My cat has a painful anal sore and is straining. What should I do?

Poor girl. This does appear to be a possible anal gland abscess rupture. She will need antibiotics from your vet and anti-inflammatory medicaiton to get this to heal well. Most cats won’t let you flush this unless they are mildly sedated or restrained by a trained professional; therefore, I would not advise you trying to clean this area yourself. It’s best to take Rose in to your local vet in the morning to get this taken care of. She will be in discomfort until then, but these aren’t typically life threatening. I hope Rose gets this to heal soon. Best wishes and take care.

I am sorry for the delay in answering your question. I can’t say for sure what that is based on the picture, but I suspect she’s got an infection in the skin of that area. Keep it clean with warm clean water and you can use some dilute Betadine (iodine) once a day as well. If it’s not getting better, take her to a vet to be evaluated and to further advise you. An antibiotic such as amoxicillin may be needed. Thank you for asking Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Maty. Sometimes anal gland material and can dry up and be present near the gland opening at the anus. The red spot in your final picture appears to be separate from the anus though. In this case, an anal gland abscess or infection could be the cause. This is a painful condition and can cause difficulty defecating. I recommend that she sees her veterinarian to determine if treatment is necessary. I hope this information helps!

These sound like wounds from being in a bad fight with another cat. It’s best to have these treated by your veterinarian if you can. In the meantime clean each wound with hydrogen peroxide and then apply a thin film of antibacterial ointment on them. I’m concerned about the ones around his anus. There may be a tear in the rectum that may be very serious and need a veterinary exam to determine if the feces are coming out the wound. If so this could cause more infection and may need to be stitched closed. Antibiotics will help these wounds heal more quickly also. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Moldy.

Hi, If I read the pic correctly with the anus above it to the left, the lesion may be a perianal fistula. In cats, where these fistulas are quite rare, the problem is usually in the glands or anal sacs. Perianal fistulas are unpleasant and painful, and require veterinary treatment such as antibiotics, so please take her to the vet sooner than later.

She may have an infected anal sac or a little growth. You should have this examined by a veterinarian. If it is an impacted anal sac, it can easily be emptied. If it is a growth, it may have to be removed.

It sounds like Cocoa has one or two abscesses....which are deep pockets of infection. Most of the time these are caused by fight wounds in cats, but there can be other causes such as impacted anal sacs. Cocoa is going to need to see your veterinarian to get a prescription antibiotic to resolve the infection. Your vet will also clean the wounds and if this is too painful, she may require some sedation. Please try to get her to your vet as soon as you can.