Gotti -the C.R. Feral Cat-has a Boo-Boo

[stosh2010]

I'm at the airport dropping of some guests, for their flight back to Oklahoma...and the phone rings. I'm told,"Your cat has a hole in her back, so sad."
I rush back, call RamaMama to have her contact the vet, and tell her I'll be there within the hour. -----just my luck-She is in San Jose...5 hours away.
I stop at the house and quickly construct a Carry-cage to bring her home. I hope she is not seriously injured, and/or bleeding badly. I will wash, disinfect, and apply anti-biotic, and watch her until Monday when the vet returns.
When i arrive at my office--Gotti's day time home...I find her hurt...but much less intense an injury than I worried I would find. I will let her spend the entire weekend in my little office--A/C and no worries. I filled a box with fresh sand for a litter box, fresh water and food...she will chill-out for a couple of days.
QUESTION:
1---she can reach the would and she licks it. Will the antibiotic cream be harmful if licked off.../ I can't put a collar on a feral cat to prevent licking.
2---- I want to sanitize the surrounding area, but don't have betidine solution. I bought something close to sterilize any dirty fur near the open wound. ( In Sp.-- Clorhexidina Gluconado 4 %) has anyone knowledge of this liquid?
3---- Should I cut any fur from the nearby area to prevent it being in the scab,that will eventually form.
The cut is "clean" like a sharp knife made it, Maybe an animal--don't know. She was fine at 8 am today, when I went over to feed her.
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[island rehabber]

stosh, cats abcess with every chance they can get :shakehead, so the most important thing is to keep the wound open if possible. She will lick it and it's ok because her rough toungue will keep it open to drain. I wouldn't put anything on it for that reason...you want it open to the air.

[stosh2010]

stosh, cats abcess with every chance they can get :shakehead, so the most important thing is to keep the wound open if possible. She will lick it and it's ok because her rough toungue will keep it open to drain. I wouldn't put anything on it for that reason...you want it open to the air.

Well, Gotti's next 48 hours will be dirt & dust free. Sit & Wait & Watch ??? That's not in my nature----but I will let nature take over for a few days....
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When I touched her close to the wound, she had no reaction, so there is no impact/muscle pain.

[Milo's Mom]

Stosh - Clorhexidina Gluconado 4 %) has anyone knowledge of this liquid?
This is Chlorhexidine Gluconate. It is a broad spectrum antibacterial cleansing solution.

I used this on MJ with her wound/surgery site. I was told to dilute it by 50% with saline and flush the wound with it 2 to 3 times a day.

You may warm it a little so the flush is not cold.

[stosh2010]

Checked on Gotti at 7 pm...and brought a nite lite so her litter box and food would be visible under the soft light.

[rottilvr79]

Looks like some type of cut to me. Maybe hit it on sharp metal?? It doesn't look too bad from the pics. Tho I'm sure it hurts. Poor Kitty. :sadness
That may be similar to Chlorhexidine solution? If it is, we use it (watered down) as a flush for wounds and drain tubes. Most topical antibiotic ointments won't hurt cats if they lick them, but they also won't help if they lick it off. Which most will immediately do. For that reason it's usually pretty pointless to even try topicals. Won't hurt to clip the hair around the wound, if she'll allow it without too much stress for either of you. I would just make sure it stays clean and open, until you can get some antibiotics. If it drains a lot, you can clean around the wound with peroxide, but don't put it directly on the wound. Cats are generally pretty good healers, if you can avoid an abscess she should heal up pretty quickly.

[stosh2010]

Looks like some type of cut to me. Maybe hit it on sharp metal?? It doesn't look too bad from the pics. Tho I'm sure it hurts. Poor Kitty. :sadness
That may be similar to Chlorhexidine solution? If it is, we use it (watered down) as a flush for wounds and drain tubes. Most topical antibiotic ointments won't hurt cats if they lick them, but they also won't help if they lick it off. Which most will immediately do. For that reason it's usually pretty pointless to even try topicals. Won't hurt to clip the hair around the wound, if she'll allow it without too much stress for either of you. I would just make sure it stays clean and open, until you can get some antibiotics. If it drains a lot, you can clean around the wound with peroxide, but don't put it directly on the wound. Cats are generally pretty good healers, if you can avoid an abscess she should heal up pretty quickly.
What can I give her orally ??

I don't have a weight on her, and the only scale I have is a small gram scale.

[island rehabber]

I would not give her anything orally unless you actually see signs of infection. Cats cannot get metacam, by the way -- VERY bad for them.

[stosh2010]

I would not give her anything orally unless you actually see signs of infection. Cats cannot get metacam, by the way -- VERY bad for them.
Wow...cats are cool
.... they "Heal Themselves"
I hope Gotti knows how to heal herself.. it's not a serious wound, but I don't want any infection.

[rottilvr79]

Stay away from any NSAIDS with cats. Even aspirin can be fatal. We do give metacam occasionally, in VERY small doses, usually as a one time thing. But, I wouldn't do it unless a Dr says to. The most common pain med we use for them is Butorphanol (I probably butchered the spelling LOL). But, it's a controlled substance and probably impossible to get without a script. The most common antibiotics (or the ones we generally use anyway) for them are liquid Amoxi or Clavamox, or Orbax in pill form. I probably wouldn't bother with antibiotics at all unless you start to see drainage or signs of an abscess forming. Just keep the wound as clean as possible and watch for any signs of infection.

Cats really are amazing. Unless they're immune compromised (FeLv or FIV possitive kitties), they tend to heal very well with minimal help from us. Except when they DO get really sick, it tends to happen very quickly. Or, really it's that they're so good at hiding their symptoms that we often don't notice they're sick until it starts getting bad.

[stosh2010]

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Cats really are amazing. Unless they're immune compromised (FeLv or FIV possitive kitties), they tend to heal very well with minimal help from us. Except when they DO get really sick, it tends to happen very quickly. Or, really it's that they're so good at hiding their symptoms that we often don't notice they're sick until it starts getting bad.
Gotti has been having a 'Territory" dispute with another Black cat in the area. My co-workers tell me the black one appears after I leave in the afternoon...probably looking for food. From now on I will NOT leave food outside in the evenings.
however; her new injury looks nothing like an attack. She climbs through our storage rooms that have walls of cyclone fencing. The wires have sharp expose ends and I have worried --in the past--that she might get a puncture or get snagged on it..

[SammysMom]

It looks like a possible burst abscess to me. It would certainly be very possible that it came from a puncture wound that she got in a scrap with the other cat. They are not always noticeable before they rupture.
It should be totally fine...

[stosh2010]

It looks like a possible burst abscess to me. It would certainly be very possible that it came from a puncture wound that she got in a scrap with the other cat. They are not always noticeable before they rupture.
It should be totally fine...

Monday--8 am...Gotti is looking better, and the wound is dry and starting to scab over. no apparent problems... She spent Fri., Sat. & Sun. in A/C in my office... I checked morning and evening -each day...she was always asleep in my chair--NOT a CARE...

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[island rehabber]

sounds good, stosh -- make sure that as it scabs over, no abcess forms underneath. :thumbsup

[TubeDriver]

I bet she will be just fine. :thumbsup

[JD.Hernandez105]

I'm sorry to say this but... I find it rather ironic that we're talking about cats on a squirrel website. Lol

I have three cats though and one had this same problem! He took care of it himself and it just healed over and then after it looked alright we took him to the vet to double-check. My cat also did this really gross thing where he hacked up mucous and covered his wound with it. Needless to say, it kept us from touching it. Lol

JD

[Bravo]

I'm sorry to say this but... I find it rather ironic that we're talking about cats on a squirrel website. Lol
JD

Irony would certainly apply. :)

Squirrels are the priority at TSB, no question, however all animals are valued here. Humans are largely (if not entirely) responsible for the feral cat problem, and some members here have an active interest on the topic. Not to mention those who adopt (such as Stosh and yourself, by what I read here). :great:clap

[stosh2010]

I'm sorry to say this but... I find it rather ironic that we're talking about cats on a squirrel website. Lol

I have three cats though and one had this same problem!

JD

Gotti is doing just fine..The wound is healing well and she ignores it now.
253466this photo is from the 10 th.. Today --it is smaller and drier...

[SammysMom]

Excellent news!!!:thumbsup