My cat's fight wound is infected. Why is he hiding and aggressive?

Ouch, poor Eddie! Unfortunately, it's impossible to fully assess this wound's severity from a picture alone. The wound itself looks fairly large and appears to be covered in a hair-crusted scab. The challenge likes in how deep the wound goes under the scab, and if it penetrates into the tooth roots, jaw, or salivary glands. To answer your question, yes, Eddie does need veterinary attention. Since he's afraid of people, it's likely that he will need to be sedated in order for your veterinarian to examine this wound. Your vet will need to determine the depth of the wound, and at a minimum, will need to clip the hair around the wound and clean it with an antiseptic cleanser. I fully expect that they'll prescribe an antibiotic or give a long-acting antibiotic injection, as it's likely that this wound is also infected. Try to get to the vet as soon as you can - preferably within the next day. Until your vet appointment, be sure to put an e-collar (cone) on Eddie to prevent him from scratching at this area, as that will make matters worse. Best of luck and I hope that he heals quickly!

Hello, and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Until your nearest veterinarian opens, I recommend keeping Psycho as relaxed and quiet as possible. He's likely had a traumatic several weeks! Put him in a dark quiet room with his food, water, and litterbox, and minimize his stress. However, he should be seen by the vet as soon as possible - I'm concerned he may be fighting an abscess (infection) and may require antibiotics to get better. Hope this helps!

That looks like a bad bite and needs to be seen by a vet right away. Cats that go outside are more likely to get into fights with other cats, and these wounds can easily become infected. Your vet can clean and drain the wound, and provide antibiotics, pain meds and other treatments as needed.

This is an abscess which is a deep pocket of infection that is filled with pus and blood. It is probably the result of a cat fight. Martin needs to see a veterinarian to have this treated. The abscess needs to be drained and he needs to be on a prescription antibiotic medication to resolve the infection. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach

Hello, sorry to hear about Rowdy. It looks like the area should be evaluated by a veterinarian as there may be an abscess beneath the potential bite wound. If Rowdy seems to be eating, drinking, and in good spirits, then his vet visit can wait until the morning. However, if he seems lethargic, painful, does not have an appetite, feels warm, then he should be seen tonight. Hope this helps and best of luck.

Ouch, poor Felix! If he can't walk on it, it looks infected, and he's hardly eaten or drank today, you should take him into a vet right away. It's likely very painful to him, causing him to not be able to put pressure on it. Severe pain would keep him from eating and drinking as well. The wound needs to be cleaned, he will need antibiotics for the infection, and pain medication. The vet can do all of this for him. Please do not give Felix any human pain medications, as many are toxic to cats and are fatal if given. I would take him into an ER vet or find a vet on call to see him now.

That looks to be a cat bite abscess (an infection from another cat biting him). He will definitely need antibiotics so yes, you need to get him to a vet. ( https://www.petcoach.co/article/cat-bite-infections-wounds-and-abscesses/ ) As a side note, if he is not neutered please get that done. Intact male cats are more prone to fighting; not to mention we don't need him running the neighborhood making kittens.