Cat fight abscess

Poor old Kingston has had a run-in with a local bully. Here he is showing off the swelling on the side of his face and waiting for the vet to anaesthetise him and lance it.
We have already given him a long-lasting antibiotic.
Fortunately he has had an FIV vaccination against cat AIDS. The virus is spread by cat bites.
A latex drain, called a penrose, will keep the wound open for a few days to prevent further pus build up. Once that is out he will heal rapidly.
Hopefully he will steer clear of trouble in future!

Cat fights

Cats typically have a hate-hate relationship with any strange cat in their presence, yard, or environment. When new cats meet, they fluff up, spit, hiss - more like scream! - and the fur soon goes flying. While the brawl may only last a few seconds, that’s enough time for a few diseases to jump bodies. 

Feline leukemia (FeLV), feline immunodeficiency virus or cat AIDS (FIV), infectious peritonitis (FIP), or nasty bacterial infections are transmitted from cat to cat in saliva.

Outside cats, particularly unneutered males, love to fight. Most times they will end up with a nasty abscess.

What exactly is an abscess? It’s basically a pocket of pus under the skin. It makes a cat very ill because of the bacteria and toxins it releases into the bloodstream. He is feverish, goes off his food, hides and sleeps a lot.

Treatment for abscesses involves a general anesthesia, clipping and cleaning the skin, lancing the abscess and flushing all the pus out, placing a drain to allow any remaining pus, antibiotics and pain relief. Some cats are so sick they need hospitalisation and intravenous fluids for a night or two.

How do we avoid all this??

Desex your cat if he is still entire. Keep him indoors, particularly in the evenings and at night when the brawling usually happens.

Keep other cats off your property. A dog on patrol will soon despatch an intruder. Otherwise keep an eye out for a few evenings and frighten strays off with a loud noise. 

Catch the infection as soon as possible. If your cat has been in a fight bring him immediately for an antibiotic shot and stop the abscess from forming.

Vaccinate your cat against FIV, Feline AIDS. There are three shots in the initial course. A booster at the annual checkup and vaccine review prevents the virus gaining a toe hold.

Momo's war wound

Momo's had a bad week. His mum found him shivering under a bush on Thursday morning. When she coaxed him inside he didn't feel much like breakfast and curled up in front of the fire. He'd eaten dinner on Tuesday and gone out for a stroll around his domain feeling as fit as a fiddle. By the time his mum found him he had a fever and was very miserable.
When she took him on her lap for a cuddle he snuggled up until she rubbed his head - OW!  He sprang onto the floor and under the couch.
His mum realised something was very wrong and whisked him in to see us. We found a tiny wound on his head and extracted a claw. Poor old Momo had taken on an intruder in his garden. No wonder he had a headache - an abscess was forming under the wound.
We started treatment straight away. Blood tests and observation proved that it was a fresh wound so we clipped and cleaned it, started strong antibiotics (cats' mouths contain some very nasty bacteria that love the airless space under the skin) and gave him something for the headache.
Because Momo's owner had found him soon after the brawl and the wound was fresh we didn't have an abscess to lance. The earlier we can treat cats after a fight the less likely it is that a general anaesthetic and surgery will be necessary.
Cats are most active finding mates and defending their territory in late winter and spring. Poor old Momo had got caught up in the annual feline fight festival. His mum is going to keep him indoors after dinner and through the night to try and prevent another episode.

Cat fight wounds

Bites from another cat during a fight cause abscesses and infection. Dog, rat and other rodent bites are rare.

Consequences:

Cat bites on the head, forelimbs or at the base of the tail leave lumps that swell and burst. Your cat is lethargic and goes off his food.

When a cat bites its teeth go through the skin leaving small puncture wounds which seal over, trapping bacteria under the skin of the victim.

A pocket of pus forms an abscess. In areas where the skin is tighter, such as on the foot or the tail, the infection spreads through the tissues causing cellulitis.

Rarely more serious consequences such as a septic arthritis (infection of a joint space) or osteomyelitis (infection of bone) result.

Treatment:

• Antibiotics by injection or mouth stop the spread of infection and development of an abscess.  

• Surgery to drain the pus.

Dr Kate injects Sam with an antibiotic after the Battle of Belconnen

Cats on the prowl

Male cats hit the tiles in late winter and spring looking for females and trouble.  Adrenaline levels rise and even the most placid felines - entire or desexed - will ready for a fight with intruders.
Already this winter we have seen a couple of cats with abscesses that have come up after a brawl in the backyard.  Sometimes the scratches and bites are obvious and carers bring their cat in for preventative antibiotics and pain relief.  More often the first sign is a swollen face, a lame foreleg or pus discharging from a soft lump.  If not treated with antibiotics and drainage of the pus, blood poisoning and infection of deeper organs develops.
Wandering cats cause anxiety in some inside cats, too.  We see cats marking doors and windows, passing blood in their urine and overgrooming because they are feeling anxious.  These behavioural problems are much harder to treat and it is almost impossible to prevent strange cats wandering through your yard.  Refer to the Indoor Cat link to the right of this blog for some suggestions to try at home.  Sometimes we have to supplement your efforts with calming medication (for the cat!).