Desperate for Answers, reoccurring open soars!

Question
Jessica, I just noticed a picture on Lenny's questions of the soars that my cat has gotten 3-4 time and two of the times, it has gotten so infected that they had to cut it out and staple him back together with a drip, the first time, the vet said it looked like he got attacked....I didn't think so, but I made sure to keep an extra close eye to make sure he didn't get out... then after it all healed I noticed another small soar like the one in the pic, so I took him to our low cost vet in the area since my finances are limited and and I explained that I didn't think it was a animal bite this time, and they really didn't do much than test him for cancer, put a cone on his head and sent him on his way, after that one healed, there was another one, smaller, I kept a close eye on it and put some liquid silver on it for an antibiotic, and it went away. Then last week I noticed a bump (all sores where in the same general area) on the side of his back, and then a couple days later, it's an open sore....
So I am thinking that the abscess thing sounds closer than any other explanation...if this is so, do I take him in just so they can confirm this? If it's confirmed...what can they do to help him? or prevent it? he has been checked thoroughly by two vets, myself and my boyfriend and we are not seeing any preexisting punctures or anything...can abscesses be caused from something else or would you say it is probably something else???
Please help, my kitty is all I have....
P.S he is a 3 year old male tabby who has been healthier than ever up until now... we do have 3 other cats and two dogs, but none of the other cats have any problems and the dogs are kenneled when we are not home....

Answer
Hi Tamlyn.  An abscess really occurs as the result of a wound, nearly always a bite wound.  For them to be happening this frequently, he'd probably have to be getting into regularl scrapes with another kitty, and you'll usually notice lots of bloody pus when they first erupt.  

I'm not certain what could be going on with your kitty, but one thing that comes to mind if abscesses are not the case is eosinophilic granuloma complex.  It's seen around the mouth often but can be found anywhere on the body.  It's not really understood what causes this condition, but certain types of white blood cells, called eosinophils, begin attacking layers of the skin.  They send out proteins which form a lumpy granular tissue which begins to ulcerate the skin.  In many cases, a corticosteroid can reduce this response and bring the cat relief.  In severe cases, where infection becomes a problem because the sores become large and long-standing, the affected skin may need to be removed surgically.  A biopsy is usually the best way to diagnose this condition, and I suspect this probably would've been tested for along with cancer.  But you could call and check.  It's pronounced Ee-oh-sin-oh-fil-ick gran-u-lo-muh complex.

Aside from that, a lot of cats have allergies to food ingredients, so you may want to think about making a slow change to a new food.  The most common reason cats have skin problems from their food is corn.  If his food contains it, think about switching to something corn-free.  Wheat (anything with flour) is almost as guilty.  I switched my cats to a completely grain-free diet, which contains no corn, rice, wheat, barley, etc.  And their belly and skin troubles have been greatly reduced.  The price tag is a little more, but the vet bills have also come down, so it pays for itself.