9-10 month old kitten has a large bald patch- help!?

[soobeth]

I would desperately like help with this problem.
Here's the problem:

My kitten recently came in from going outdoors (she has a catflap) and we noticed she had a small scratch, and there was a little blood, on the left of her shoulderblade, on her neck. We wiped it with a cotton ball in recently boiled (sterile) water. The next day we noticed that there was a bald patch about the size of a ten pence piece. We wiped it again.

The day following it had doubled in size and it is dry. Upon further inspection I have found the scratch site and it seems a little swollen and dry around the area. Apart from the swelling and dryness the skin is perfectly healthy. It seems to be getting a little bigger, so I did a some research into it and they suggested bathing it in Epsom salts on a cotton ball, so I have been doing that, but I cannot see any improvements. The vets have been closed over the Christmas season, and we are planning on taking her in tomorrow if we can get an appointment- there are no other vets in the area.

UPDATE: Vets' are closed tomorrow, bank holiday. The following are little pieces of information I wrote up after examining it.

Examination this morning:
I've just checked it again, and the site is indeed larger again, but as it is on the neck the area where it moves and rubs around a lot is sore and really quite pink. The rest is dry to the point where you can see the flakes of dry skin. The hair surrounding comes away very easily, and there seems to be some dampness or discharge causing it to be matted.

Latest Examination
It is bigger yet again, and she seems to be scratching it a little more. There are no vets' on tomorrow either, due to the Bank Holiday. She is not any different in herself, other than the irritation. I have checked her for fleas.

I hope I've been thorough enough, but if there are any other detail you need, please please please tell me and I can hopefully oblige. I am hoping to get an idea what the problem could be, and what to do until I can get her to the vets. As you can see I am quite worried and as you all probably know how you can be when you think there could be something wrong with your fur-baby!

 

[sharky]

Do you have a er vet?? I would call your vets office as most list an er or after hours number ...

 

[mrblanche]

The first guess would be an allergic reaction to a flea bite or some other insect bite.

 

[carolina]

Originally Posted by mrblanche

The first guess would be an allergic reaction to a flea bite or some other insect bite.

I would think that if she is otherwise fine, it would be ok to wait until Tuesday to see the vet. Now, can you keep her inside to keep a closer eye on her? Check to make sure that the wound is not abscessed though.

 

[stephanietx]

Sounds like it might be an abscess from the scratch. Do you have access to an emergency vet? I would put a warm compress on it. If possible, put some Epsom salt in the warm water and let it dissolve. Dip a cloth in the water and apply to the wound site. If you have access to some antibiotic salve, you could try that until you can get to the vet.

 

[stephanietx]

Something else you might try is calling your regular vet and see if they've got instructions for after hours emergencies or the number of an on-call vet or something like that. It doesn't hurt to try.

 

[otto]

Is it swollen at all? I was thinking abscess too, and an abscess needs to be opened to heal. If there is swelling, tightness, or heat over the area, I would find an on call or emergency vet to see her now.

And I agree with closing the cat flap and keeping her inside.

Welcome to the forum and please do keep us updated on (what's her name?).

 

[soobeth]

Thank you all very much for your help, but I am afraid I am rather confused now, should I or should I not take her the emergency vets'.
I'll try the hot compress.
Her name is Poppet, and we've had her since she was born when my other cat who we had recently adopted turned out to be pregnant, and it was wonderful to see the kittens grow up and go to their new homes. The cat has now gone, and we unfortunately suspect that she was shot by illegal lampers in the fields surrounding us. If we had known that they would be there and shooting we would have kept her inside, but as they are illegal you don't get any advance notice and we never thought that it might happen.

Thank you all very much for your help, and if you can just clear up that confusion then that would be great.

Beth

 

[carolina]

Unfortunately there is no way that we can make this decision for you... if you suspect that your cat is sick, for instance, that this injury is abscessed, then yes, take your kitty to the ER vet.
None of us are vets, and we are not seeing your cat - it is pretty impossible for us to tell you what to do without seeing what is going on...
Also, no online advice can ever replace a vet visit.

IF, and I say again IF this doe NOT look inflamed, or abscessed, then I'd say it is ok to wait until Tuesday... But only you can tell if that is the case or not... Because you are in the presence of the kitty...
Is it hot to the touch, swollen, tight? Red?

 

[soobeth]

Thank you for that quick reply!

She really does not seem any different in herself, and when I have looked at the wound it seems not any worse. I am going to wait until tomorrow and apply the compress' you have all suggested. Unfortunately in the past when we have had to keep her in it cause far more distress than it is worth, so I am very reluctant to do that. I will certainly take her to the vets, and I will get the earliest possible appointment.

Many, many thanks,
Beth

 

[carolina]

I would keep her inside and do the compress tonight if you have the supplies - at least clean up and out some Neosporin on it... But in the end the choice is yours...
Anyways, good luck, many vibes and please keep us posted!

 

[soobeth]

I will keep you all posted, and I will try to keep her in. Unfortunately, as I live in the UK, I cannot get any 'Neosporin'.

Beth

 

[carolina]

Oh Beth sorry - a triple antibiotic ointment.

 

[hissy]

sounds like it might be ringworm not an abscess. If there is no heat and the skin is dry and patchy white flaky looking- it probably is ringworm. Ringworm is a fungus and is quite contagious. The cats scratch the skin because it itches so bad. Your vet has the remedy for this if it is indeed ringworm

 

[kittkatt]

Originally Posted by hissy

sounds like it might be ringworm not an abscess. If there is no heat and the skin is dry and patchy white flaky looking- it probably is ringworm. Ringworm is a fungus and is quite contagious. The cats scratch the skin because it itches so bad. Your vet has the remedy for this if it is indeed ringworm

That was my first thought, too.

My Geronimo had a bout with ringworm once, and what you're describing sounds like the same thing. I took him to the vet and they gave me some kind of ointment to put on the affected areas. It cleared up very nicely, and he never had a reoccurrance. I don't recall the name of the ointment: it was almost 4 years ago when he had the ringworm.

If it is ringworm, it's not anything that's an emergency, but you need to get him to the vet to get it treated as soon as you can.

I hope it's nothing serious.

 

[soobeth]

We've just come back from the vets' and it's all fine. The vet says she just scratched it and he gave her an antibiotic injection to prevent infection and a steroid injection to speed up recovery. We are all feeling a lot more reassured and actually quite glad we didn't call out the emergency vet (that we now have the number of) as it is a £100 base fee- for just coming out! The total cost of the examination and the injections came to £25, and a whole lot of peace of mind.

Beth

 

[otto]

Thanks for the follow up. Yes peace of mind is a very valuable thing. I'm glad you got her in and all is going to be well.