HELP HELP HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[daveim]

my cat, Dave, for whom I named my username, has an abcess on his head. It covers half of his head and is leaking in from of his ear. HELP! any opinions? what are the chances it is cancer?

 

[acpart]

I'd say the best bet is that it's an infection. A vet needs to clean it out and prescribe the appropriate antibiotic. I recommend a vet visit ASAP.

Aliza

 

[MSMD]

A vet needs to clean it out and prescribe the appropriate antibiotic. I recommend a vet visit ASAP.

Aliza

Yep. An abcess is an infection. Very often, if your cat goes outdoors at all, they are caused by bites from other cats, which have LOTS of nasty bacteria in their mouths. Cat bites usually result in infection, and, when left untreated, will abcess. No matter what the cause of the abcess, immediate vet attention is necessary to avoid a systemic infection.

Good luck! Please keep us updated.

 

[daveim]

how immediate... My schedule is packed with things that cannot be changed... the soonest that I can take him is tomorrow, but I may not be able to do it even then.

 

[daveim]

how immediate... My schedule is packed with things that cannot be changed...

When I say cannot be changed, I mean my parents are doctors.

 

[daveim]

Okay, turn away, squeamish. This may sound disgusting. Anyways, so I had an Idea, and I thought that it was almost definitely a sebaceous cyst. Now, i am pretty sure I have had one of these before, and when my dad squeezed it pus leaked out and it went away. So, i pressed down on his head just behind the ear and sure enough, green-yellow paste came out and the lump went down to the point where it is unnoticeable. The thing is, I am afraid that it will continue to come back.

 

[Corinthia]

I would take the little guy to the vet... Even if its the next day it should be fine. Just do it asap.

 

[leolover23]

Please go the vet...please please please! And KEEP US UPDATED!
Best of Luck

 

[Jaiden23]

A trip to the vet is definately a good idea in this case. I recently experienced something similar with my own cat. He developed an abcess from a bite mark on his back. We popped it ourselves, it filled back up within 48 hours so we took him to the vet. The vet cleaned the area and popped it again... however it filled back up yet again. We took him back to the vet and they ended up having to put in a drain. The cat was perfectly fine just a few days later, although he did have to walk around with a rather large bald spot for quite some time :main_laugh:

Abcesses can be quite tricky, it's always better safe than sorry. I would say that it should be alright as long as you get to the vet within a few days. Keep in mind that that abcess has got to be painful, so the sooner the better.

 

[daveim]

Yes, it has not filled back up again yet but the empty pocket is still there. It is still noticeable, but not nearly as swollen as before. Last night, a few hours after I drained it, it started leaking a different color fluid (it looked like blood mixed with a yellow-clear gel) instead of the green yellow stuff. It's almost gone, but I guess that the swelling stretched the skin and there is a little bit of excess skin near the ear. I will try to get him to the vet ASAP, though.

 

[daveim]

okay, let's see if this works. I took a picture of the current stage of his abcess...

 

[daveim]

sorry for the picture quality...

 

[leolover23]

Please do and keep posting! I hope the baby is all right!
Best of luck (again)

 

[daveim]

Okay, I took him to the vet, and she told me to remove the scab on the draining site every time it reforms and it should go away on it's own.

 

[OSUgecko]

No antibiotics??? He probably should have been put on a short course of antibiotics just to prevent the infection from going systemic... Keep an eye on him, and if he starts acting sick get him back to the vet ASAP. Good luck!

 

[daveim]

no, she tested him for any signs of even a slight fever and he did not have one, so she did not give him antibiotics.

 

[Leonardo]

thats weird. my cat of 18 years just had a cyst on her bottom from a cat fight. my dad tried to squeeze it out himself, too, at first but we took her to the vet. she didnt have a fever either but we were prescribe antibiotics to help the swelling and infection go down faster. they drained the cyst and she is 100% better a few months later with the added antibiotics.
i would keep a close eye on him just in case he does end up needing some meds.

oh, by the way, a cat's mouth is cleaner than ours.

 

[daveim]

sorry, she did give him some antibiotics. She just didn't give us any to administer to him later.

 

[Corinthia]

oh, by the way, a cat's mouth is cleaner than ours.

I thought it was a dogs mouth is cleaner then ours and really its because they dont have enzymes that brake down food and stuff like we have. I could be wrong... Maybe both are clean?