Your cat presents with a single abscess and high fever. Which diagnosis is most likely?

Your cat presents with a single abscess and high fever. Which diagnosis is most likely?

• A. Cat bite abscess
• B. Tularemia
• C. Plague
• D. All of the above are equally likely

Answer: (A)

A single abscess with fever in a cat most often points to a localized bacterial infection from a bite wound. Cats harbor many oral bacteria, especially Pasteurella multocida and anaerobes, which are repeatedly implicated in bite injuries. When these bacteria are inoculated into tissue, they typically form a localized pocket of pus—an abscess—and fever can accompany the infection as the body mounts an inflammatory response. In contrast, tularemia and plague are systemic diseases in cats. Tularemia frequently presents with fever plus regional lymphadenopathy or mucocutaneous ulcers, and plague can cause high fever with more widespread illness or multiple lesions, not just a single focal abscess. Therefore, the presentation of a single abscess with fever is most consistent with a cat bite abscess rather than those systemic infections or an equal likelihood of all of the above. Management would focus on draining and cleaning the abscess, initiating antibiotics active against oral flora (such as amoxicillin-clavulanate), and addressing wound care, while keeping a broader differential in mind if the cat has exposure risks for zoonotic diseases.

A single abscess with fever in a cat most often points to a localized bacterial infection from a bite wound. Cats harbor many oral bacteria, especially Pasteurella multocida and anaerobes, which are repeatedly implicated in bite injuries. When these bacteria are inoculated into tissue, they typically form a localized pocket of pus—an abscess—and fever can accompany the infection as the body mounts an inflammatory response.

In contrast, tularemia and plague are systemic diseases in cats. Tularemia frequently presents with fever plus regional lymphadenopathy or mucocutaneous ulcers, and plague can cause high fever with more widespread illness or multiple lesions, not just a single focal abscess. Therefore, the presentation of a single abscess with fever is most consistent with a cat bite abscess rather than those systemic infections or an equal likelihood of all of the above.

Management would focus on draining and cleaning the abscess, initiating antibiotics active against oral flora (such as amoxicillin-clavulanate), and addressing wound care, while keeping a broader differential in mind if the cat has exposure risks for zoonotic diseases.