My outdoor cat has a painful, hot, swollen chest. What is it?

Cats who are bitten by other cats often get abscesses at the site of the bite. This is a localized infection that is very painful to the cat, and it makes them feel pretty badly. It will swell a lot, and this can account for Cutie's symptoms. A vet has to treat this, please take her into one now.

It sounds like Kitty most likely has an infection in his skin. Abscesses are very common in outdoor cats. I would recommend to make an appointment at the veterinarian's office to have him checked out and the abscesses treated. They may also want to test him for feline leukemia. I hope Kitty starts feeling better soon!

Since he goes outside, he could also have an abscess/infection in his paw or he may have an injury. He should definitely be examined by a vet to determine the exact cause. He may need an antibiotic or an anti-inflammatory to treat. Your vet can also take an x-ray, if needed, to help diagnose. There isn't much you can do at home until we know the exact cause of the swelling. Hope he feels better soon.

Based on what you are describing I would be concerned about a catfight wound that has caused abscesses. Often times if one cat bites another the wounds become infected and form large swellings. These can be painful and require antibiotics to heal. Your cat may have been injured since she is in heat by a male cat trying to mate with her. I would recommend taking your cat into the vet to be checked out to make sure there is no infection going on. If it is not infection causing the swelling then she may be having an allergic reaction to something, like a insect bite or sting. If the symptoms have lasted more than 72 hours you will need to take her to the vet to be examined. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

It's possible Chse may have an abscess if the area is swelling and painful on touch. Abscesses, or infections under the skin can happen if she recently got into a fight or had another wound occur. Other possible causes can include growths, skin infections, potential muscular hernias, allergies or even parasite bites. Having it checked out by your vet is best to find the underlying cause and start on treatment. Until you can get to the vet, keeping her from licking or chewing at it with the use of an Elizabethan (cone) collar is best to prevent further irritation.

Almost 100% of the time this is from the bite of another cat. Since this has been going on for weeks you need to get him to he vet. It’s swollen from infection and he will need (at the very least() antibiotics to clear this up. As a side note, if he’s not neutered and goes outdoors he is much more likely to fight (and make babies). You should really consider neutering him. They also get serious viruses like FeLV and FIV from bites of infected cats. ( https://www.petco.com/content/petco/PetcoStore/en_US/pet-services/resource-center/caresheets/cat-spay-neuter.html )

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! You could try to keep it clean but aside from that, I am afraid that he will need veterinary care. Puncture or bite wounds can get infected rather quickly and result in a fever which may be why he is not eating. They can form abscesses that require local treatment and antibiotics. You could perhaps consider taking him to an emergency veterinarian who is open over the weekend. Good luck and have a great day!