a hole in my cats skin?

catlover102

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i noticed a small piece of matted fur on my cat today and i snipped it off but next to it was this scab or hole looking thing. i dabbed it with some alcohol and water to clean it a bit but i’m wondering if this is something serious that needs more attention or just a scab or something because i have 5 other cats and she may have gotten scratched while playing. she seems to be fine still eating playing and sleeping normally and she did flinch and get annoyed when i cleaned it though. any thoughts?
 

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goingpostal

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Hard to say with pictures, are they inside or outside cats? There's botflies and bugs that can get into animals and leave similar looking bumps but also when cats fight you often won't see the injuries with all the fur until an abscess breaks open.
 
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catlover102

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Hard to say with pictures, are they inside or outside cats? There's botflies and bugs that can get into animals and leave similar looking bumps but also when cats fight you often won't see the injuries with all the fur until an abscess breaks open.
they’re inside cats, they do escape for a few minutes at times but it’s usually not her, shes too scared to go outside. i attached some more images maybe it helps show it better. she was just licking the area a few minutes ago but i don’t know if that means something because she was just grooming all her fur like usual and is now napping.
 

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Purr-fect

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That looks like a tick was fastened to her and fell off after feeding. I would check her and all other cats carefully for ticks and do so daily until tick season is well over. Google images of ticks on aminals and where to look for them on pets.

Ticks bore a hole in the host. When the tick falls off or is removed (see google for proper technique), a deep hole is left. In time it will heal, but the greater damage is the disease the tick might have transfered. Ticks can be brought indoors by animals, people, or even crawl in by themselves.
 
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catlover102

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That looks like a tick was fastened to her and fell off after feeding. I would check her and all other cats carefully for ticks and do so daily until tick season is well over. Google images of ticks on aminals and where to look for them on pets.

Ticks bore a hole in the host. When the tick falls off or is removed (see google for proper technique), a deep hole is left. In time it will heal, but the greater damage is the disease the tick might have transfered. Ticks can be brought indoors by animals, people, or even crawl in by themselves.
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That’s horrible i never thought i would encounter ticks :( just as i was typing my reply i saw something crawling on my laptop, does this look like a tick?
 

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Purr-fect

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It COULD be. The body shape is similar but the head shape doesnt look quite correct. The head is quite small, triangular and is completely burrowed into the host when feeding.

I would capture the bug, put it in a jar or clear bag and show it to a vet or someone qualified to give an opinion.

Get on the internet and research ticks look like, before, during and after feeding. Their bodies change shape, color and size between those stages. Its not a panic situation. But you need to know if you have tick issues. You may not have ticks present, however one of our cats had 3 ticks over a few years and to me the wound on your cat looks very much like a tick "bite". Its not really an bite, but more of a hole.

If you do find ticks on your cats, you can readily buy a cheap plastic tool to remove them. Dont use tweezers and learn how to do this by watching you tube videos ect.
 

di and bob

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Where is that located? It looks like an infected nipple. That is NOT a tick, I just pulled one off of me yesterday. they are flat with tiny, tiny heads, almost nonexistent. Their legs are attached to the side of their body. Alcohol stings badly when applied to an open sore, clean with water and apply some antibiotic salve with NO pain killers in it, some new ones have that and they are toxic to cats. Just a plain triple antibiotic. Or apply some hydrogen peroxide one time. As long as it doesn't get worse you could try to treat it at home.
 
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catlover102

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It COULD be. The body shape is similar but the head shape doesnt look quite correct. The head is quite small, triangular and is completely burrowed into the host when feeding.

I would capture the bug, put it in a jar or clear bag and show it to a vet or someone qualified to give an opinion.

Get on the internet and research ticks look like, before, during and after feeding. Their bodies change shape, color and size between those stages. Its not a panic situation. But you need to know if you have tick issues. You may not have ticks present, however one of our cats had 3 ticks over a few years and to me the wound on your cat looks very much like a tick "bite". Its not really an bite, but more of a hole.

If you do find ticks on your cats, you can readily buy a cheap plastic tool to remove them. Dont use tweezers and learn how to do this by watching you tube videos ect.
unfortunately i already killed the bug. i’ve felt over all my cats and checked my bed because that’s where i was when i saw the bug but i haven’t found anything else. I will keep an eye out though and keep checking over them again. i’m glad it’s not a panic situation because i was panicked 😅.
 
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catlover102

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Where is that located? It looks like an infected nipple. That is NOT a tick, I just pulled one off of me yesterday. they are flat with tiny, tiny heads, almost nonexistent. Their legs are attached to the side of their body. Alcohol stings badly when applied to an open sore, clean with water and apply some antibiotic salve with NO pain killers in it, some new ones have that and they are toxic to cats. Just a plain triple antibiotic. Or apply some hydrogen peroxide one time. As long as it doesn't get worse you could try to treat it at home.
it’s located on her front left leg so it’s definitely not a nipple. i really hope that was not a tick because i would hate for all my cats to end up with one or something. i attached an image of a medicine that the vet gave me a while ago for my cat when her nails were bleeding and i used it again when my cat went out a got scratched by a stray and it really helped, should i use this for her too?
 

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di and bob

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Yes, use that. Unless it changes dramatically. I would observe it for a while. It COULD be a tick bite, she may have pulled it off herself and ate it. Cats will remove ticks anywhere they can reach them. Make sure you show it to the vet the next time you bring her in, or bring that picture in now. It could even be a sticker. I've had them swell up like that.
 

Purr-fect

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You can search for attached ticks by gently rubbing your finger tips deeply into the fur and down to the skin. An attached tick will feel like a nipple. You will then part the fur and inspect closely.

In our case, each time the tick was located around the neck or "shoulder" of the front legs. Check google for common locations and how to remove them. It is important to remove all of the tick and not leave the head behind as it can cause infection.

You may not be dealing with ticks. But I think it's important to examine all the cats frequently. We always comb our cats when they come inside and check them frequently.

Ticks have now become common where I live.
 
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