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Expert: - 1/19/2010


Question
My cat is about 6 months old, he is and indoor cat and is the only pet we own. About two days ago we discovered that his upper lip was swollen. Not swollen big enough to cause problems eating or licking. It is red and a little hard. He does not seem to mind, but it smells so I am a little worried it could be an infection. We feed him cat chow, when he recently started eating less we switched to iams adult cat food. He has not been vaccinated, and he seems as energetic as ever. Is there anything I can do to speed the healing?
Thanks!  

Answer
Well he has an abscess growing on his lip most likely from a cat bite. This is going to be a nasty infection and he will need to see a vet to get it cleaned out and then put on antibiotics.

Cat bites are also one of the major causes of a cat getting leukemia, FIV (feline AIDS), FIP and rabies.

You should have the vet test him for Leukemia. The test will test for 4 viruses.
If he has it, it will certainly slow down his healing time, and it is ultimately fatal.

Hopefully he is already neutered, if not, have the vet do it at the same time when he gets his abscess cleaned up and you will save money on the anesthetic. If his tests are negative, make sure he gets vaccinated after his wounds heal.

Iams cat food is one step up from cat chow but he might have stopped eating because it hurts his lip to do so.

He shouldn't have to spend the night at the vets. I hope he heals quickly and that his tests are negative.

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Jana Connell RVT, CVT

Expertise

PLEASE READ BEFORE SUBMITTING TO ME: I am NOT a vet and do NOT diagnose diseases. That is only for a licensed Veterinarian to do. I will give you suggestions and steer you toward calling your vet for help. You can call the vet's office and talk to the technician there or the vet at times. Don't be afraid to call them! If you have a serious issue with your pet please post it to one of the veterinarians in here- I will tell you the same thing in my answer. IF your pet is injured or in an emergency situation, CALL YOUR VET- Do not wait and post in here. Just call the vet's office and get them in to see the vet right away. Critical treatment time is lost if you seek answers here when you should have your precious pet at the vets!! Don't sit at home waiting for an answer when your pet is critically ill or injured!! I can answer most questions about small animal and wildlife care as well as small animal nutrition. I can also answer questions about all phases of dental care for small animals. I DO NOT answer questions about birds (unless it is wildlife or songbirds) or HAMSTERS/GERBILS/CHINS/GUINEA PIGS/REPTILES/FROGS/RABBITS/PET BIRDS OF ANY KIND so please submit these questions to the appropriate sections. I, as well as other experts in here, do NOT do homework questions- that is for YOU to do! Please respect these rules for all of us. Thanks!

Experience

I have over 35 years experience in the field of veterinary medicine. I specialized in small animals and did wildlife rehab for over 25 years, mostly raptors, squirrels and opossums. I am a Small Animal Nutritional Consultant with 6 certificates from Hills Pet Foods, CNM and Purina. I also specialized in Small Animal Dentistry which is a field I truly love.

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Audubon,World Wildlife Federation, American Society of Veterinary Dental Technicians.

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Licensed with California and Oregon, RVT and CVT. Certified Veterinary Dental Technician Have over 500 logged hours of Continuing Education Credits(that means I keep up to date!).

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Nominated for Expert of the Month for the last 5 years.

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