avoid it. Making a cat proof garden is unfortunately not an option since we share a communal garden.

has anyone been in this situation? They would hate to be house cats but I’m debating keeping them inside for a bit, not sure if that would make it worse though as they could lose their territory.

please help!

Are they getting bitten on the head/neck or back end? The aggressor tends to get bitten on the front end. Usually they will manage to sort out territory and timings after a while.

I've found that holding a flannel or cloth soaked in warm water to the wound makes it burst quickly, and is less stressful than the vet.

No help on territory, ours have just fought it out and generally won or learnt to avoid conflicts though we still get the odd bite.

With with abscesses / injuries, we give them a good check over when they show signs of fighting and apply salty water and a spray / wipe of Leucillin on any scratches or scruffy bits to try and stop infection before it sets in. Has worked well. Have also done the same when abscesses have burst as well as some metacam or anti inflammatory if we have it in stock. The vets appointment for antibiotics is always just over the insurance excess so not worth claiming 🙄

They are being bitten on their head, neck and chest. Definitely either the aggressors or standing up for themselves. However I constantly see new cats in their territory who don’t seem to be getting harmed. They aren’t aggressive towards each other but I know one of the boys (the bigger one) is a bit of a protector so may well be putting up a bit of a fight

How long could this take? We thought they had sorted territory with neighbouring cats but there is either a new cat on the block, or all is still not well in the territory world!

Thank you for this tip, they have all burst themselves 🤢 so haven’t needed to use this yet

We're going through the same ,2 abcesses in a fortnight and another bite yesterday . Cat is 10 and clearly something is going on as never had this issue before! Burst abcess smells vile doesn't it? 🤢

Thank you :) how did you know they had won their fights? Did they just stop getting hurt?

I may have to start this. Luckily the vet seems to think I can treat this new abscess at home with antiseptic or salt water as it is a small one.

I have spent a small fortune on vet bills so if this is going to continue I may need to come up with something at home! Obviously would go if they needed veterinary assistance or it was obvious they need antibiotics but I’m getting clued up on these abscesses!

they are pretty grim and smelly to be having burst around the house though 🤢

So sorry to hear this :( it’s awful isn’t it and they look so painful plus it absolutely stinks!

im really hoping this will stop but im starting to get worried about letting them out in fear of them being bitten again. I’m going to try @BlotAnExpert’s method and see if that helps reduce the occurrence of an abscess

Might be a new cat on the block? Whereabouts is your cat being bitten?

Just picking up on the absess stuff.
Our cats have been quite frequent visitors to our vets with abscesses which was getting ridiculous. One of our vets actually showed us what to do. We bought losds
of saline washes from Amazon and some guaze (but you can also you clean tissue). It’s totally rank but you have to keep squeezing the abscesses until they burst fully and start to run clear with the washes. Since we have started doing this we have really reduced the vet’s visits and any need for antibiotics. it’s strangely satisfying once it’s all cleaned up!! When cats get bitten their wounds heal up so quickly and those abscesses form so quick don’t they! Of course, it might be easier said then done if your cat isn’t one to sit down nicely! Good luck

oh also we have a Sure cat flap and put time restrictions on when they aren’t allowed back out an hour or 2 before sunset. It’s a lot earlier in the Winter shorter evenings. Not sure what kind of cat flap you have but this helps us monitor our outdoor cats but keeps them safe at night too as we don’t let them out then.

Forehead so he's the bully!

I've just ordered some Leucillin so thanks for that x

We think he just beat them into submission and they have stopped coming into his territory. He was a small cat when younger but now when he goes to the vet she calls him 'hench' so I think he has just bulked up and seen them off (he is neutered so not jowly head bulk but actual muscle), or they have come to agreement about territories. We used to see and hear (it's SO loud) fighting on our neighbours garage / conservatory roof which was super embarrassing (all of our neighbours know him as he is a tart and also went missing when young so they know we are his slaves) but he doesn't really head off that way now so I suspect he has changed his behaviour as well.

Like a PP we do have a smart catflap so they have curfews, fights tend to be in the morning but he goes wild howling if it is set after sunrise so we don't actually keep him in to prevent morning scraps but he is in at night after tea where possible. We also chase off any cats we see, if he is fighting with them we try and do this in support of him so he can take the victory. Weirdly Sunday morning was a peak fight time so we do keep an ear out and intervene if possible.

It has caused stress cystitis in the past (he is visibly stressed / shaken after an encounter) which is another £100 vet bill so we also use a Vince the Vet bladder supplement which has completely kept that from happening.

You have some good advice about the abscesses which has been useful for me too. I would try and keep some anti inflammatory in stock as it does help if there is pain (obviously you can't over use it but having used it so often you know dosage etc...), always say yes if the vets ask you need it!

We should have picked another name, he's called Hercules and seems to think he has to live up to it, little bruiser! Photo for cat tax of him being a smug tw*t

We’ve never taken any of ours to the vet for bites - we just monitor at home and keep the area clean with Hibiscrub. Obviously if they got unwell then we’d take them, but it’s never happened in over a decade of owning cats - at worst they’re a bit subdued for a day or so.

Awhh he is so cute and knows he is totally handsome! 🤣

well done him for creating his territory! I’m hoping that might happen with our cats, as although they are getting bitten they don’t seem to be losing their territory. We did have one episode of stress induced cystitis which actually occurred before we noticed the first abscess, so clearly this had shaken our cat enough. He retreated inside for the first time and didn’t want to go out much at all, it was really sad to see a very confident and protective cat withdraw like that- his confidence and ego must have been very bruised!

Weirdly I haven’t heard our cats fighting others at all, which makes me think maybe they are entering and trying to secure other territories… we have a microchip cat flap but we can’t set times, which I’m now regretting not getting the more expensive one with all the bells and whistles! However we do lock the flap to entry only so that when they do come back (which ranges from 7-11pm) they are in until we open it in the morning. I suspect the same as you, that they are fighting in the morning which is odd!

one of our cats is a little sh*t and likes to sit on our neighbours doorstep for hours, which overlooks his territory! I suspect he likes the height, but I also think he gets fed there… a neighbour told us they also see our cats scaling the rooftops 😬!

this is Cobweb (smaller cat) and Bat (bigger cat) !

Sorry to be graphic but is that even if they have turned into an infected abscess. I’m not sure how well our cats would have healed without antibiotics for them so interested to know if you are able to treat big ones at home. This third small abscess I am treating at home and seems to be healing really well already, the others were awfully gross and large though!

Mine has had another scrap. Just doused him in Leucillin , smells a bit beachy!

Oh no! Hope he is ok?? Let me know how the leucillin goes, I hope it works for you and you get no horrible abscesses forming! Our cats abscesses usually formed by day 4 post-scrap!

It's not a bit bite, looks more like a little Nick rather than a a great big chunk. 🤞

Our old boy kept getting into a LOT of scraps and I’ve spent £100’s on the fallout. We have hibiscrub, and an anti-inflammatory on hand, and we were told
to keep him in at night with a litterbox. It’s vastly reduced injuries and I wish I’d done it sooner. He doesn’t like staying in and is a PITA, but I have some peace of mind now that he is safe at night. Still gets in a few scraps in the daytime of course. It wouldn’t be that easy.

Many years ago, we had an unneutered tom visitor, who was scruffy, greedy, and more than a tad smelly. Our cats weren't at all keen on him. One day of indoor spraying and aggressive behaviour, we scooped him into the cat basket and took him to the vet to be neutered, as a stray. We collected him in the evening and he promptly disappeared. A few weeks later we saw him in a garden a long way up the road, clean, well-groomed - and considerably fatter. His happy owners said he'd suddenly changed into a charming affectionate cat who seldom went beyond the garden. We didn't own up.

Hi all, just updating this thread as my adrenaline has been hit hard!

one of our cats came in for a cuddle and tried to go back out the flap but was met with a nasty fluffy attack trying to attack him through the flap! Our cat jumped out and attacked him back, then it was Mexican stand off until I could get my birks and water gun in hand to go spray the cat away! The big cat attacked our small cat and the rolled into a ball, meanwhile I was spraying with water trying to break up the fight! Eventually the water worked, and my cat ran away. The big cat tried to stand off with me! I walked towards him spraying my water chasing him away.

all the neighbours were watching me so couldn’t be too aggressive 🤣

interestingly, our small cat has been coming home with odd bits of fluffy grey fur…. The same colour as this cat!

any top tips here??

That’s an amazing story! You must have made a world of difference to his behaviour. I’m starting to think this cat may not be neutered. It’s a very large and aggressive cat, we know who owns it though so may be having a word!