hole in cat

Question
My cat has a hole in the stomach region, about 3 inches in diameter.  It is not a slit or a cut, but an actual hole.  It is red and bloody looking but nothing leaks out of it. The hole has been there for 2 weeks.  I was wondering what this is and how this can be treated.  If surgery is needed, what kind and approximately. how much will it cost? Thank you so much.

Answer
Hi Amy.  This is definitely a question for the vet.  The treatment will depend on how deep the hole is and what it was caused by.  Sometimes, especially this time of year, when you see a hole of this size, there will be maggots inside the wound eating away the dead flesh.  This can be good because maggots get rid of the dead tissue instead of allowing it to fester, but maggots are also a sign that the hole is deep and is slowly killing the cat.  Before a wound like this can be treated, all the maggots must be removed, and if the wound is too extensive, this can be impossible.  If there is still a chance of saving her, surgery can run several hundred dollars.

Of course, even if there are no maggots, the hole still sounds like a grave situation.  If the hole is superficial and affects the skin only, the vet might be able to give you a cream to help heal it and an antibiotic to prevent it from becoming infected.  Cats have trouble healing gaping wounds and may need a special lotion to build granular tissue (essentially the beginning of a scar) before the wound can start to close.  If the hole is deeper, though, it may need to be closed surgically.  If it's a simple suture job, it might run you a couple hundred dollars.  If it needs to be sutured AND have shunts placed to drain it, it will run you more.  If underlying muscles have been torn or displaced and internal sutures are needed, this might run you even more.  Unfortunately, only a vet could give you a prognosis, treatment plan and an estimate of cost.  I would get her in right away.  Even if the wound itself doesn't appear to be life threatening, she may become seriously dehydrated from losing moisture through the wound, and infection is also very likely.