My cat's abscess burst. Is the pus dangerous to my child or me?

Hi, the medications should help fighting the infection and therefore there should not be any need to clean or drain the abscess as it burst on his own. For the time being, you just need to wash the area with salty water if you notice any discharge. If not, just monitor and make sure that swelling does not reoccurr. If you notice that the area is swollen or the discharge is not any better in the next couple of days then I would recommend to take him back to your vet to be reassessed. You should also have him rechecked if he is not eating or appears to be lethargic as this could mean he is running a temperature. Hope this helps and best wishes for a speedy recovery !

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. That does appear to be a burst abscess. Without examining her it's impossible to know for sure, however it resembles and has acted like an abscess. Ideally she would be seen by a vet, they would flush it out with warm (not hot) salt water (1 teaspoon in 1 cup of water- your vet would use sterile saline) and then likely get antibiotics and pain meds. An E-collar also prevents Littlecloud from licking and introducing more bacteria into the wound. If you cannot go to a vet, I recommend flushing it/cleaning it with salt water. Do not use any topical creams, just leave it open to drain. Clean it twice a day with the salt water, and try to prevent Littlecloud from licking at it or chewing at it. The main pain has now gone since the abscess has burst (the pressure is relieved) . Do not give any human pain medications as these are often very toxic to cats. Best of luck with Littlecloud!

If there is green and yellow purulent material coming out of any area on the body, this is a definite sign of infection. If several cats are showing similar clinical signs, then I would say there is a very good chance they are spreading some type of transmissible disease among each other. There is no way of knowing what it might be without a bacterial culture. I can't say whether or not it can be communicable to humans, but probably not. I would still handle them with care until you have managed to clear up the issue. In terms of medication, depending on their size an Amoxicillin 500 is most likely a significant overdose. While penicillin antibiotics might be effective, a much lower dose will be required for a small kitten. The antibiotics will also be needed for an extended period of time versus just a single day. In terms of covering the area, I would not keep it closed. Allowing the material to drain from the area is probably best at this point. I would continue to try and keep it clean, but don't cover it completely. Hope you are able to clear things up.

I recommend cleaning the area with a warm damp cloth to remove the discharge. Then you can apply a thin film of antibacterial ointment on it. Actually, now that it’s draining the infection his fever should break and this should heal quickly. It’s important to keep it clean and for the wound to stay open so the infection doesn’t stay under the skin. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Smudge.

The cyst was actually an abscess or pocket of puss from a cat scratch or bite. I'm glad it is draining as it will heal quickly now that the infection is coming out. I would massage all of the infected material out of the wound then clean the area with hydrogen peroxide. Then apply a thin film of antibacterial ointment on it. Keep it clean and treated daily and this should heal in a few days to a week. Since it's draining a veterinary visit shouldn't be needed unless it fills again and Salem stops eating due to a fever. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Salem.

This is an abscess and the white substance is puss. These are often caused by something under the skin that gets infected. It could be a thorn or from a bite. It's best if a vet examines this and explores the wound, because if the cause of the infection is not removed, then the infection will never clear. Sometimes these infections have potential to cause infections elsewhere, or can get worse, so a vet may need to prescribe medication to prevent this. For now, keep the area clean by flushing with water twice a day. I hope that helps and Mittens gets better soon.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Windsor. Based on your description, it sounds like he has an abscess under his skin. I typically treat these with surgery to lance the wound and flush out the pus. I then place a temporary drain to allow continued drainage of any residual pus. This allows you to flush the drain at home with a disinfectant solution. I continue the antibiotics and usually do use Clavamox. He will need to see his veterinarian again. You can try warm compresses in the meantime. I usually use a warm washcloth for 5 minutes three times per day. I hope this information helps!