My cat got a wound from fighting. When should I take him to the vet?

This looks like a small wound, or maybe an insect bite that is irritated. The skin around it looks clean and healthy. As long as he seems his normal self right now, he should be fine until he's seen on Wednesday. If he does feel sick or if the area gets worse try to get him seen sooner.

Hello, and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Until your nearest veterinarian opens, I recommend keeping Psycho as relaxed and quiet as possible. He's likely had a traumatic several weeks! Put him in a dark quiet room with his food, water, and litterbox, and minimize his stress. However, he should be seen by the vet as soon as possible - I'm concerned he may be fighting an abscess (infection) and may require antibiotics to get better. Hope this helps!

Ouch, poor Eddie! Unfortunately, it's impossible to fully assess this wound's severity from a picture alone. The wound itself looks fairly large and appears to be covered in a hair-crusted scab. The challenge likes in how deep the wound goes under the scab, and if it penetrates into the tooth roots, jaw, or salivary glands. To answer your question, yes, Eddie does need veterinary attention. Since he's afraid of people, it's likely that he will need to be sedated in order for your veterinarian to examine this wound. Your vet will need to determine the depth of the wound, and at a minimum, will need to clip the hair around the wound and clean it with an antiseptic cleanser. I fully expect that they'll prescribe an antibiotic or give a long-acting antibiotic injection, as it's likely that this wound is also infected. Try to get to the vet as soon as you can - preferably within the next day. Until your vet appointment, be sure to put an e-collar (cone) on Eddie to prevent him from scratching at this area, as that will make matters worse. Best of luck and I hope that he heals quickly!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It is difficult to know the most appropriate course of action without knowing the extent of his injuries. However, the best thing you can do is to keep him as quiet as possible for now until you can have him evaluated by a veterinarian. He likely has trauma in multiple places which is why he is so responsive to the touch. Often times after fights they have injuries beyond what you can see from the outside. They would be able to check the extent of the injuries and recommend the best course of action but for now, I recommend that you rest him as much as possible and keep an eye on him to make sure he is ok. Good luck and have a great day!

It would be best to have Sylvester examined now, on an emergency basis. Cat bites can become infected quickly and he may need prophylactic antibiotics. If you decide to wait you could try cleaning his shoulder with mild soap and watching for increased pain, swelling or bleeding.

There is a photo attached this time, thank you! Yes, the wound looks serious enough to warrant a vet visit. That looks like it could use stitches to close, and Kiyo will need antibiotics to prevent infection. I would take him into the vet first thing in the morning. Best of luck, I hope this helps!

Ouch! Bite wounds should always be treated by a veterinarian sooner rather than later. Often times bite wounds can be very deceiving and do not look bad on the surface, but once it is properly explored ends up being much worse than initially expected. Miata's wound is very close to the elbow joint, making even more important that it be evaluated and treated by a veterinarian as soon as possible.