My cat has an infected, smelly wound she keeps licking. What to do?

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Lilly! Is the wound right by his penis? If so that is a very hard location to bandage without covering his penis. The skin around the wound is very swollen and red. i am concerned about an abscess or a warble/cuterebra, which is a fly larvae under the skin. I recommend that you take him to the Vet Monday to have the area evaluated and to start antibiotics. Otherwise he needs an E-collar or cone to prevent licking. Good luck!

That area looks pretty irritated, and abscesses (infections under the skin) are very common in cats due to the bacteria in their saliva. Misty will need to be seen by a vet in order to have the area cleaned, drained as needed, and a course of antibiotics given. You should also use an Elizabethan (cone) collar to keep her from licking the spot as it heals and causing further irritation. If you are having trouble affording veterinary care, this site may help give you some ideas to make it more affordable so Misty can be seen: https://www.humanesociety.org/resources/having-trouble-affording-veterinary-care

Hello, thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. It appears Precious may have sustained an abscess, probably from a fight with another cat. The abscess ruptured, & Precious has been licking the area to keep it clean. Her sandpaper tongue can actually cause more trauma to the area. You can clean the area with a little warm water & a disinfectant such as Betadine, & you may need to put an elizabethean collar on her to stop the licking. These type wounds do not always need antibiotics, but it would not be a bad idea to let your vet have a look at it just to make sure . Hope she well very soon.

Poor Smudge. I would recommend taking smudge to a vet to have the wound checked out. IFs he is an outside cat I would be concerned about an abscess. Sometimes if cats have an abscess they will be very painful until it ruptures but than you will see the infection/smell. IF she does have an abscess she will need some antibiotics to help resolve the issue. Other possibilities are skin mites, parasites or fungal issues. A vet visit would be best. Hope Smudge feels better soon

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. It looks like a deep, inflamed wound. Antibiotic ointment may not by enough to treat it and Collic possibly will need a course of antibiotic in form of tablets to get back to normal. I would recommend Collic to be checked over by your local vets to fully assess the wound and to recommend the best treatment option.

This presentation could be due to a trauma or localized spot of skin infection (likely to be caused by bacteria). It may heal on its own, even though it will take few days. Disinfection may be done at home with very diluted hibiscrub or betadine or salted water baths twice daily. Buster collar may be useful as well to avoid any licking. If the wound will not heal/or at least improve in 5 days, a check up, appropriate disinfection and possibly antibiotics (oral, topical or in a shampoo formulation) are needed to solve the problem. 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!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Yes, I do think that Bramble should see a veterinarian as he will likely require local therapy if it is an abscess with drainage and cleaning as well as oral antibiotics. At the same time, your veterinarian can check his eyes to see if they are also affected and treat accordingly. Good luck!