Infected head wound on barn cat worsening. Should I take her to vet?

That appears to be infected. I recommend to have Noelle examined by the veterinarian. Infections can spread to the blood stream and it sounds like she is in pain as well. she will likely need the hair clipped away, the area cleaned, an antibiotic, a pain medication and an elizabethan collar to protect the area from further wounds. Try to have her examined within the next 24 hours. I hope she starts feeling better quickly!

Surgery may be needed to clean the edges and see if the wound can be repaired. Often times, this does require some times for the tissue to declare itself before this is done to see what tissue will be healthy to save. All you can do until it is ready for surgery is keep it clean and stay on antibiotics to prevent an infection. Rechecks should be frequent to determine when surgery would be best. Cats are the best at healing and granulating in new tissue as long as the infection stays under control.

Hello I can't tell from the picture how deep that wound is but it does look infected and there's underlying tissue and possibly muscle exposed. I recommend takinh your cat to see a veterinarian as she could be licking at the site when you're not watching and causing further infection. It may need to be closed or the vet may decide it should stay open (with some infected wounds closing can cause an abscess to form) and put her on antibiotics and pain medication. She might also need an E collar to prevent her from licking the area further.

This looks very concerning. I would take Batman to a veterinarian for an exam. This looks very bad for an abscess cavity, very swollen and will need to be flushed and inspected for a foreign body or even more infection, the hair around the abscess will need to be shaved. Batman will also need antibiotics and possibly pain medicine and considering the climate you live in , this wound may need to be covered to keep flies from laying eggs into it.

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!

Unfortunately no, there isn't a cream you can put on it to heal. He has to see a vet for systemic antibiotics to treat it. Since he's an outdoor kitty who roams, he can be given a long acting antibiotic shot so he doesn't need to receive medication on a daily basis. Please trap him and bring him into a vet today.

I am sorry to hear about Clover. It definitely sounds like he needs to go to the veterinarian for this issue, especially since the swelling is worsening. We would worry about things like abscesses due to a wound, infected/abscessed tooth roots, and more. The vet will examine Clover and depending on their findings may recommend additional testing or treatment.