What Should I Do About a Scab?

What is this weird scab on my kitten's belly?

• I just got a 5 week old kitten. He (and others in his litter) has a scab about the size of a half-dollar on his belly. The scab looks like it has something like hair in it.. it's weird. It got caught on his food dish and peeled back a little bit and there was what looked like a hole in his stomach underneath. I am assuming this is where the umbilical was (I hope). Is this normal for him to still have this scab at 5 weeks (or ever)? Is there something I should be doing, or should I just leave it alone?

• Answer:

  5 weeks is far too young to take a kitten away from it's mother. The umbilical scab should have healed by now. Did you see the conditions the kitten was living in before you got him? Maybe hygiene was an issue. A mother cat can only do so much. It's up to the breeder to ensure there's always clean bedding in the 'nest' etc.