When our Animal Welfare Officers were called out to help a stray cat with a severe head wound, they were shocked – but sadly not surprised – by what they found.

Four-year-old Augustus had a wound the size of a golf ball on his forehead, which was discharging foul-smelling pus. The ruptured abscess had originated from an infected cat bite – a common occurrence in unneutered cats.

The tissue surrounding the abscess had become necrotic, and his eye was half shut from the swelling and discharge.

Left to fester

Because Augustus was a stray, the original wound hadn’t received any care or attention. Cats’ claws and teeth are covered in bacteria, and so if they bite or scratch another cat, it’s very likely that the bacterial contagion will spread.

Augustus’ bite had very quickly turned into an abscess, which, left untreated for much longer would continue to make him feel extremely ill and affect his ability to survive on his own.

Unfortunately, such wounds are common in stray and feral cat colonies, where unneutered and unvaccinated felines will fight and attack each other to assert dominance and mark out territory.

Emergency surgery

Luckily, our Animal Welfare Officers were able to bring Augustus straight into Mayhew for treatment at our Community Vet Clinic. He was clearly distressed and in pain when he arrived, and suffering from mild dehydration.

In order to make him feel more comfortable, Steph Panayiotou, one of our Vets, prescribed a course of antibiotics, anti-inflammatories and pain relief.

Steph gently bathed and flushed the abscess while Augustus was anaesthetised to remove the worst of the necrosis and pus.

With Augustus and the abscess improving every day, Steph then did a final clean of the wound and removed the surrounding dead tissue a week later, once again putting Augustus under general anaesthetic.

He was also neutered, microchipped, and tested for FIV/FeLV while he was asleep – and was happily negative for both of these viruses.

A happy ending – with a hidden cost

Happily, Augustus has responded well to every stage of his treatment so far. His wound is healing well, and Steph and the rest of our Vet team expect him to make a full recovery.

We will spend the next couple of weeks monitoring his condition, before he is ready to go up for adoption.

Whilst Augustus may be looking forward to finding his forever family, our Vets and Animal Welfare Officers are gearing up to treat more animals just like him.

It costs almost £400 to treat an infected abscess like Augustus’s, and we couldn’t do it without the ongoing help of our friends and supporters.

Please text MAYHEWCAT to 70085 to donate £5 today – money which will go straight towards helping animals just like Augustus.