cat cut on tail

Question
Hello,
Im a first time 'mommy'. My one year old male cat has a cut approx 2 inches from the base of his tail( under side). it is approx a quarter of an inch( if that) long. There is also a small puncture would. There is a tiny bit of blood around the area of the wound. He has cleaned the hair away from it. He seems sensitive to touch, but I would be too. What I need to know is if it is true that he will clean it himself, or if I should see a vet or not.
What should I do to help it/him.

Answer
First of all I would like to know if your cat goes outside. It sounds like what you are seeing is the leftovers from an abscess that he has opened up. The reason I say that is because of the hair loss around the wound. The puncture wound is where the abscess started and the 1/4 gash is most likely from his own tooth where he lanced his abscess. Usually they rupture on their own before the cat does that but it has been known to happen.

If he goes outside this is probably a cat bite. That is the single most cause of abscesses in cats. He will keep it clean but without an antibiotic to clean it from the inside there is a chance it will re- abscess.
Another thing you should be mindful of is that if he is going out and fighting that he better be current on all his vaccinations.
One method of transmission of FELV,FIV, and even FIP is via cat bites.
Rabies of course is another and since most cats are not vaccinated for rabies that becomes a real risk.
So get him into the vets for some antibiotics and he will be fine.