Any Vets out there? How do I clean an open wound on a cat?

Question

There is this cat that loves to come over our house, he also goes over to our neghbors house out back. I found out he used to live at my house but the previous owners left him. Anyway, tonight he was waiting at my door when I got home and he had a wound about the width of a dime on his back leg. It's pretty nasty looking, not gangrenous or anything. I know I shouldn't use antibiotic ointment as he likely lick it but is hydrogen peroxide safe to use? I used a wet cloth with very little soap to clean it a bit but I want to help him out a bit more. Thank you!

Thanks everyone for the responses. The wound doesn't look as bad as I maybe made it sound. It looks like a scrape, about the size of a dime.

I called a vet and all they said was to wash it with soap and water. But I just thought there was a bit more I could do for him. There are no vets open right now and the minimum to take him to an emergency vet is a good amount of money. I will keep him in for a couple days, keep it clean and if it worsens I'll take him somewhere. Thanks everyone for the great responses!

Andd to answer someone's question, it's more of a superficial wound than a deep wound.

Answer 1

The peroxide should do just fine, as long as the wound isn't too deep. If it is still bleeding leave it open to the air so that the blood can clot.

One of our cats got into an argument with one of our neighbors cats and had a similar wound from having a chunk of hair pulled out. Since the wound was shallow the vet told us to use liquid bandage on it.

Fair warning this stuff does sting and the cat is going to throw a fit while you're putting it on so I suggest gently wrapping him in a towel before you start, and keeping him wrapped up until it dries.

Good luck.
E.

p.s. The Vaseline idea mentioned above actually does work quite well, it may be gooey but it keeps dirt off the wound, and if the cat licks it off all is going to do is help the hairball problem.

Answer 2

I am not a vet, but I have cleaned many a wound on cats.

You didn't indicate if this was a superficial wound or a puncture. Superficial wound, clean and put a little iodine on it.

I will assume it is deeper than just skin level. Hydrogen peroxide IS excellent for cleaning the wound. It dries rapidly and does not leave a residue. Same principle as alcohol. Vets use it all the time. Good first choice in fact. You can buy a "betadine" solution to clean the wound and it will also provide some healing property to the wound without harming the cat. This wound must be cleaned several times a day.

A topical antibiotic like neosporin will not harm the cat in small doses they get from licking . I advise you try and get some on the wound. After cleaning the spot, you can also apply plain old cornstarch as well. Cornstarch will dry quickly and provide some protection against bacteria. Dampen the skin and tap dry cornstarch onto it. It will dry and create a barrier. It won't last very long as the cat is an outdoor cat, but if you can catch it, repeat the treatment.

If the cat will let you hold it, you can apply a warm tea bag to the area. It is not only a good pain reliever, it helps draw out infection and helps in the healing process. You can also pack tea leaves from the bag into the wound.

Puncture wounds do need to be drained if you see a puss pocket forming. You can, IF the cat will tolerate it, lightly "express" the wound to force puss out. Once you have done this, flush it will peroxide or betadine, let it dry and try to put some type of topical covering on it. Some type of paste mixture OR you can buy a "liquid" bandaid. But with this you will have to remove it to clean it again. If a deep puncture wound seals over before it is drained sufficiently it can become life threatening.

If you are worried about being able to catch it again, a good bribe like pungent sardines works wonders.....:)

It is really very kind of you to care for an injured animal that is a stray. I applaud your efforts. I hope the cat heals well from your ministrations. He may very well adopt you. Cats can be very grateful to people who show kindness to them.

Answer 3

You did the right thing. Peroxide is not good for kitties so cleaning wth soap and water gently is the best thing. Don't clean it with alcohol either that is deadly for cats. If you can take him to a vet that would be a good idea. Does it look like a bite wound or a tear like he got caught in a nail or a skinned place like from a car fan? A puncture wound or wound from another animal is the most likely to get infected. So watch that kind very carefully. If you absolutely can not take him to a vet at least go to a feed store or failing that a pet store. Ask about something for cat woulds specifically. You do NOT want an all purpose livestock .product because cats are very sensitive and somethings that work on other creatures will hurt them. One thing you can do is get some echenacea (an herb) at the grocery, dollar store or health food place. Sprinkle a bit on something cat likes to eat. Use maybe 1/8 of a capsul twice a day. If you can sprinkle a little in the wound that would be good too. It would be a very kind thing to do for the cat to have him checked by a vet and while you are there get him his shots or at least a rabies shot. I am glad he has a friend like you who cares about him.

Answer 4

I'm not a vet but we got a stray kitten last summer (who'd already been placed but the couple chose not to keep it so we ended up with it) who had 2 wounds that turned into 1 big wound on the one side of her neck. My Mom started to clean it before it turned into one wound with both the hydrogen peroxide then would apply the antibiotic ointment. We had to take it to our vet who said the big wound was there too long to stitch it up. My Mom told them how she'd been treating the wound(s) and was told that after the first treatment only to use the ointment to treat the wound because the peroxide was what had made the wounds open up into one big one. The ointment kind of works like Neosporin to heal the wound. We got some antibiotics for her and about a week later you wouldn't have known that her scar had been such a big wound. We kept applying the ointment until it'd completely healed even though the cat still scratched at it and opened it up a bit cause it irritated her but it finally healed with the meds, which was to be expected. She's now getting close to turning a year old and her hair has grown in so that you'd never know that that scar was there. Tried to find another home for her but that didn't work out so we have her back. As she healed her energy came back and she's found ways to annoy me now so I think it's safe to say that she's enjoying some good health. :-D A little something I learned that I hope helps. And if you're worried about him licking the ointment the get some gauze pads and wrap them over the wound to cover it so he doesn't lick it. Oh and I also had to use the ointment on one of my other cats a couple of years ago when he had some open wounds on him since he was overgrooming himself and biting at the fleas that we later found him to be allergic to. That's kind of how we came to have the ointment in the first place which helped with the kitten. We weren't able to wrap his wounds unless we'd put one of those cones around his neck to keep him from them. And just like us humans some small wounds heal on their own with some small treatment but if it looks like it's getting worse and not healing up with the ointment or he stops favoring that leg then I'd look into getting him seen by a vet. If he were to stop eating, going to the bathroom, grooming himself, or just not acting like himself (either by withdrawing, not running around as usual, or seeming to be in pain) but you know that something's off with him then definitely get him to a vet asap, we kind of learned that the hard way a while back. Spend enough time with your pet (or any animal) then you'll know when something's not right with it. It's good advice to follow if you're new to the whole pet thing. We've learned that with some of our pets over the years and we're still learning things. I hope that helps you and whoever else out there.

Answer 5

The best thing to do would be to contact a local vet. They may be able to simply give you better advice over the phone. Hydrogen Peroxide should be okay as long as you don't douse the wound in it and wipe it off completely as soon as it stops bubbling--you don't want kitty licking it off. Before that, I would "flush" the wound with clean water, no soap. Soap could do more harm than good. Neosporin is another possibility, but like you said, they tend to lick it off. Just don't give it any sort of oral medicine that you haven't gotten from a vet. Common pain meds like Tylenol or aspirin can be potentially deadly to cats. It's similar to giving them chocolate.

Answer 6

Hydrogen peroxide burns open wounds, so maybe try some Bactine. Neosporine works and you can put some gauze over the wound and tape it up. Maybe keep the cat in the garage or a pet carrier for a couple of days and keep the wound clean.

Answer 7

You can try povidone/iodine to dry it up if it is a wet wound. You can put antibiotic ointment on it. He probably will lick it, but he will be ok. If you plan on keeping him as a pet I would take him to the vet, but if not do what I said above. You could also take him to a shelter where they can treat him and find him a good home.

Answer 8

If you go slow and talk in a calming way, see if he will let you clean it with some warm water and a little soap on a cotton ball. Then, use hydrogen peroxide on a cotton ball too, dab it gently. If you can get someone to help you gently hold him, keeping claws and teeth away from you and them, that would be wise. Then, check it daily. Should it look like it is getting red, hot and infected, get him in at once.

Answer 9

I have no idea how to help you, but thank you for being a wonderful enough person to care for an animal, especially one that you dont own. With all the sick freaks on here trying to sell, maim etc their pets, its rather refreshing to see someone trying to take care of one;)

Answer 10

Try vaseline on it. Seriously.