A couple nights ago I came home to find pus on her chest fur. I figured she had a cold which is why she was so tired and acting weird, and her nose must have gotten runny or something. But then last night when I moved the fur away from the place she kept licking on her chest, there was a hole there!!!
Of course I grabbed the phone book right away and looked up a list of vets. A freaking hole in her chest! Not a good sign. I planned on taking her to the vet first thing in the morning, but was feeling panicky and got on-line to see what I could find.
It turns out "abscesses" are quite normal for cats. Really? With all the cats I used to have growing up, I've never seen a hole in any of them. Apparently if another cat scratches them and bacteria gets under the skin, their immune system blocks off that area and white blood cells rush in, creating a pus-filled ball that eventually bursts, leaving a gaping hole. It seems that once the pus leaves the body, the body can heal itself.
The different sites I found recommend taking your cat to the vet but once the pus ball has burst, you just have to wait until it heals. I felt much calmer after that, knowing that having a hole in her chest isn't life-threatening and that actually it's a sign that she's already on her way to recovery. So I didn't rush to the vet and went to work as usual.
When I came home she was back to her normal self; running all over the place and full of energy again. And the hole seemed shallower already. What a fast recovery. I'm so glad to see I was worried for nothing!
3 comments:
Thank you soooooooo much for this detailed account. My indoor cat just got out and was gone for over a week. Came back acting a little funny and then got a little better over the course of the day. Literally 5 minutes ago I was rubbing her tummy and chest, and felt a hole, a large one that I could see right through to whatever is underneath. Freaked out, googled it and this was my first read, a dead on identical story. So relieved. Thanks again!
Thank you both for your comments.....
I too found a hole the size of a nickel on my cat today in the center of his chest it was open and I could see into tissue of my cat. He is eating and seems to be OK except for the hole. I rushed to call my vet and he told me it was probably a absest that had ruptured and would be OK. I jumped online. And after 6 other posts I found this one so thank you for posting!! If my cat is not better by Monday he will be going to the vet... I pray its just a healing hole....
GOD BLESS MY KITTY!!
I just went through this with our cat as well. Only I made the mistake of taking him to the vet before finding the lump or "puss sack". After 2 nights at the vets and a $500.00 vet bill, they sent him home pending a future ultra sound. Two days after he was home, I felt wetness on his chest near the mass and found two holes seeping clear fluid. Its been a week since it starting seeping but my cat is doing great and feeling much better. Cats are amazingly self healing I guess.
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