Cat nose scraped – causes, course of treatment and troubleshooting

If your cat has scraped its nose, this is usually no cause for concern. Smaller wounds usually heal well on their own.

However, there are also cases in which the cause must be urgently clarified and a suitable treatment must be started. Especially the therapy can be difficult, because the velvet paws remove creams and solutions with their tongues or paws and can irritate or open the wound again and again.

If you notice repeated abrasions on the nose of your cat, it is also time to act. Because behind it diseases can hide.

In this article you will learn which causes can be responsible for abrasions on the cat’s nose and when a treatment of the wounds is necessary. In the Troubleshooting section, we also deal with the difficulties of treating wounds on the nose.

Cat nose scraped – Causes

Is your cat an outdoor cat and comes home with a bloody, scraped up nose? Then, just as in the case of pure apartment keeping, a variety of causes can be responsible.

Usually, this type of wound is caused by mechanical influences. Possible are for example

running against a wall
rough edges on the cat flap
grinding on tree bark
direct contact with sisal rope on scratching post or scratching board
rubbing against grating or wire

Perhaps your cat habitually crawls under a fence outdoors and scrapes the skin off its nose.

However, there may be an itch behind the scrape. This, in turn, can occur for a variety of reasons. These include:

Allergies
Parasites
Fungal infections

If the nose is constantly itchy, the cat may rub itself on rough surfaces or scratch over it repeatedly with its own claws. This can eventually result in sores or abrasions.

The difference here is that the sores hardly heal or they keep recurring. In addition, bald spots and sores, redness or itching can also appear on other parts of the body.

Moreover, for a long-term improvement of the condition, a different form of treatment is required than in the case of a one-time abrasion that occurred, for example, during play or a fight.

Treatment of cat nose injuries

If your cat accidentally scraped its nose on a wall or wanted to get out of the carrier so badly that it got sore in the process, the treatment turns out to be very simple.

You just need to make sure that the area is clean and air dried. Light and careful disinfection is advised to prevent infection.

A scab should form within a short time and complete healing should occur after a few days.

If wound healing is difficult, you can apply eye and nose wound healing ointment as a thin layer. Use a clean cotton swab and repeat the application three to five times a day.

If the wound is not just a minor abrasion, but is accompanied by severe bleeding, redness or swelling, consult a veterinarian.

Also, if an oozing, suppurating wound appears as it progresses, a different type of treatment is needed.

Often an antibiotic is used as a solution. If your cat keeps scratching or chafing its nose, a protective collar may be advised.

However, this can also not prevent the licking of the medicine.

Treat itching abrasions

If your cat has scraped its nose because it suffers from severe and persistent itching, various triggers are possible.

As already mentioned, they are allergies, parasites or infections – for example with fungi.

Treatment varies greatly depending on the trigger. In the case of allergies, it only helps to avoid contact with allergens.

These can often be found in the food, but the search can be difficult and is often lengthy.

In the case of parasites and infections, it is worthwhile to perform a so-called scraping or smear, in which some skin is scraped off and examined more closely.

These procedures should be carried out in any case when itching occurs repeatedly, in order to exclude all causes and thus arrive at a definite diagnosis.

In the case of infections or parasites, appropriate medication must be administered so that germs or mites and co. die off.

Only then can a real alleviation and improvement of the condition be achieved and healing can begin.

Troubleshooting: Typical problems in the treatment of the cat nose

Have you observed that your cat’s nose has hit the wall awkwardly while playing and romping and the wound is caused by that?

Then a visit to the vet and treatment beyond cleaning and observation is not necessary.

However, for more difficult injuries or poor healing, professional care and therapy cannot be avoided.

It is a special challenge if the abrasion is directly on the nose leather.

This is because the cat can lick off applied products here. Due to its rough tongue, it also irritates the sore spot again and again.

This brings us to problem number 1:
Licking

Cream or solution, wound disinfection or protective film – your cat will lick its nose. Therefore, it is best to use fast-absorbing products and to distract your cat for a while immediately after application.

If necessary, additional antibiotics must be administered orally or injected.
Pus and incrustations

When the wound fluid comes out and dries in the air, it results in a thin scab. This is not only unproblematic, but also represents a natural protection during healing.

The situation is different with purulent wounds. The pus can lead to adhesions that make breathing difficult.

This makes it necessary for you to carefully clean the area daily (several times).

For this purpose, it is best to use a wound compress, which you soak with a solution of warm water and Betaisodona and with which you soften the coating.

New abrasions every day

If you notice a sore, reddened or scraped nose on your cat repeatedly and neither allergy nor parasites or a skin fungus are responsible for it, you need to investigate your pet’s route and habits.

Is the skin strained when the cat flap is pushed open? Does your cat have a hatch with rough edges? Does she possibly exhibit OCD and rub her nose on other objects?

Once you find the trigger, you can target it and fix it.
Cat nose abrasions

From a minor accident during play to a sign of a health problem, abrasions on a cat’s nose can be completely harmless or in need of treatment.

For this reason, it’s important that you do some root cause research and find the trigger, especially if there are more symptoms or a repeated occurrence.

However, a small, single abrasion is no reason to panic, even on the sensitive cat nose.