How do I bandage my cats foot??

I finally realized why Zorro's breath stinks so bad. I was clipping his nails yesterday, and noticed that one of his toes (the thumb one) on his front leg is all infected. He's been licking it alot, and that's why his breath is so horrible.
The vet told me to rinse it with diluted hydrogen peroxide twice a day to see if that will help the infection go down.
My concern is that he keeps licking the infection and I know that thats not good for him. I don't want him damaging any internal organs (when he had a mouth infection, the vet said that it can cause alot of internal problems from him swallowing the pus)
How do I stop him from licking the wound? I was thinking about bandaging it(that way it will also keep the litter out of it, because whenever he goes in the litter pan, it gets all clumpy with cat litter and I have to clean it out). I know the E-collars are an option, but that won't help keep it clean.
I have no idea how you would bandage a foot?? Anyone had to do this before?

well you could bandage it and make sure the tape over laps the hair so it wont fall off. The prob is the cat wont like it and will do anything to get it off. When you take it off it will prob pull some of the hair out it will grow back. They say cats hair pulls out easily with out pain if its a little at a time. (not sure if i believe that).

The first thing that comes to mind is to secure a baby's sock on Zorro's foot. That may be easier said than done.

I'm afraid that whatever you put on the foot, the cat will take off. So continuing to bathe it in the disinfectant solution is really the only way to go. If you're concerned about licking, an E-collar is the only way to prevent that.

Did the vet prescribe an antibiotic? If it's an infection, that might be necessary.

When Tolly burnt his foot, I used baby socks, I just put some tape round the top of the sock to keep it on.

Thanks everyone. I think I might try the baby sock. That way he'll still be able to walk and use the foot, but it will keep the litter out of it.

What does your vet say? When my dog cut the pad on his foot a few years ago, we bandaged it (to keep it clean, mostly), but it got infected and our vet told us we should have NOT bandaged it, since the cut needed air to heal. You might want to check with your vet first.

The vet told me to clean it out twice a day and see if that makes the infection go away. If it doesn't, he'll need to be put on antibiotics.
I know that infected cuts should have lots of air, but if I don't do something to cover it up, the cat litter will just keep getting into it and making it more infected. I think the baby sock would be the best option since it should still let the infection air a little bit.
I hope he doesn't need to go on antibiotics. I hate having him always on medication for something or another. He's already taking meds for his back.

Perhaps switching to a non-clumping cat litter would also help, maybe a paper-based variety such as Yesterdays News.

Generally when bandaging a foot or wound lower on the leg the whole leg up to the shoulder is wrapped, because cats will try they hardest to remove any bandage. But the toe does need to drain and will likely swell in a bandage.

Do you know why the toe is infected? Is the cat indoor/outdoor or do you have other cats that could have bit him? Bites can get nasty very quickly, and if that's what it's from you really need to get him to the vet.
If it's from something else, either you need to find the source and make sure he doesn't get hurt again, or have the vet figure out what the problem is, ie claw problem, etc.

Soaking the foot in warm epsom salt will help, even if you do take him to the vet I suggest you do this a couple times a day to get litter and other dirt out. Sit on the floor with the bowl of water between your legs (sit indian style) so the bowl won't tip if he pulls away.

I'm a little worried about changing his litter since I'm afraid he might stop using the litterpan if I do that. He's always been good about his litterpan, but were living in an apartment with two other people, and the rule is that if he pees outside the litterpan (even if its only once) he has to go (which would mean that I'd need to find another place to live)
He hurt it a few weeks ago when I had him crated. He cut it a little on part of the crate, then got some litter in it so it got infected. I cleaned it out and after a few days I thought it was better. Obviously it never healed fully. He keeps getting litter in it which makes it infected and swollen.
I get paid next wednesday, so if it hasn't cleared up by then, he'll be going to the vet, but I just want to keep it clean and try to get it cleared up before then.
The vet did also recommend using epson salts, but we don't have any. I'm going to go get some from my mother's this weekend though.

Originally Posted by gothicangel69

The vet did also recommend using epson salts, but we don't have any. I'm going to go get some from my mother's this weekend though.

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Epsom salt is cheap, $2-3 for a big carton. Soaking now can really make the difference in getting that infection under control, at the very least do soak it in some warm water to help wash the litter out.

Originally Posted by gothicangel69

I'm a little worried about changing his litter since I'm afraid he might stop using the litterpan if I do that. He's always been good about his litterpan, but were living in an apartment with two other people, and the rule is that if he pees outside the litterpan (even if its only once) he has to go (which would mean that I'd need to find another place to live)

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Only once? That seems harsh. They wouldn't take into account that the animal is injured?

Newspaper-based litter does seem like a good idea. It's softer and won't get into the wound. You could try adding a thin layer on top of his existing litter to see how he reacts. Chances are, if he's been that good about using the litterbox, he'll stay consistent.

I didn't realize that epson salt was so cheap. I'll have to pick some up tomorrow then. I've been cleaning it out with diluted hydrogen peroxide, then running it under warm water for a bit to make sure that all the peroxide is for when he licks it. It still pretty swollen though, so I think he's going to need to be on antibiotics. I'm going to take him in next week when I get paid and get him looked at, but until then I'll just have to try to keep it really clean. The vet also wants him to be off his medication for a few days before starting something else (his last day is tomorrow).
I don't have the money to buy any litter right now. We're really hard up for cash until next week since all of my money recently has been going to pay of Zorro's vet bills. (only owe $170 now!!)

Did the vet say to wash the hydrogen peroxide off afterward? Since it's diluted and the vet recommended it, it probably won't harm the cat if he were to lick the area. It may not disinfect as well if you run water over the area and rinse it off. Just a thought.

A friend's cat was given the same treatment for a small wound. The vet said to wet the area once a day with a cloth soaked in the diluted solution and then leave it; no rinsing with water.

They didn't say to rinse it, but I did anyways because I was worried about him licking it and it hurting him in some way. I guess it does make sense not to wash it off though.