All cats fight at some time in their lives – defending territory or fighting for a mate.
Bite wounds lead to abscesses, and more cats visit the vets for abscesses than for almost any other reason.
Cats have 2 long canine teeth in each jaw – their fangs – and a bite from these can penetrate 1/4inch or more. Bacteria on the skin or on the tooth are driven to the bottom of the wound. The bite hole is often too small to be noticed. There may be a drop of blood, but this soon clots and traps the bacteria beneath the skin, where they multiply very quickly. Within 3 or 4 days, an abscess forms. They are most common on the face and over the tail base or hip area.

SIGNS
- you may notice that your cat comes home a bit bedraggled or lame. If you look and feel closely, you may find a little dried blood on a few hairs, or the area might be painful from bruising. You may even find the hole made by the tooth, about half the diameter of a matchstick head. If treated with antibiotics at this stage, an abscess is unlikely to form. (external treatments like antiseptics will not work as the infection is below the skin)
- pain and swelling. As the abscess forms, a pus-filled swelling develops and the pain becomes intense. The cat will become bad tempered, spitting and swearing at himself. If the painful area is touched, he will bite. Antibiotics can be effective at the later stages, but may take up to a week to eliminate the infection.

TREATMENT
- take your cat to the vet as soon as you suspect an abscess
- in the early stages, antibiotics will be effective
- in later stages, the cat will be in intense pain and will be ill, with a high temperature and in the worst cases, septicaemia. In these cases, it will be necessary for your vet to lance the abscess under anaesthetic, and allow the pus to drain away. Regular saltwater bathing after this helps maintain drainage and hasten recovery. The cat will also be given antibiotics
- occasionally, the abscess will burst on its own, releasing large amounts of blood stained smelly pus. As soon as this occurs, the pain disappears and the cat’s general health improves. But this may be only temporary, as without antibiotic treatment small areas of infection remain under the skin, ready to form another abscess.

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