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My cat's fight wound is stinky and sensitive with pus. Is it infected?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Male | unneutered | 1 year and 11 months old | 12 lbs

This is my cats back he got in a cat fight a little bit ago and I just noticed this. I don’t know what to do or what it is, the puss is stinky and it’s super sensitive. Please HELP

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1 Answer

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Answered By Lauren Jones VMD

Veterinarian

Published on January 27th, 2021

Ouch, poor Cheese! Since he got into a fight, this wound looks most like a puncture wound, which is typically from the other animal's canine tooth. Bite wounds (or even bad scratches) typically get infected and can form abscesses, which are pus-filled pockets under the skin. Bite wounds are typically worse under the surface than they initially appear from the outside. The yellowish-white piece of tissue that you mentioned looks like a piece of dead skin or fatty tissue that's protruding from the wound and is not a concern. That said, I can see a significant amount of inflammation and irritation around the puncture wound itself. If you haven't already taken Cheese to a vet, you should definitely do so. After your vet examines him, they'll be able to get a better sense of the severity of this wound. Some wounds require surgery to remove the dead tissue under the skin, but others simply require a course of antibiotics. Either way, it's better to start treatment sooner rather than later. I hope that Cheese is on the mend soon!

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