:( Injured cat... *warning - pics of wound*

[FourRingCircus]

We have a 9 year old cat, the first pet we had as a couple. I noticed she was looking a bit thin, and wasn't acting quite right about 2 weeks ago. That was the last I saw of her. DH said he saw her the other night so we just figured the puppies were too aggravating for her so she was keeping her distance. I set some food out in the shed where he saw her, plus some old clothes for her to lay on. He said the food hadn't really been touched when he went out this morning. I was out closing up the chickens and checking on rabbits when I saw eyes glowing underneath one of our vehicles. It was her! She slowly came out and was a pitiful sight. She's horribly thin, prickers all in her hair... I sat down to pet her for a few and as I went to stand up I stroked under her chin... felt something odd. She has a 1" gaping hole in her throat! We put her in the basement for tonight, and I plan on getting some blukote at Tractor Supply tomorrow. I feel horrible! I have no idea what got ahold of her... We're not even sure if this will heal on it's own. I can smell it so I am guessing it's not fresh, but it looked clean, no sign of maggots or anything. She did drink some water and eat a few pieces of food... hopefully that's a good sign. I have no idea what to do for her though. We can't really put a huge amount of money into a vet bill at this point so I would like to do what I can for her at home if possible.

It seems we go through seasons like this... where it's one thing after another. I sure hope the end of all this craziness is near! Illnesses, losses, predators, etc... I'm just done with it.

 

[the reluctant farmer]

I think there are others who may have better medicinal suggestions, but just wanted to say cats are pretty tough. Maybe wrap it lightly to keep dirt out until you get the blukote. (if she'll tolerate that.) Is she having any trouble breathing? Is it the fur that's ripped, or right through the wind pipe?

A wonderful vet of mine had told me that their healing abilities are pretty incredible--she'd basically advise that if a cat needed recoup & repair time to put them somewhere quiet and safe (even a box that they can crawl into) so they aren't stressing about something coming to get them, and let them be. (Feed and water, and give a little love, but not lots of poking and prodding.) If you decide to try pain killers or anything, make sure you don't give aspirin. Learned that one the hard way years ago--an emergency vet had advised giving pepto bismol to my cat for a stomach issue. He threw up all night, including blood. My regular vet flipped out the next day--apparently cats can't tolerate aspirin (which was in the pepto) and have internal bleeding from it. But I'd suggest keep her calm, clean, and in a quiet part of the house & check her out tomorrow to see if it's starting to heal. Her coming to you and actually eating & drinking a little is a good sign, in my book.

 

[FourRingCircus]

She seems to be breathing OK, and I actually checked to make sure the water was going down... and not out. There is a definite flesh wound. DH is going to his mom's to get some kitty litter so she can stay in the basement for a little while (although, the mess that we have down there, who knows where she'll end up going... trying not to think about it. I just hope she doesn't go and hide somewhere to die :x ). I will see if I can get a picture.

 

[the reluctant farmer]

If you have a cardboard box, put her in that for the night--smaller box with litter on one side, plenty of rags & comfy stuff to lay on top of for her. (even shredded newspaper or paper towels wadded up.) See if she'll let you keep her in there so she doesn't wiggle under something in order to feel safe & then take a turn for the worse. Keep a small container with water and food, and let her be for a bit. :good-luck:

 

[FourRingCircus]

We have an old baby/crib mattress out for her with food, water and some litter in a plastic tub (hopefully she'll remember what to do with it! :shock: ). She was still on the mattress when I went back down so hopefully that's a comfy enough spot for her for tonight.

Here's a not-so-good shot of it to show location:



The open wound



__________ Tue Jun 23, 2015 10:10 pm __________

I know I had a chicken survive and heal from some pretty nasty wounds from an unknown critter one night (thought she was as good as dead... put her in a separate coop because we had to be somewhere and I didn't want to just leave her, but couldn't do anything else at the time. Her whole shoulder was torn off! She went from almost non-responsive to up and eating so I figured I would let it ride, see how she would do on her own.) Couldn't tell you which one she was out of the flock now! Hopefully this will heal up on it's own OK. I have a feeling she's now back to being an indoor cat (at least, in the basement... we have a LO with allergies so we can't do an indoor cat in the living area anymore). I don't think either of us will have the heart to turn her back out unless it's what she wants.

 

[the reluctant farmer]

Hmm, that almost looks like a dog or maybe even another cat got her--looks like the lower teeth tore the skin & flesh on the throat while the upper teeth grabbed on under the chin. She's a tough little thing. Honestly, as gross as it is, to me it looks like it will heal. Doesn't look like there's any debris in it. Maybe give her some extra protein in the morning, like cottage cheese or part of a raw egg if she'll eat it, and a little fat (bacon grease or even a tiny bit of butter if she wants it.) The baby mattress is kitty heaven, so that will keep her comfortable.

 

[FourRingCircus]

I was wondering about the marks further up... I hadn't noticed them until looking at the pics (she's being very lovey dovey, but definitely doesn't want that area messed with). I have plenty of eggs... and some fresh bacon grease from supper tonight. I plan on getting the blukote first thing in the morning (well, as early as possible with my sleepy, slow to get moving children).

I think our dingbat dog is a bit jealous. We had her in the basement when she had her puppies so I guess she thinks it's her place. She was standing outside the door, barking. Just barking. Called her up to the back deck where she normally stays, hopefully she'll settle down for the night and leave Gracie alone.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

That little hole is nothing to a cat's healing powers, so I wouldn't worry about it. It might even be the point where an abscess burst.

One of our male barn cats (low man on the totem pole, apparently- but slated to go to a new home shortly where he wont get beaten up) constantly has holes like that in his neck where abscesses have burst, and they just heal on their own. The Blu-kote will help it heal faster, though.

Her weight loss may be due to the infection (our boy hasn't lost any weight, but he is young and virile) or it might be because she is older and losing kidney function. Nine is a bit young for that, but not unheard of.

If she doesn't gain weight now that she is safely back home, my first guess would be kidney issues.

 

[FourRingCircus]

She has had pretty drastic weight fluctuations over the past couple of years... we'll see if she can bounce back from this one. I am going to get a fine toothed flea comb as well... hopefully I can help get the little briars out for her. She had a clump of hair stuck to her mouth where she had pulled 3 or 4 out already.

 

[akane]

I'd feed some cooked chicken if you can. Egg is good but make sure to feed it all. Eating part of an egg will cause vitamin issues. An egg balances itself so long as you eat all of it so scramble them if you have to. You want to avoid dehydration with lots of kibble. If you feed kibble I would soak it in no/low sodium broth and see if she will eat it.

It's quite likely there was an abscess. Watch for other abscesses. Cat x cat fights nearly always end in infection. However, I've found cats to be quite durable to it. Where our small animals go downhill and die fast a cat can walk around with golfball size or a little bigger abscesses and still recover. Aside from food and hydration interaction to keep them alert and more willing to take care of themselves is important in some cases. As a teenager I got my hands on a feral kitten with it's entire leg swollen and the joint in particular very round and hot from a bite wound. I just left him to lick it in my room while making sure he got food and water and wrapped him in a towel for a few minutes everyday to pet him. The wound broke, he continued licking it, and he lived 10 years out in the barn before his heart failed. More recently my mom fell in love with this black and white stray who has the oddest personality. He just walks right into trouble and holds a peaceful protest while the other cat or wildlife is often not so peaceful. I've had to help her treat a lot of abscesses on him. He did end up at the vet for antibiotics one time because he was swollen from shoulder to toes and unable to get upright. That time we found him torn up in the middle of an incredibly heavy rainstorm tangled in the fence over the drainage area between pastures. I would guess his injured leg couldn't make it past the running water and got further injured in the fence. Crazy thing is still wandering around. Healthy until the next event.

 

[FourRingCircus]

She was laying on her mattress this morning - we just peeked through the window. Litter box has been used as well :up: . Lots of little prickers scattered around her so I guess she was working on them last night. I will scramble up an egg for her this morning, I am sure she won't mind a few treats <br /><br /> __________ Wed Jun 24, 2015 8:33 am __________ <br /><br /> Could an abscess put enough pressure on the throat to cause her to gag and choke? When I saw her a couple weeks ago she was trying to throw up, but not successfully that I could see.... I just figured it was a hairball or she ate something she shouldn't have.

 

[katiebear]

When my son &daughter in laws cat got the tar beat out of her they just cleaned her up., using pet wet wipes and started her on a corse of pennicellin..she healed up very quickly. .they found a puncture under her chin about a week later..they just squeezed out the gunk ..and did 7 more days of injections..she is fine now..but she moved in with the neighbors. . :lol:

 

[FourRingCircus]

Look slike she got most of the prickers out herself so she must have just gotten into them before I found her last night. The open wound looks a bit weepy today so I am glad I got the bluekote - she wasn't thrilled with me spraying it, but didn't seem overly bothered by it either. She did want back out but hopefully since it's daylight there won't be too many issues. I'll let her back in a little later. She did eat the little bit of food she had, has peed int he litter box at least twice, so it looks like she's going OK that way.

 

[funnies50]

Oh no! I'm so sorry I hope she gets better.

 

[myrkari]

Cats are tough. You're doing the right thing keeping her inside for the most part, keeping her quiet and well fed, and keeping the wound clean. Fingers crossed for further improvement.

I agree that it looks like a burst abcess, from the shape of the wound and the colour of the underlying flesh - it's large, but looks almost like a popped blister in depth and texture, and if the wound was that large from the start from a bite or claw-rip, it would likely also be deeper and she'd be in a worse way. But, I am not a vet, just an ex breeder, so that's just my thoughts on it.

I had a kitten with a bite to his forelimb, right in the ankle joint, and the infection got into his blood rather than forming an abcess - he had to stay at the vets overnight on serious antibiotics and the blood poisoning nearly cost him his ear-tips but he pulled through from even that and is fine now. Cats are surprisingly hardy!