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Kitten has swollen cheek, red bump after shots. Vet closed, advice?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | American Shorthair | Female | unspayed | 2 months and 14 days old | 2.25 lbs

I came home from dinner tonight and my 11 week old kitten has a red bump on her cheek right below her eye. Her entire cheek is swollen and it looks like some type of bite. She has been inside all day. It also may be worth mentioning she had a vet appointment today and received shots. Advice? I cant get to a vet because everything is closed at this time

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1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Destini R. Holloway, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on June 4th, 2020

Poor girl. It looks like a puncture wound for sure. I don't suspect this is related to her vaccinations based on the photo. I would certainly want you to get her seen by an ER vet if the swelling continues, especially if it starts to form around her throat and interfere with her breathing. You can also try giving her some Benadryl for now to see if the swelling subsides. Here is a link to our educational client page on proper usage of Benadryl and dosage recommendations. --> https://www.petcoach.co/pet-medication/benadryl/ It typically takes several hours for Benadryl to take effect, so if things worsen in that time frame, it is best to get Moon Pie to an ER vet unfortunately. I do hope that things either remain stable and don't get worse until the morning when your regular vet is open to take another look at Moon Pie. You can try a cold compress on the area for 5 minutes tonight also if she will be cooperative. Best of luck to you both and take care. : )

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