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I can't believe this is happening! Bobby is at the vets this evening with an enormous abscess at the base of his right ear and a hole in the ear!

He was a little quiet yesterday, but with all the fuss over Freddie, perhaps I should have paid more attention to Bob. Last night I noticed he had some swelling around the base of his right ear and a little cut/sore in the middle of the ear. We bathed it in saline solution and applied some AB drops. He was quiet but he ate his tea and spent the night on the bed with me - as he often does. This morning we decided, being Saturday, we would get him into the vets. On the way there he shook his head and must have bumped his ear. GOD the SMELL! Poor lad, all this goo came out of his ear.

The vet remembered him - she was very fond of Bob. She said she would sedate him, drain and wash the wound, give him an AB shot and we could pick him up this afternoon. Two hours later she called to say it was much worse than we thought and as she shaved the hair around his ear more goo and a piece of skin came away. She is keeping him in and will change the bandage several times over the weekend and see what it looks like on Monday.

Hopefully, it will have drained and the wound will be clean enough to stitch his ear - there is a hole in his ear at the minute. She is well aware of his FIV+ status and is being extra cautious in his treatment.

I feel awful I didn't notice it earlier. We haven't a clue how it happened. He does wrestle with Billy, but although they get quite rough sometimes, it is never that bad.

OH did say a week or so ago that he thought there may be a black stray cat in the area. As he had seen a large black cat, briefly, run across the garden with a bird in its mouth. It wouldn't be Willow and couldn't be Fred, Billy or Bob (the cat had four legs!) I don't know if it is to blame.

Vibes please for my poor Bob. I think I am more worried about him than I was about Fred. Freddie is young and resilient, Bob comes over that way, but really he is not.

Fingers crossed for him

All fingers, tails and paws crossed here!

It's amazing how abscesses do lurk and then suddenly swell. I remember my Ali Kat when he was in the process of moving in with me, normal one day and then the next trotting in with a thing jutting out from his neck that made him look like Elephant Cat. I was once sitting with another cat on my knee - naturally in the evening after the vets had closed, and I thought, it looks swollen behind his ear. I gently palpated it with both thumbs and a jet of pus shot out and hit me on the shoulder. He was a very placid ginger tom and he just purred - I think I was far more agitated. And, as you say, the smell is terrible. This must be 30 years ago at least; the custom was for warm salt water bathing, but there was a hole that didn't close, so he went to the vet's for abs. They didn't wash abscesses out in those days. He wasn't FIV+ though of course - I realise that makes a difference.

I think that as soon as that pressure and all that toxic stuff is released they do start to feel better, and Bob's definitely in the right place ... always does have to happen at a weekend or after hours though doesn't it? Hoping the old chap's on the way to recovery now, lots of love to him and you all, Lil x

I do hope poor Bob will be feeling better soon and that it starts to heal up okay. Poor Bob

Fingers crossed here for Bobby.

Abscesses are nasty things but with the right treatment they normally heal up ok. it only takes the smallest puncture to start one off and then once the body has decided to seal the area off to prevent all the nastiness getting into the rest of the body it just blooms out the only way it can go, outwards, don't blame yourself for not noticing it earlier, there was probably very little to notice.

Once the pressure is gone the pain often goes with it, you then just have to be careful that it doesn't heal over at the top leaving anything below to make the abscess reform, hence the desire to clean them thoroughly and make sure they heal from the bottom up.

I don't know much about FIV+ cats except that a lot of what I used to hear was wrong, so can only hope that doesn't effect his healing so much.

Here's hoping he's back with you on Monday, if not at least he's in the best place for it to be looked after well.

Yes - I have had experience of abscesses that go from nothing to horrible mess in what seems no time at all - one on Christmas Eve that left so enormous a hole I couldn't believe I had not found the lump that caused it! Every time I was horrified by the gore, but the cat felt much better immediately, so here's hoping Bob will bounce back quickly.

Bob should be at the vets now, but the little beggar has escaped and gone AWOL! Been searching everywhere. Positive homecoming vibes pleased. Quick tea break then out again.

Little beggar strolled in at 4.50, too late for the vets!! He's going tomorrow AM.

Little devil! I'm so glad he turned up safely though. Good luck for tomorrow

How was it!!

Sorry I have not been here for a while. Just a quick report back. The vet was very pleased with Bob's progress and have said to bring him in for a quick consult next week. All being well, that should be the final one.

Thanks for your support and kind thoughts.

Some pictures of Bob. The first is of Billy and Fred and a newly returned (from the vets) Bob. The second is a photo of some old lady (OK, me, ) and a bandaged Bob. The last one is of Freddie and Bob. Yes that IS just ONE cat stretched out on the sofa!

Lovely pics. Billy & Freddie are really checking out Bob in the cage..Freddie thinking ..”Uum I was in there a couple of weeks ago.” Has Freddie’s fur recovered a tad where he had his op? The Famous Five from Oz send meows. Vivian
PS Just read your Freddie post with pic ... he really is a majestic boy.