My kitten has a hard, dark, peeling scab on her side. What is it?

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.

I would get this seen by your vet to be on the safe side. It may be a healing scab but it looks a little suspicious of ringworm, and that can be easily spread to other pets and people in your household. Another possibility is an allergy to plastic if they have plastic bowls for food or water, but those lesions tend to be located on the chin and lips, not to one side. Your vet will do an exam, probably pluck some hairs from that spot for a fungal culture and may examine some of the cells under a microscope to see if they can identify the cause. Based n these results they should be better able to tell you why this happened and how best to treat it.

This looks like a wound from a cat fight or mild injury. You did the right thing removing the scab. If there was infection trapped you have cleaned it up now and the area is open to the air so it should heal quickly. You can clean these type of sores with hydrogen peroxide and if it’s in an area like this that he can’t lick you can apply a thin film of antibacterial ointment on it. This should heal in a few days. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Max.

This presentation could be due to a trauma or localized spot of skin infection (likely to be caused by bacteria). A check up, appropriate disinfection and possibly antibiotics (oral, topical or in a shampoo formulation) are needed to solve the problem. Disinfection can eventually be started at home with very diluted hibiscrub or betadine or salted water baths. Buster collar may be useful as well to avoid any scratching. 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.

It looks like she make have gotten a small wound on her head, maybe from getting swatted by another cat. Cat claws and bites tend to make wounds with small holes that seal over and trap bacteria inside. This will form a small abscess which will then rupture, which is what this appears to be to me. Keep an eye on it and keep it clean with a washcloth, warm water and a mild soap. Clean it two or three times a day and make sure to get all the soap off or it will irritate her skin. As long as it continues to improve and she is acting fine, eating and drinking, she should be fine. If it closes up again, swells, gets really red, hot, or if she starts acting sick or loses her appetite, get her in to see you vet as soon as possible as she may then need antibiotics to clear up the infection and heal.

Its hard to say because of the hair, but this just looks like a scab from a previous injury. Just try to gently remove this with a gauze soaked in Betadine diluted 50:50 with water. If the scab comes off and the skin underneath appears to be almost healed, then there is no further treatment needed. If there are any signs of infection however which includes: discharge, an opening of the skin, muscle exposure, etc, then this needs to be treated by your vet with a course of antibiotics. However, it is very likely this is an old wound that is nearly healed already and the scab is just trying to fall off. Best of luck with your street cat Hope moving forward and i hope that this is just a healing wound. Take care.

This is likely a small bug bite or an inflammatory reaction to some type of trauma (puncture, scratch, abrasion) to the skin. You can try cleaning it with a small amount of Betadine diluted 50:50with warm water, letting it air dry, and then applying a thin layer of Neosporin to the area twice a day to see if this can start to heal over the next few days.. Also an e-collar purchased from your local pet store can be placed on Simba to prevent her from scratching this area and causing more irritation as well as delaying the healing process. If this doesn't help then its best to see your vet to have this area investigated closely and in person. The vet may also want to shave the hair around it to get a better view and prescribe topical pet friendly antibiotics to help this heal. Best wishes with your kitty Simba and I hope this wound resolves soon. Take care.