My cat has a scabbing scratch on her forehead. Vet or home care?

Poor cat. This looks wide enough where it should at the very least get a topical treatment. You can try an over the counter antibitoic ointment or spray from your local pet store. Ask a store representative as to what is available in your area. You should also clean this area with Betadine diluted 50:50 with warm water to help keep bacteria and infection at bay. If it doesn't seem to be healing well in the next few days, then a vet visit is warranted at that point. I hope that this heals up well soon! Best of luck moving forward. Take care. : )

If it's scabbing over, I'd let it be but if Tink keeps scratching at it, then take her into the vet. Also take her into the vet if it appears infected. Signs of infection include redness, swelling, pus, and the area being warm to the touch. I hope this helps!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It is hard to see the scab in this picture but I can see that Zoey is a cutie! This scab could be due to a mild infection or perhaps some mild traumatic lesion. You can consider just monitoring for now if it is just one. If this gets worse or just does not resolve, have her evaluated by your veterinarian then. I would not recommend any products or treatments yet as this may resolve on its own depending on its severity. Good luck and have a great day!

It could be that Ruby sustained a wound from trauma that has caused the scab, and I would monitor it for now for signs of infection. These signs include redness, swelling, warmth to the touch, and puss. Should any of those signs be seen, I would take Ruby into the vet for antibiotics. I would not put any topical treatment on it. Although quite safe on superficial wounds, cats groom and ingest most of the topical ointment you apply and therefore should be used only under direct veterinary supervision and if there are no other appropriate options. Many human ointments contain multiple other ingredients which are not necessarily safe to be swallowed. Hopefully, it should heal just fine on it's own.

Certainly a buster collar would avoid further scratching and an antibiotics (oral, topical or in a shampoo formulation) will avoid any risk of infection. Even though a picture of the wound would help to determine the most appropriate underlying treatment more specifically, I think in this case a vet check up would be ideal. 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!

If they are not very deep and only small wounds, I would recommend to clean them with diluted hibiscrub twice daily until completely healed. Flea allergy must be treated and fleas as well. A combination of steroids and flea treatment is usually needed. A vet care is not needed if in 3-4 days the wounds are healing. If not, antibiotics may be needed.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I think it would heal better and quicker if you did take her to the Vet. Clipping the fur in the area to evaluate it better and allow it to dry out would be best. Honey likely will need an antibiotic or a topical cream. If she is scratching she may need something to relieve the itch. Also check for fleas since she goes outside. It could be an allergy, in cats they can develop red plaques on their face, neck and belly with food and environmental allergies. I hope this helps and I wish Honey a speedy recovery!