My cat's itchy face wound won't heal. How can I stop the scratching?

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.

Hello, my name is Dr. Elizabeth and I am happy to help. I hate to hear this lesion on Patch is not healing. I think the main thing to address is the licking. The first thing you need to do is stop the licking (since this can make it worse). Patches should wear an elizabethan collar at all times. Remember that the collar must come out past her nose in order to be effective. Next, wear gloves to handle the lesion and be sure to wash your hands afterwards. Get pet wipes that contain Chlorhexidine. Cleanse the area twice a day. This will help to control the number of topical pathogens as well as remove oil and dead skin cells. Lastly, after the area is completely dry, apply a topical antibiotic twice a day. Just a dab will do and rub it in well. Neosporin is fine to use. Again, wear gloves or apply with a q-tip. Patches needs to be indoors at all times. Cats can't wear elizabethan collars outside as they are a choking hazard if they were to get hung up. She can only wear the collar if she is in a safe environment. If the spot is not much better in 1 week, if it gets worse at any point or if the lesion is not completely healed within 2 weeks, Patches needs to be examined by the veterinarian. I hope this helps and please feel free to reach out with any additional questions.

Sorry to hear about the flea problem! They can definitely be pesky little suckers. I would absolutely recommend getting the cone since it is the only essentially surefire way to prevent significant amounts of self-mutilation. Kitty definitely won't like it but it is for his own good. In terms of flea and tick medications, my favorite one to use is the Seresto collar. I find that in my geographic area it seems to be the most effective option. This certainly could be different where you live, and as such, I would tend to tell you to consult with your local vet and other pet owners for feedback. In terms of healing the affected regions, they look to me to be significantly inflamed and likely partially infected. At this point, they likely would benefit from an oral antibiotic which would require making a trip to your vet for the prescription. In terms of treating the environment, multiple flea bombs may be required. In some cases, hiring an exterminator is the only solution. I hope this helps.

Depending on where it is located, you could try to do a light neck wrap using rolled gauze or a ace bandage. Do NOT stretch the material. Just lightly wrap it. You could also get a cone collar to prevent him from scratching if the sore is far enough up on the neck. I would try to use some oral Benadryl and Benadryl spray to help with e itching. You can also put a small amount of Neosporin on it twice a day to help it heal. If it isn't improving, I would have your vet take a look. Your vet will be able to put him on the proper meds and allergy meds to help it heal. I hope this helps! https://www.petcoach.co/canigive/cat/benadryl/

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.

Poor Gravy! Those do look painful. If you haven't yet, a skin scraping of the site sent to a lab may help determine if there is a specific bacteria or infection causing the wounds. This may give your vet the ability to target it better with a more specific antibiotic that will help it to heal. Making sure to keep Gravy from pawing at the spot with an Elizabethan (cone) collar can also help promote healing and prevent further irritation. In long-term non-healing wounds, many vets have also found success using Manuka honey (different than the honey you get in the grocery store) as a salve to help promote tissue growth and healing. If you'd like a more specific consultation, or have additional questions, I highly recommend scheduling a consult with one of our vets as they will be able to assist you in a more chat-like setting and can provide you with more detailed answers and information.

Poor Carbon. Put an Ecollar on her to keep her from cleaning it. I will put a link below on how to make one at home. If you see signs of infection (redness, swelling, warmth to the touch, pus), then she will have to see a vet. I hope this helps! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ffR-LzyW1M