Open sore on chest

Question
I have a new kitten about 8-10 weeks old. She has an open sore on her chest and recently had a pretty bad cold. The hair around the area has shed. Since it just appeared today I was hoping to try to treat her at home and go to the vet if it doesn't heal or gets bigger. It there anything that I can put on it to help or should I take her straight to the vet?

Answer
Hi Brittany.  You can put a thin layer of Neosporin on it to help keep it clean, but that won't solve the issue unless the sore is just due to a scrape.  More often, sores are due to fungal or bacterial skin infections or even mange that need a prescription to treat.  Sometimes it can be an allergic reaction to something in the environment or her food.  Or a bite may have become infected leading to a wound that looks much too big to be bite-related.  A vet can let you know if the lesion has the classic appearance of infections like ringworm and staph, a certain type of mite, or is just some simple irritation.  I would say definitely if it's deeper than the surface of the skin or if it's weeping, she should go in to a vet right away.  If not, you can try the Neosporin for a couple of days, but if you see no improvement there, she should go in.  Be on the look out for any additional symptoms like sleepiness, vomiting or lack of appetite, since these can indicate a serious infection.