Open Abscess Wound On Cat

[FflurCadwgawn]

My cat Heidi has a small abscess wound on her cheek she keeps breaking back open (bite from an insect? Botfly? Cat fight? No idea, but I came home from work one day and her cheek was the size of a walnut). It will heal and the fur will grow back, and then it starts to bother her again and she winds up opening it back up. Occasionally when she does that it leads to a minor eye infection. When it first happened two years ago the vet said to use a pet friendly herbal eyewash (I use Eyes So Bright) and pet friendly herbs like chamomile, catnip, and echinacea to wash the abscess. I just washed it tonight with the herbal tea blend and it calmed her right down--normally she's furious and the fight she puts up is Kevlar worthy. Although she was still putting up a massive fight in the blanket I burrito-d her in, her temper about first aid treatments wasn't nearly as bad as usual. I did pull off some of the loose hair and scabs and used two wipes of herbal wash on it. The wound tonight is about an eighth of an inch away from healing over entirely. Right now she's glaring at me every time I even think about coming near her.

This being said, does anyone else have a way to address abscesses in cats naturally without resorting to the cone of shame? She fights so that hard pills and liquid meds are out of the question and she won't eat much by way of soft food. The furballs are on free range for dry food and that also means the dog gets into the dry food, too. I do have some mild calming herbal drops from the vet that I could technically put in the water but there's no point in making the other cats and the dog drink the water too if I don't have to.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Abscesses need to be thoroughly drained to heal properly, and then treated with antibiotics, perhaps even topically. If you can't accomplish that, then you need the help of a vet. If that doesn't happen, it will continue to fester, open, close, repeat, repeat, repeat. The other thing is to have her tested for possible diseases that she might have contracted if this abscess is related to a cat bite/fight.

Natural calming products aren't going to hurt the other animals, so that really is not an issue, if they work with Heidi.

Here is an article on open abscess wound care, if it by chance would help you any.
How to Treat an Abscess on a Cat: 11 Steps (with Pictures)

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

As far as the calming drops, have you tried dropping them on some of her favorite treats and letting them soak in, them giving them to her? That's what I did with my boys because I can't force them to drink on command

Have you tried using Colloidal Silver on the wound after you clean it? Some people swear by it.

 

[LTS3]

Many medicines can be compounded if liquid and pills are difficult to give. Transdermal gels and chew treats are two easy ways to get medicine into most cats. If the vet prescribes medicine to help the wound heal or prevent infection, ask if the medicine can be compounded. A local compounding pharmacy can do this or ask the vet to call the prescription to Wedgewood Pharmacy.

Could it be a possible reaction to something in the food? Skin issues are common if a cat has an allergy / sensitivity to something in the food.