My long-haired cat has a bleeding lesion under matted fur. What to do?

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Lily. Poor girl! Yes I would get those matts shaved out, they will be painful to her. I'd also recommend having her seen by a vet. She's stopped grooming herself for a reason, and it could be it's painful for her to groom. Arthritis is common in senior cats. A chronic illness, such as diabetes and kidney disease, could sap a cat's energy and lead them to not grooming. Both of those are common in senior cats. I recommend having her seen by a vet this week, and getting her a geriatric blood panel and urinalysis. I hope this helps!

Grooming long haired cats can be a difficult endeavor. I can understand your concerns about trimming all of the matted, or tangled, fur off of Cyrus, but these mats can be quite painful. If Cyrus' fur has become matted, it would be best to trim all mats. It is quite common for long haired cats to be groomed in a "lion cut" to avoid these mats. While their appearance isn't quite the same without the fluff, they can still be quite cute with a shorter haircut! Instead of using scissors, consider using electric clippers, as it is much less likely to damage or cut the skin accidentally. The lesion that you noticed on his skin appears to simply be a small, healing scab. If he has numerous scabs, conditions such as flea, environmental, or food allergies are more of a concern.

She could have irritated skin and possibly a skin infection from the hair mat. You could clean the area with an antispetic wound cleaner and apply an OTC antibiotic cream and see if that helps. Otherwise, she should be examined by a vet for treatment. She may need an oral antibiotic and anti-inflammatory to treat.

If her hair is matted then she will need to have the hair trimmed with a pair of clippers. She could develop a skin infection if the matted hair is against her skin. You could also bathe her and see if that helps.

This could be due to Kitty's age. When cats are older, they can groom themselves less effectively than younger cats, sometimes resulting in hair matting, skin odor, and inflammation. It could also be that she has arthritis, making it painful for her to reach around to groom her backside and sides. I would make an appointment for her with a groomer. They can brush out her matts (they may need to be shaved), and get her coat back into a better condition. Then you should brush her daily to prevent further matts from occurring. It's very important to get those matts removed asap, as they will be pulling on her skin and it will be painful for her. I'd also make an appointment with her vet for a health check, geriatric blood panel, and urinalysis just to see if everything is ok health wise for her. The vet can also examine her to see if she has arthritis, and can prescribe pain medications as needed. Please do not give her any human pain medications, many are toxic to cats and are fatal if given. Give a groomer and her vet a call today. I hope this helps!

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Ares. Poor boy! Apply gentle pressure to stop the bleeding. Wash the wound with warm water and antiseptic soap. To keep him from licking at it, you can put an Ecollar on him. You can get one at a pet store or make one at home. Keep the wound clean and dry, and monitor it for signs of infection. If you see redness, swelling, warmth to the touch, or pus, then it is infected and he will need to see the vet for antibiotics to treat it. I hope this helps!

Ouch! That looks like a large bit of skin was taken. It if is larger than 2-3 inches in size, I would have your vet suture it with a drain to keep it from getting infected. If it's smaller than that, keeping the area clean and dry and keeping Leroy from licking it is best to prevent infection. Signs of an infection starting include oozing or debris, swelling, pain, or heat/swelling around the area, which needs to be treated with antibiotics from your vet.