One of my cats developed a rather large lump on the side of his face. It came up rather suddenly and was soon the size of a golf ball. At first I thought perhaps he had been stung by a bee or a wasp but when after a week the lump was no smaller I decided a trip to the vet was in order.
The vet decided it was an abscess probably caused by fighting. She drained the fluid off with a needle and gave my cat a weeks long course of antibiotics. The lump reduced in size immediately after it had been drained but was quickly back to its original size after a few hours. After a few days of taking the antibiotics and bathing the lump twice daily with salt water it soon burst. A large amount of blood and pus came out and for a few days the wound continue to drain. It then started to heal and two weeks later he is left with a small wound. He has now been given the all clear from the vet and despite looking a little rough is back to normal and full of beans again.