healing a wound - advice pls

Emerald Lass

Hi everyone,
I have recently been adaopted by an adorable kitten. the little begger has decided that it is not enough to stay in our garden and be fed by us, but has decided he wants to live with us! being a big ol softie, I have relented and he now has a comfy little box in the porch and comes inside every day - he is a dote - very affectionate and gentle. he has this croaky meow, which sounds like he is always complaining so we call him 'crabby'

So now onto my real point! lol....
anyway he went out for a stroll a few days ago and came back with a wound on his side. It is about 1" in diameter, circular and basically the top layer of the skin has been scraped off and the fur gone. It looks like a nasty carpet burn. I don't think he was in a fight or anything as he is perfect in every other way - I reckon he fell off a wall or something and scraped the skin badly, or maybe he touched off something hot and burned it (car exhaust???) It is red and angry and looks like a burn - it weeps slightly, so I am bathing it regularly with salted water and dabbing it dry. The real problem is that crabby keeps licking it to clean it but his tounge is so rough that he is just licking off each new layer of skin as it drys out and heals! I tried putting iodine and topical powder (non-toxic) on it to dry it out, but he licks it off! Any suggestions on how to stop him licking it or alternatively what I can put on it? if he doesn't give it a chance to dry out it will take ages to heal, and it looks really uncomfortable!

PS am trying to get a photo but the little blighter won't sit still so they are all coming out blurry! will post one if I manage to catch him sitting still!

wolfpawnat

Ok he really should see a vet, it could be ring worm, or as you said yourself a burn or cut. So a vet will distinguish what it is.

The cruel thing is though, the only way to stop him licking it is to get one of those stupid looking cone collars that make him look like a satellite off a vet or some pharmacist. He will hate you for it too. All cats cant stand them but when we got my one neutered it was our only choice. (I still think she gives me dirties because of it!!) Hope he gets better:)

andrewh5

The only way you will stop a cat licking a wound is by using an elizabethan collar around their neck. It stops them being able to touch their body when they bend around. Any good vet will stock them.

Alun

If you put the collar on though, you'll really have to keep him in until it heals, You don't want him getting stuck somewhere in a narrow gap with it on, while out on his adventures.

Emerald Lass

wolfpawnat wrote: »

Ok he really should see a vet, it could be ring worm, or as you said yourself a burn or cut. So a vet will distinguish what it is.

its def not ringworm - have seen that before with past pets, and this is definitely a wound he encountered. Its not infected or anything, just uncomfortable looking. I am in Turkey and going to a vet is not as good an option as at home! not all the vets here are much good, and the ones that are cost a fortune. If it doesn't heal I will take him, but I don't want to fork out a couple of hundred lira to be told to leave it be and just bathe it in salted water like I'm already doing! I'll give it another few days and then see how it looks - if no improvement then there is nothing for it but the vet. Might take the opportunity to get him neutered while I'm at it - make my journey worthwhile!

but if anyone has a suggestion of something I could do other than just bathe it as i am doing? I bought one of those cones for him yesterday, but the daft bugger keeps trying to do tumbles with it on, and nearly strangles himself, so i had to take it off! he's still only a kitten so is full of energy and wants to be rolling and tumbling 24/7! At least the sore on his side doesn't seem to have affected him too much! lol:)

wolfpawnat

Well it definately alters the situation when your out there. Its great that its not ring worm, took us ages to find out what was wrong with my dog, took the vet too long to figure it out too:L Ya sadly the salt and water and cone are best. As a kitten he will do everything to take it off, but it will cause it to recover quicker, another remedy could be tea tree cream, one lick of that and he will NOT be going back for more!

Emerald Lass

wolfpawnat wrote: »

another remedy could be tea tree cream, one lick of that and he will NOT be going back for more!

thanks for that wolfpawnat - that is a great idea. That is the sort of thing I was thinking of, something non-toxic that will help it heal but he will be put off licking it. I'll try to scout out some tea tree cream here somewhere - out with the Turkish dictionary again! Will prob end up having to order it from Avon anyway! lol

If anyone knows of anything else non-toxic that will help it heal and it won't want to lick, bring it on!

I actually have some of that manuka honey, which did help, but of course it lasted all of 10 seconds on him as he licked it off with relish! he was purring away as he licked it off - barely gave it time to work, but it did make some improvement to it. bloody expensive though, especially for him to just lick off in 5 mins! :eek:

Themadhouse

Most cats dont like honey so try putting that on it. It wont harm him in anyway. Or alternatively use waleda nappy cream on it, it heals cuts really quickly.!

comongethappy

my kitten had an infected neck wound from a cat fight before I got her... she kept licking off the creams that my vet gave me, and it kept getting reinfected.

I used a product called animalintex (http://www.countrysupplies.com/item.asp?i=1970). I used the hot water method as it's unsterile - just cut a piece to fit over the wound, but it on a plate, and cover it with boiling water. Wait for it to cool so that it's still very warm, but won't burn the animal. Remove the excess water, and place it over the wound (plastic side facing you). I secured this with a self adhesive bandage, like ProWrap (http://www.americasacres.com/Product.aspx/8/Pro%20Safe%20Wrap%20Self%20Adhesive%20Bandage), though you can get ones for humans in the chemist and they'll work fine too.

Wrap the bandage around the animalintex on the cat's abdomen were the sore is, and leave for a few hours to overnight. This will draw the pus and infection out (I've also used this on myself for cat bites ) After that, unwrap (you should see the disgusting pus on the dressing), clean with salt water, and apply the tea tree cream or another animal antibotic, and use the self adhesive bandage around the wound again to stop the cat from getting at it.

I found with my cat's neck sore I had to use a collar anyhow, and the bandage would fall from the top of ther neck and she could lick their anyhow and spread the infection. But, I had used it on her abdomen over her stiches when she had gotten spayed and she couldn't remove it

All else fails, I'm afraid the vet is the only option. Mine had given me antibotics, but warned me the kitten was so young they'd be very hard on her, so I asked if I could give the collar a try, and I used the animalintex and some antibotic cream, and she's the picture of health now

Best of luck

Emerald Lass

Themadhouse wrote: »

Most cats dont like honey so try putting that on it. It wont harm him in anyway. Or alternatively use waleda nappy cream on it, it heals cuts really quickly.!

well this one must be a one in a million cos he licked that honey off so quick I thought he was going to eat himself!

comongethappy, thanks for the advice. Luckily it doesn't seem to be infected, just weeps a little the way a burn would. But I got some tea tree, because it stings I can only manage to fool him once a day to get it on, but between that and the salty water is is dying up now. I reckon it will take a while for the hair to grow back, as it will need the skin to be healed well, but he looks much better.

Fingers crossed we don't have any relapses! I'll keep you all posted and thanks to all for your replies and advice!

The Sweeper

Do NOT use tea tree oil or cream directly on your cat.

Cats have different physiology to us - their livers are not designed to remove toxins from the body the way ours are. Undiluted essential oils applied directly to a cat would be hell on earth for them. They can't get away from the smell - which is hundreds of times stronger to them than it would be for us - plus their body doesn't just process and discard like ours does.

In severe cases, tea tree oil has been known to kill cats or make them extremely ill.

If you're in a dodgy spot, play the dodgy system - try the vets on the phone first, and tell them you want an antibiotic ointment for topical application for cuts and scratches for your cat.

Then keep him inside while you're applying it and until the cut heals. You will need to make a make-shift elizabethan collar if he still won't leave it alone.

Since you're based in two countries, what's going to happen to this kitten when you come back to Eire? Is it possible for you to find a rehoming sanctuary in Turkey - not being mean, but if you found a sanctuary and rehomed him now, as a kitten he'll run a higher chance for adoption. If he becomes an adult cat and you can no longer keep him, he'll be pretty stuffed.

Emerald Lass

Minesajackdaniels wrote: »

Since you're based in two countries, what's going to happen to this kitten when you come back to Eire? Is it possible for you to find a rehoming sanctuary in Turkey - not being mean, but if you found a sanctuary and rehomed him now, as a kitten he'll run a higher chance for adoption. If he becomes an adult cat and you can no longer keep him, he'll be pretty stuffed.

I never said I live alone! I have family in Turkey who will look after him in my absense, and since my absenses are usually no longer than a week or so at a time there is no problem.
also here is turkey there is no 'rehoming' option for any animal really - animal welfare is pretty low on the agenda of most Turks. The fact that I took in this little tike is the best chace he will have, otherwise his best option is to be a street cat, scavenging out of a bin, or wore, dead on the side of the road.

As for the tea tree cream - I got a blend made up by my local pharmacist who said he put a very very mild amount of tea tree in it, and also put an antibacterial topical, non-toxic ointment in there as well. He said it is what he recommends to baby's with nappy rash or mozie bites. Crabby has had it applied twice now and the wound has healed a lot, so I think salt walter will be enough from now on. Thank you for your concern however I did look on the internet before using it and found that very low doses are safe and that many pet shops and vets sell treatments with tea tree. The dose in the cream I put on was exremely low, and I covered the area with a gause swab to stop him licking it. It has improved vastly since I used it.

The Sweeper

http://www.messybeast.com/teatree.htm

That's from someone who's done a lot of research on tea tree and cats.

Your pharmacist is a specialist in human medications, not animal medications. A baby has a human liver, a cat doesn't.

You may be doing long-term damage to the cat using a solution with tea tree in it, even if it looks as though the wound is cleaning up.

But that aside, well done for taking him in, and good to hear there is family in Turkey who will continue to care for him if you're not there.

tazwaz

hi,

i know cats and dogs are totally different animals but when my dog had a nasty cut the vet recommended putting aloe vera on it. it worked but i did have to put the plastic collar on to stop him licking it off. hope this helps..

whitser

Emerald Lass wrote: »

Hi everyone,
I have recently been adaopted by an adorable kitten. the little begger has decided that it is not enough to stay in our garden and be fed by us, but has decided he wants to live with us! being a big ol softie, I have relented and he now has a comfy little box in the porch and comes inside every day - he is a dote - very affectionate and gentle. he has this croaky meow, which sounds like he is always complaining so we call him 'crabby'

So now onto my real point! lol....
anyway he went out for a stroll a few days ago and came back with a wound on his side. It is about 1" in diameter, circular and basically the top layer of the skin has been scraped off and the fur gone. It looks like a nasty carpet burn. I don't think he was in a fight or anything as he is perfect in every other way - I reckon he fell off a wall or something and scraped the skin badly, or maybe he touched off something hot and burned it (car exhaust???) It is red and angry and looks like a burn - it weeps slightly, so I am bathing it regularly with salted water and dabbing it dry. The real problem is that crabby keeps licking it to clean it but his tounge is so rough that he is just licking off each new layer of skin as it drys out and heals! I tried putting iodine and topical powder (non-toxic) on it to dry it out, but he licks it off! Any suggestions on how to stop him licking it or alternatively what I can put on it? if he doesn't give it a chance to dry out it will take ages to heal, and it looks really uncomfortable!

PS am trying to get a photo but the little blighter won't sit still so they are all coming out blurry! will post one if I manage to catch him sitting still!

salt water is good. also theres stuff mothers get for new born babies to put on their belly buttons, its a powder for drying and cleaning open wounds that works well on cuts that arent healing well. ive used it on a dog not sure about cats.