My cat has a hair loss wound from scratching. Should I see a vet?

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. Judging from the picture, this could be a ruptured abscess or secondary to self trauma from him scratching at the area. I would recommend having him examined by a veterinarian so that the most appropriate treatment recommendations can be made. He will need the hair clipped from around the wound and the wound cleaned. I would also recommend an antibiotic and anti-inflammatory. I hope this helps. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Hi there. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. So sorry the Sushi is having this issue. It is very hard to tell from the photo exactly what is going on. What I think I can see is that the area is not overly red or swollen. If that is the case and he is eating and drinking and acting normally I would not be concerned at this point. I would only be worried if the area gets swollen or if he starts to feel sick (not eating, extreme lethargy, vomiting, etc). You are welcome to apply a thin layer of Neosporin to that area twice a day until healed. If not real resolution of the this wound after a week then I would say he needs to see your vet. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Boris. It is best to have him seen by a veterinarian. Cat scratches and bites commonly become infected. If so, antibiotics may be required. In the meantime, place an E-collar or cat suit on him to prevent any further self trauma. I hope this information helps!

Hi there and thank you for using PetCoach to address your concern. Judging from the photo, it does appear that this abrasion could be secondary to Camo scratching herself. I would recommend apply an ointment such as Zymox topical ointment along with treating Camo for fleas on the off chance she is itchy from fleas. I recommend Frontline as a flea and tick preventative. Allergies could also be playing a role in the itching. If this is allergies, I would recommend starting Welactin omega 3 fish oil for cats, Douxo PS Calm shampoo, Malacetic conditioning spray and read the below article as well. If the area begins to look infected (swollen, reddened, discharge) I would have a veterinarian examine the area sooner rather than later. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further. https://www.petcoach.co/canigive/cat/benadryl/

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Blazko. Poor boy. This could just be from an injury. Given there is no sign of infection, I'd monitor it for now. If it does appear infected (pus, redness, swelling, warmth to the touch), then I'd have him checked out by a vet. I hope this helps!

From the picture I can only say this may be due to a trauma or localized spot of skin infection (likely to be caused by bacteria or fungal). A check up, appropriate disinfection and possibly antibiotics or antifungal meds (oral, topical or in a shampoo formulation) are needed to solve the problem. More investigations like sampling and bacterial swabs would be needed to determine the underlying cause more specifically. In my experience I have seen large wounds like this one from Poxvirus infection (but usually other wounds are present as well). I would suggest to handle this wound always with gloves (you are doing it anyway as I can see from the pic). Buster collar may be useful as well to avoid any licking. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

Certainly a buster collar would avoid further scratching and an antibiotics (oral, topical or in a shampoo formulation) will avoid any risk of infection. Even though a picture of the wound would help to determine the most appropriate underlying treatment more specifically, I think in this case a vet check up would be ideal. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!