Hi Melissa. No need to apologize about not having money available. I used to have a stash of money set aside for the pets, but after 2 chordomas, 4 adrenals, 1 spleen removal, 1 case of EE, 1 blockage(feline), 2 dentals, numerous biopsies and one euthanasia, all in 1 year, there's nothing left. And that's not to mention the repairs to my car. No, you have nothing to apologize about. These things happen to everyone, no matter how prepared you think you may be. As for Nietzsche's ouchie (rhymes, don't it?), it does sound like a possible burn that may already healing (due to the furless surrounding area). Alternately, the thought that jumped out at me was that it could also be a spider bite. I had one 2 years ago and still have a mark from it. Spider bites look just as you describe: a black scablike center with a surounding area of red irritation. Keep an eye on it because they tend to get worse before they get better. Mine went from the size of a dime to about 4 inches across! Keep the area clean and dry but don't cover it unless Nietzsche starts to scratch at it. I'm sure others will have other ideas as to what this might be. I hope they post to the FML also, because I would like to learn as well. Good luck and I'll send good thoughts Nietzsche's way. Anastasia [Posted in FML issue 3344]