Cat Injured By Neighbor Cat

Howdy y'all!

My indoor/outdoor cat* (1 year old, in great shape) got into his first scuffle with the new neighbor's ornery lil guy. I am totally new to pet injuries of any kind and unsure if he needs to go to the vet for his slight wound. He has a shallow gash on the length of his nose - probably a 1-1.5 inch vertical cut right between the eyes. He is a black cat so it is incredibly noticeable, but it is not bleeding, just looks like it tore a good few layers of skin off.

He is not acting strange at all so far, not even acting scared or shaken up by the ordeal unlike his brother who runs at the first whiff of trouble. Is this something that needs immediate attention (whether an at-home remedy or vet care) or should I just see how the healing process goes? Thank you!

*I know that letting cats outside is not at all encouraged amongst cat owners. Please note that I take very good care of my cats, and have lived at my current residence for over 2 decades. I am aware of the environment and know it is safe for my cats to enjoy an hour of outdoor time per day with mom on the patio listening to their every move in the quiet neighborhood. I am going to keep my cats indoors until the wound has healed. Please do not pass judgment on me for this at this time, I am simply looking for advice on this specific situation!

I don't think this warrants a vet visit, personally. Clean the scratch with soap and water and put a little bit of plain Neosporin on it (no cooling or whatever).

Scuffles happen! Even between strictly indoor kitties.

I agree about cleansing the area and watch for any sign of infection at which time you should contact your vet. Do you know if the neighbor's cat is up to date on his vaccines? It would be beneficial to find out.

Hopefully the wounded area clears up with no problems. Please keep us posted on your cat's progress.

Just keep the wound clean. Original Neosporin can be used if needed.




You may want to consider enclosing the patio so your cat can enjoy the outdoors safely. You could even extend the enclosure out into the yard but you may need a building permit. Check with your town. There are suggestions on catios here:

Screened Patio/ Catio Ideas
Tips For Building A Diy Catio?
Looking For Help / Ideas Re Catio.....??
Finally Got My Catio Out!

LTS3... exactly what I was going to suggest... patio enclosures are the best!

I have indoor/outdoor cats too and minor scratches aren't a huge concern normally. Clean it and apply a very thin layer of Neosporin (your cat will clean itself so you want just enough to soak in and not be licked up). If it gets red, swollen or leaks fluid you need to see the vet ASAP. Getting an antibiotic the second it looks like it isn't healing can save you from having to do a surgery and drain. Abcesses, when they happen, should be treated quickly and aggressively to prevent them from getting worse. I know some people will try to do home care with minor abcesses but it is so much less expensive and easier to treat them with vet care when they are smaller. While some smaller ones will clear up, if they get bigger they can get nasty. But .... If you aren't at infection and it's just a scratch then home care is fine

Agree with all of the above, especially LTS3 !

NoxfordComma said:

I know that letting cats outside is not at all encouraged amongst cat owners. Please note that I take very good care of my cats, and have lived at my current residence for over 2 decades. I am aware of the environment and know it is safe for my cats to enjoy an hour of outdoor time per day with mom on the patio listening to their every move in the quiet neighborhood. I am going to keep my cats indoors until the wound has healed. Please do not pass judgment on me for this at this time, I am simply looking for advice on this specific situation!

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Not passing judgment, but I do want to point out that no matter how well you take care of your cats, you cannot guarantee anyone else in your neighborhood does the same for theirs. Nor can you prevent people outside of your neighborhood dumping unwanted cats in your location, including trapped ferals. That means any scuffles that occur can lead to all kinds of harm to your cats - spreading of diseases, as most standard vaccinations don't prevent the related diseases, they just lessen the chance, not to mention life threatening injuries. If this injury is as minor as everyone seems to think it is, you dodged a bullet!

Just get your cats tested for Felv and FIV every year, or if they seem to be getting sick often. You need to know if one of the scuffles lead to something that needs more care. If they do contract one of these illnesses, as a good person you will want to keep them inside so they don't spread it to other cats. If more people paid attention to this, few cats would end up with these terrible illnesses. You can only do your best and hope that others will too, while knowing they won't.