by Jacquie
(Ontario)

I recently got a new kitten and have a question about proper cat skin care. Today, while petting my kitten, I noticed that she had some matted fur. Advice on the internet was to try to gently comb it out, so that's exactly what I tried to do.

The matted cat fur came out fairly easily but then I noticed there was a white substance on my cat's hair. When I moved more hair out of the way, I could see a wound or hole or something on my cat's side.

What is this? What can I do about it?


Dear Jacquie,

If I am seeing from your photo correctly, it looks like your cat actually has an open wound on her side. The matted fur may have caused this wound to open, you may have accidentally opened it while trying to practice good cat skin care by combing out your kitten's mats, or the matted fur may have formed because your cat had a wound that was leaking fluid, making the cat hair stick together.

Regardless of the cause, your kitten likely needs to have the wound stitched, or at very least properly cleaned, by a veterinarian as soon as possible.

All the best,
Dr. Neely