Abscesses In Cats

An abscess is a collection of pus which results from skin and deep tissue damage and local bacterial infection.

Skin Abscesses

Fight abscesses are extremely common in cats that spend time outdoors or fight with housemates. The small puncture holes quickly seal, and the closed wound pocket is an ideal incubator for bacterial infection. Fight wounds can occur anywhere on the cat's body but are most common on the face, limbs, rear end, and tail. Abscesses may become large and extremely painful swellings, and they may slowly ooze a foul discharge. Symptoms of fever, pain, and depression may be seen.

A cat bite abscess usually heals in 10-14 days. Any abscess that does not heal is further investigated for feline immunodeficiency virus, feline leukemia, and mycobacteria infection.²

Painful abscesses on the neck or in the mouth may be caused by an infection with Actinobacillus lignieresii bacterium, a rare disease in cats. This infection occurs by contamination of injury. The pus is usually white/green and odorless with yellow granules.⁷

Treatment of the abscess consists of opening and draining the abscess (often requiring anesthesia), and flushing the wound. It is safest to have a veterinarian to do this. After cleaning, the abscess must be kept open until it heals from the inside. Never be tempted to lance a bump yourself. Blood-filled bruises called hematomas may look like abscesses, but if they are lanced, a cat may bleed to death. Clindamycin and penicillin are commonly used in treating cat abscesses.¹ Doxycycline and enrofloxacin may be effective for abscesses resistant to other antibiotics. Antibiotic therapy alone is likely to fail in cases when the wound is not drained.^4,5,6

Warm compresses are useful to promote drainage, maintain cleanliness of the area, improve blood circulation, and speed up healing.³

Male cats naturally seek to enlarge their territory by fighting. Fighting leads to abscesses and feline immunodeficiency virus infections. Prevention of abscesses may be achieved by neutering male cats.⁴

Liver Abscesses

Abscesses can form in the liver through a variety of ways. In kittens, bacterial infection of the umbilical cord can travel directly into the liver. Older cats may acquire bacterial infection from other areas of the body, such as infected bile ducts, or liver itself. Bacteria are always present to some extent in the liver as it cleans and filters the blood received from the stomach and intestines. Any weakening of the liver's defenses can easily lead to bacterial infection and abscess formation. Cats with liver abscesses usually experience vomiting, fever and are lethargic.¹

Tuberculosis

Bite wound infections that are not cleared by penicillin may be due to unusual microorganisms such as Mycobacterium, the cause of tuberculosis. In cats, its signs may include abscesses of unknown origin, particularly around the eyes, weight loss, low-grade fever, decreased appetite, dehydration, vomiting, and diarrhea. The lymph nodes may be enlarged and can contain abscesses.⁸

References

1. Jane Fishman Leon. Feline: medicine & disease prevention.
2. Michael Schaer. Clinical Medicine of the Dog and Cat.
3. Michael M. Pavletic. Atlas of Small Animal Wound Management and Reconstructive Surgery.
4. Gary D. Norsworthy, Sharon Fooshee Grace, Mitchell A. Crystal, Larry P. Tilley. The Feline Patient.
5. C. E. Spaulding, Jackie Clay. Veterinary Guide for Animal Owners.
6. Karen A. Moriello. Self-assessment colour review of small animal dermatology.
7. Sue Paterson. Manual of skin diseases of the dog and cat.
8. Anna Rovid Spickler, James A. Roth, Jane Galyon, Jeanne Lofstedt. Emerging and Exotic Diseases of Animals.

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