Vets, Vet Techs, or someone who knows a lot about cats and medicine please help me!?

Question

I let may cat in last night. She had this huge hairball matted into her fur, and I cut it out (don't worry, I didn't cut into her skin, I always trim the hairballs out o her fur very carefully). Anyway, underneath the hairball was a big hole in her skin, about a inch around. it had a really bad smell, which I think means it's infected. I don't think it's going to heal by itself, and I'm really worried about my cat.

I know alot of you are going to tell me to take it to the vet, but I can't aford it. I'm only 14, and my parents have financial difficulties,especially around Christmas. I have about $40-$45 Canadian, and I'm hoping someone can tell me about some kind of ointmant or something I might b able to get in a local pet shop.I'll have to wait untill tommorow to get anything, so is thee anything I can put on her tonight that I might have around the house.Someone please help me, because I love my cat alot, and don't like seing her hurt like this.

I care about her so much bcause she is so sweet. She follows me to the bus stop every day (it's at the head of my driveway), and is relly affectionate.

Does any one know what could have made the hole (in the center of her chest)?

Pleas help me because I would be so sad if she died from her injury.

Would it hurt to wait until monday and go to the vets office and explain it to the vet, and she if she can sell me anything to put on it?

I suggested to my parents we pay in installments but dad told me the local vet won't do it that way.

Will that work?

Lucky6-how much would the antibiotics and treatment for my cat cost approximately?

Answer 1

Your outdoor cat has a lot of territory that she defends which leads to fights. Cat fights can be very vicious and cause injuries to all parties. Cats are notorious for harbouring dangerous bacteria in their mouths and nails. Also cats skin naturally heals quickly, these two factors can cause a potentially deadly combination called an abcess. Your cat is in good hands, you already have discovered that she has a wound and the way you describe it tells me that the wound is open or partially open. This is a good thing! You can have great treatment success without having to go to the vet or spending a lot of money. It takes determination to treat an abcess but its cheaper to treat it yourself following this method. First off, trim the outer area of the wound from any fur, this will keep the fur from binding into the wound as it closes. Second, if the wound is still closed you can apply a very warm (not scaulding hot) washcloth to the abcess for 5-10 minutes several times a day until the wound opens, be prepared for a lot of pus to drain, when the abcess is open (looks like a deep puncture) rinse the infected area liberally with hydrogen peroxide ( make sure to have a large absorbant towel under the cat) and dab the wound with a clean dry cloth. Third, cover the infected area liberally with triple antibiotic ointment but do not bandage it, the bandage makes the cat mad and it hampers healing. Try to keep the cat from licking off the ointment for several minutes. If you do this several times a day your cat should heal nicely. If your cat isn't doing better after a few days then it is best to take her to the vet where it will get an antibiotic shot and oral antibiotics. Common areas to find abcesses are on the head, shoulders, chest, and front legs. Usually a cat will have several lacerations along with an abcess. Good luck!

Answer 2

It sounds like an abscess that has burst. Usually the most expensive part of treating this type of injury is for the vet to anesthetize the cat so that the abscess can be lanced and drained...but sounds like this has already been done naturally. The cat should still be treated with antibiotics however as the infection can worsen. Also, if the hole is too large it may not close up on it's own and may need sutures. Antibiotics are usually not too expensive..$12-15 or so..but the office visit may be expensive depending on your vet. Call the vet and let them know what your situation is to see how you should proceed. Get your parents to help pay now...or they may be facing more expensive pet bills in the future if the infection worsens.

Answer 3

If your cat will let you treat her, try cleaning the area with warm water, betadine if you can get it at the pharmacy....you want to clean the wound several times a day if you can. You can use a warm compress for 10 min a couple times a day to help draw blood to the area and keep the wound open. That is most important, keeping it from closing over, you want the wound to drain out any pus that is there. It would be great if you could get the cat to the vet, abscesses are difficult to treat sometimes without antibiotics.....While you are tending to the wound, it would really be great to keep the cat in the house until it heals. I hope that your cat is current on the rabies vaccines, since we don't know what happened to cause her wound. You need to be careful cleaning the wound, maybe buy some medical gloves to keep your hands clean. Usually these heal best with oral antibiotics. It would be good to call and at least talk to someone at the clinic. Sometimes the techs can give you lots of information to help you out. But you need to call.

Answer 4

Usually, a topical ointment like that is not going to work when there is an abcess or deep infection. The cat REALLY needs a vet. You can get some Betadine Scrub and scrub it good twice daily, then rinse it off well. If there is a "hole" try and flush it out with some Betadine and then clean water.

Chances are it WILL heal on it's own, but it would be MUCH better for the cat if people spent LESS on Christmas and spent some on the cat to get it well!!!

Since it COULD have been a bite wound, you should make sure she is up to date on rabies vaccine. It could have been a burr or something that got in the coat and worked it's way into the skin and caused the abcess also. You just never know. Better to be safe than sorry!!!

PetCo and PetSmart CANNOT give you medical advice!!! They are NOT medical experts!!!!

Answer 5

are you around any farms? Sometimes "old-timers" who work farms know about medicines. My grandpa always had a home remedy that seemed to really help. He had a really big farm in New Hampshire and has been gone for a long time now, so I couldn't ask him for you.
I did have a cat that we later found under our house that appeared to have some sort of puncture wound or bite. By the time we found him, I guess it was too late and he died. So you definately don't want to wait too long.
All my cats are exclusively indoor kitties now. You might even ask the vet if you could work the bill off, might introduce you to the profession and who knows, you might want to be a vet when you get older..... >^,,^<

Answer 6

Sounds like a puncture wound that has turned into an abscess - probably from a cat fight. That's a good reason to keep your cat inside. You NEED to take her to the vet, nothing you put on it at home will make it heal. Try to work something out payment wise with the vet - see if anyone around you takes Care Credit, and have one of your parents apply for it. It needs to be drained and flushed, and she needs antibiotics too - you can't get that over the counter.

Answer 7

Veterinary Technicians are an integral member of the veterinary medical team. Areas of study include: veterinary nursing, nutritional counseling, anesthesiology, radiology, clinical pathology, surgical nursing, dental hygiene and client education. Veterinary technician duties include all facets of veterinary medicine except diagnosis, prescribing medication and performing surgery. Because of this, the Veterinarian Technician route may not be the best for you at this time. Veterinary assistants are an important part of the veterinary medical team. Working with veterinarians and veterinarian technicians, they help provide medical care to sick and injured animals. If you were to draw a comparison with human medicine, you might compare them to licensed practical nurses. A typical day in the life of a veterinary assistant includes giving medicines, feeding and bathing animals, cleaning up after them, and assisting with examinations and tests. Vet assistants play a very hands-on role. They take a pet's pulse, temperature and monitor respiration. Some even assist with surgery. Aside from these roles, many also do office work and act as receptionists. While many vet assistants work with veterinarians in private practice, many others work in animal shelters, animal control facilities, pet stores, kennels and veterinary drug companies. Because sick or injured animals need constant care, the work is sometimes hard, repetitious, and dirty, but people who genuinely love animals can find it both interesting and deeply rewarding.

Answer 8

This is the kind of thing that happenens when you let your cat outside on it's own. Like others have said, it sounds like and abscess that probably sparked from a cut or scratch. For now the BEST thing to do would be to keep the cat INSIDE and get her to the vet ASAP. A vet is, I'm sorry, the only thing you can do. There is no at-home remedy for some like that for someone with no medical experience.

After this, think twice before letting your cat outside. In my opinion, keeping a cat outside is possibly one of the worst mistakes a cat owner can make. [The worst ever is probably declawing your cat.] You run the risk of your cat getting attacked, or catching various sicknesses and diseases that can possibly be fatal. Cats are healthiest when kept solely inside the house.

Answer 9

My cat had smae problem we though he had been shot if the hole is open then it was probably whats called a wolf worm she does need something done to it. when this happen to mine our vet said trim the hair around it. put a small amount of peroxide in it not much you dont want to irritate it use like a q tip let a small amount drip in the hole not much now then put neosporin on it and the cat will keep it clean till it heals if its in reach of its mouth it will even fill up with puss we put gloves on and sqeezed out the puss to stop it from creating presure this is what my vet told me to do.. you can call a vet thats open 24 hours and get alot of advice on wolf worms most likely thats what it is. just keep it clean keep your cat inside while it heals.. it will be ok if the worm is still in there and you see it dont try to pull it out cause if you dont get it all it will get infected. but i do suggest you call a vet anyway tell them how old you are your situation they will give you advice

Answer 10

if you really cant take her to the vet, go to a place like PetSmart, or Petco, or a pet shop where they have experts on animals working there. They can tell you if there's anything you can do without taking him/her in. They'll also tell you what it is, and how it happened (so you won't let it happen again). and so that your cat doesnt get "hairballs in her fur", brush her every day with a comb, or a hairbrush. There's no need of something fancy. Just sometihng to get the tangles out. GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR KITTY!