My cat has a healing cut under his collar. When should I see a vet?

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!

I would not do anything to it if it appears to be healing and she doesn't seem bothered by it. Just monitor it and if you notice anything abnormal with it: it opens up, has discharge coming from it, it is swollen, etc then you should get her to a vet as antibiotics may be needed to get it to heal. If you would like to post again with a photo of the cut we may be able to help you better. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It is superficial enough that I think it is possibly going to heal on its own with more time. My concern is that it could also get infected. Try to keep the area as clean as possible and try to prevent her from scratching at it. If no improvement is noted in the next few days or it is worsening, have her evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. Good luck and have a great day!

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.

Get an elizabethan collar for him and hopefully this will keep both areas protected from his scratching. They make hard and soft varieties of these collars. Make sure he wears it at all times as even a little disruption to the area will send back the healing process. If he is not getting better with your home care treatment in a week or so, have him examined by his veterinarian as he may need systemic medications. You can usually find these collars at most pet stores, all vet clinics and online as well. Best of luck and please feel free to post any additional questions.

I would recommend for your kitty to see the veterinarian. Infections tend to heal significantly faster and with less complications with antibiotics. You also will need to make sure he does not lick at the wound as this will make it worse. Have him wear an Elizabethan collar at all times and keep him indoors until it is healed. Typical healing is expected to take 10 to 14 days in most circumstances. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Oliver. The incision site appears slightly red in color. However, there is no discharge visible and I do not see areas that appear to be opening. I think that it is healing very well. Please keep the collar on him at all times to prevent any further licking. He should heal up very well. I hope this information helps!