# What do you do for cat fight wounds?



## ufo_chris (Apr 30, 2010)

My indoor/outdoor cat got into another fight with one of the barn cats! 
Same thing happened a few month ago. Started limping and then on checking you find a small puncture wound. As last time I cleaned it with peroxide (I read the pros and cons on it ,but my vet told me to use it on my horse before)and then put a dab of triple antibiotic cream on it. I usually smear some veg oil or canned cat food on his other leg so he's busy licking that for a while!
Last time my DH wanted me to take him to the vet but I was like ,listen ,when my horse had an abcess under his jaw the size of an egg I called the vet and it started draining and he didn't even give him a shot or anything ,just said keep it clean wit peroxide and let it drain,should be fine and it was. 
So I was watching for the same thing, as long as it's draining and he's acting ok. It took a while but it healed.
This one is only a couple of days old and draining pus. I figure I'll do the same and watch him closely,what do you guys normally do for that?
BTW last time I asked a vet tech lady that is a customer where I work and she said she does not take them in for that but people that do they will sometimes put a drain in .
Thanks,Chris


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## Wolf Flower (Dec 21, 2005)

I'd advise going to the vet at least for antibiotics. But when I didn't have much money and a cat with an abscess, I'd make sure it stayed clean, open and draining. Anything that you put on the wound, the cat will probably lick off, but that could actually help the wound stay open as well. Warm compresses can be helpful if the cat will tolerate it.


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## GoldenMom (Jan 2, 2005)

What would I recommend?

#1 Vet visit for antibiotics (should have been done immediately after the fight as it's pretty much a guarantee that cat fight wounds WILL get infected).

#2 Visit your vet again in 60 days for an FeLV/FIV test.

#3 STRONGLY consider keeping the cat indoors. There are too many dangers outside. You've got barn cats to keep the rodent population down, so you don't need his hunting skills.


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## Ravenlost (Jul 20, 2004)

Ditto what GoldenMom said. I always take a cat to the vet for an abcess. They can get bad really fast and need antibiotics.

BTW, cats aren't horses.


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## wintrrwolf (Sep 29, 2009)

This is going to be long. 
At the clinic treatment for abscess on a cat...
Shave the area
flush with clorahexidine solution
depending on location attach a drain tube
send home with clavamox
tell pet parent to do warm compress's at home at least twice a day...bring back if wound gets worse, bring back in 3 months for FIV/FELV test....

sorry was going to post my home treatment but will have to do that later


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## wintrrwolf (Sep 29, 2009)

Home treatment
*SHAVE* why? hair gets matted, dirty and contaminates the wound, also easier to watch for signs of infection
*FLUSH* you used hydrogen peroxide you can use it again after shaving the area but peroxide will flush all out including infection fighting cells so you will need to apply a bio ointment after using it. MY fav for flush, wash, soak-- is a tea looking solution of iodine and water, a small bottle of chlorhexidine can be got from TSC but to me it is to expensive, when you can order a gallon its good stuff to have. 
*WARM COMPRESS* again I use my iodine tea for this as well, what I do 3 minutes on, refresh compress... do this for about 15 min.
again a lot depends on location of wound if the entry hole is on the upside drainage will be very weak, downside and drainage is better.


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## ufo_chris (Apr 30, 2010)

Thanks wintrrwolf. I will do that. It is on the outside middle front leg area so it drains easy . (almost same area as the last one.)
I thought you guys would have some home remedies for this. 
That Lady i know has worked for a couple of different vets for a long time and also has a farm full of animals. She said the vets never give antibiotics for this ,unless it becomes infected.
The FelV/Fiv,sorry is that feline leukemia? He had his shots for that. Also Rabies.
BTW I know cats aren't horses! but they are still animals!
Thanks,Chris


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## GoldenMom (Jan 2, 2005)

ufo_chris said:


> The FelV/Fiv,sorry is that feline leukemia? He had his shots for that. Also Rabies.


FeLV=Feline Leukemia
FIV=Feline Immunodeficiency Virus

Keep in mind no shot is 100% perfect. I would be more worried about FIV, though, it's sometimes called the "fighting cat disease".


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## Ravenlost (Jul 20, 2004)

ufo_chris said:


> ...She said the vets never give antibiotics for this ,unless it becomes infected....
> 
> BTW I know cats aren't horses! but they are still animals!
> Thanks,Chris


You said it was dripping pus. That's an infection and the cat needs antibiotics.

What I meant by cats aren't horses is that you can't treat them like you treat horses. A cat is a totally different animal...much smaller and can die from an abcess fairly quick. A cat bite is one of the worse too...full of all kinds of nasty.


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## Willowynd (Mar 27, 2005)

I just went through the effects of a cat fight with a cat I adopted. Before I got him he had gotten into a fight while in the care of a rescue. The cat was already shaved, and they just cleaned it up and put ointment on it. It became infected. The person he was dumped on immediately after the fight, cleaned it a couple times a day and applied ointment and tried keeping it open, she said it was healking, but I noted it had been 3 weeks since she had the cat- it should have been healed. I brought him home in the evening and the next morning was greeted by the cat with puss streaming down his face. I gave him a shot of Penn G, cleaned with peroxide for a couple days until the puss stopped and dressed with triple antibiotic ointment. Then switched to an antiseptic and continued keeping it open and filling the hole with ointment a couple times a day. Thought it was healing, until it got infected again. Then gave a shot for 5 days in a row and continued cleaning and ointment. That worked. It is now healed 7 days later. I do think if he had been given the penn G when it happened that it would have warded off infection in the first place. Any puncture wound or large wound should have antibiotics given immediately.


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