Cat limping, swollen, lethargic after fight, no wounds. What to do?

Question

Hi, my male cat ‘Cow’ just came inside. He’s been known to get into fights, but this time he came in limping with no visible wounds. His mouth and chin are swollen on the right side but there are no puncture marks, and his leg that he isn’t putting weight on has tufts of fur missing but again, no wounds. This just started tonight, he was fine this morning. I assume a fight, I have pictures if necessary, but he’s very lethargic. Please help. Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Male | neutered

Alysia Van Scoy, DVM · Accepted Answer

The fact that he has a swollen chin and is very lethargic has me concerned. It could be that he has an infection due a fight. Cats can get abscesses from a cat bite. The puncture wounds heal, but the infection grows under the skin. It usually requires antibiotics. It is also possible that something else happened to Cow. He could have been hit by a car, fallen out of tree, gotten into poison, bitten by a snake or attacked by something besides a cat. Sometimes the wounds are not obvious on the outside. I think that it would be best to take him in to see a veterinarian for an exam. They can try to localize what is causing the swelling and the lethargy. They will most likely need to do some diagnostics. After the diagnostics- they can give you a presumptive diagnosis and start treatment for him. I hope they get him feeling better soon! Thanks for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Cat limping, swollen, lethargic after fight, no wounds. What to do?

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