My cat has painful, pus-filled wounds on her hip and tail. What is it?

Poor Church! It sounds like he is developing abscesses from some sort of trauma. We see this most commonly from cat bite or fight wounds. Usually these wounds heal best when treated by a veterinarian. We generally clean and flush out the purulent material and then start an antibiotic for 7-10 days. One concern I have remind cat owners about fight wounds in cats is that this is how feline leukemia and immunodeficiency viruses are spread from one cat to the next. I recommend testing your kitty and then trying to work on ways to keep Church indoors and less likely to be injured.

This looks like an infected puncture wound from a scratch or bite. Since it is so painful and Coco won't let you touch it I recommend a veterinary exam. They can give her pain medication and clean and drain the infection. When the puss is caught under the skin it is painful and the overlying skin can become damaged and can fall off leaving a large open raw area. If that happens it will take a long time for this to fully heal in this area. With drainage and antibiotics Coco will feel better much sooner and the wound will heal more quickly. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Coco.

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. It is hard to say without seeing Coco, but it sounds like she might have an abscess that has burst. These require cleaning and flushing with sterile saline, and then require both pain medications as well as antibiotics to heal. Gentian Violet will not fix them. I would recommend taking Coco to the vet as soon as you can. Best of luck with Coco.

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.

It sounds like Kitu may have a bite wouldn’t abscess. These usually need to be drained and given antibiotics to resolve. In the meantime you may consider applying a warm water and Epsom salt compress to the site. This may help with discomfort and also may encourage drainage. I would still encourage you to have her evaluated by your veterinarian as soon as possible. Best of luck and thank you for using Pet Coach.

Sounds like a bite wound or a puncture wound from something Skye could have snagged herself on while out and about. The wound needs to be explored, flushed, and possibly drained. Skye will very likely require some antibiotics in order to get better, as well as anti-inflammatory medication to control pain and/or fever if she has one. I would get her into the veterinarian in the morning at the very latest so that treatment can be instituted. The longer you wait, the worse the infection can become. Hope this makes sense.

You can bathe the area with some salty water, one tablespoon of water per cup of hot water then leave it to cool down. Once lukewarm just gently clean the area using some cotton wool. You can clean it a few times until you don’t take her to see your vet. Also encourage her to eat today, offering some tasty food such as tuna in water. If she does eat her usual food, just stick to her normal diet. Keep her indoors.