Need Advice on treating a wounded cat

Hello,I am am currently visiting my mother for the month. My mother has a small dog, two indoor cats, and two outdoor cats. The Two out door cats at related, one is the uncle of the other. The oldest one is about 3 years old, and he is massive...a truley big cat. The other cat also male is about 1 year old. The younger one, I actually tamed last year when I was visiting my mother. Both cats are as friendly as can be to both me and my mother now but not so to each other and it keeps getting worse the older the younger cat gets....which is to be expected. Saturday mourning, me and my mother were getting ready to go to a relatives house for the night. Just as we were about to leave, the older male cat came walking up, I noticed he had a gash under his chin. Now the older cat is always instigator in the fights so I said "Ha Ha, looks like the little fellow got one in on you this time". But just as I got the words out of my mouth, I looked up and saw the little cat and he was in BAD shape. He had a huge chunk of flesh missing from his back, just up from his back hip and slightly on his right side. He was also limping on his back right leg. As soon as the older Male cat saw him, he ran over and jumped on him again. I ran over and got the big cat off and ran him away. The young wounded cat went into a nearby barn and laid on some straw. My mother has a large pet carrier and we filled it with straw and tried desperately to get the cat to go in. He even bit and scratched my mother when she tried to lift him. We had no choice but to leave him. I created a barricade out of what ever I could find and put a tarp over the barricade to hopefully keep the older male cat away from him while we were gone. I thought about the little cat all day Saturday and was anxious to get back to see about him. As bad as he was, I was convinced he would be dead and I would be burying him. We got back Sunday afternoon and the first thing I did was go and check on him. Before I even got too him, I heard him meow. I was so amazed he was alive. I took a piece of chicken and this time was able to lure him into the pet carrier. I then bought him inside my mothers house so the other male cat could not bother him. I also fed him some cat food, gave him some water, and his favorite milk. Yesterday mourning, I woke up and his back right root is HUGE. I have never seen any body part swollen so much. He is moving around which I suppose is a good sign and sleeps a lot but he can't put pressure on that back right foot. He also is eating and while I have not seen him drink any water, he has about two cups of milk over the last two days. My mother works for a wildlife center and one of her co-worker use to work for a vet. She recommended we put Neosporine on the wound which we did...we didn't touch it just filled in whole with it. Late yesterday I started noticing a smell coming from the cage. I looked and saw were the cat had used the bath room and figured this was the source of the smell.This mourning, shut all the inside pets up and let the little cat out in the house while I cleaned the pet carrier and replaces the straw in it. He was walking around the house and seems to be in good spirits. He came up to me and sat down at my feet and started rubbing his head against me wanted me to rub him. However, in rubbing against me, I started noticing that the bad smell was following him. I am now convinced that the smell is coming from his huge open wound which probably means infection. I am honest not surprised that the wound is infected based on how large it is. I can't talk to the cat and ask it but it doesn't seem like the open wound bothers it that much, the foot which is still badly swollen today is what is giving it problems. I have put more Neosporine on in the wound today but am wondering if I should try Hydrogen Peroxide. I know HP will burn and probably cause the cat to freak out so I am hesitant.I know what you are thinking, why not take the cat to a vet. Well, my mother already has two indoor cats and doesn't want anymore. We could take the cat to the vet and pay a lot of money to get him fixed but the older male cat is there here outside. We are afraid that if we spend a lot of money which neither of us has on a vet trip for the cat that this will just happen again. So I really want to try to treat the cat myself but this smell really concerns me.Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated. This little Cat holds a special place in my heart because he is so friendly and I am the one who tamed him. If my building would allow pets, he would be living with me right now. I really, truly want to help. him.

Have these two male cats been neutered. If not, they need to be. My suggestion would be that one or the other of them needs a new home to separate them. As far as the cat's injury and possible infection, the only thing that will help that is antibiotics and vet care. Otherwise, I don't know what the future holds for him. I hope you find a solution to stop the fighting and a way to get this cat proper vet attention.

No, neither are neutered and this is something that I have tried to convince my mother to do.  She figured one of them would leave.  She figured even the older male cat might leave because as she says "they like to ramble".  Bless that little cat though he has hung tough for about six months.  He has been beat up before but he will never let the big cat run him off. 

The problem is that I am a college student.  I couldn't afford to take myself to the hospital if I had to  and as muct as I love the little cat, I just can't afford to take him.  My mother will not take him because she thinks that she will spend all that money to get him better just to have this happen all over again.  The wound is so vicious I just don't see how the other cat was able to do it to him,  It makes we wonder if something else didn't do it. 

The wound is infected no doubt.  I just put some more Neosporine on it and after the Neosporine had sat for a minute, the wound started gushing liquid.  I feel so bad and so helpless.  I wish I could take the little cat home with me but my building won't allow pets.  Is there any chance that he will get over this infection on his own if I keep giving him Neosporine or Hydrogen Peroxide or is this just delaying the inevitable.  Do you think the vet would sell us antibiotics?

I agree with blue, have them fixed and get the hurt one to the vet....
 

I will tell u this, and a lot of people may or may not agree. If u have some antibiotics of your own or know someone with that u can get, give that baby that, in small doses. I have done this many times with my own kitties worked well. If it is in capsule open capsule take over half out and give it to cat..I kno there are gonna be people out there that say NO!.. but if ur like me and can't always get ur cat to vet, it does work... do this once a day for 5 days.. I have saved many a cat doing this! in the invent this does not work increase the dose a bit..Good luck I know this works...
 

Any penicillin works with cats or as has been suggested, any antibiotics you have shd be used. But rely my advice is to get that little one to a vet like YESTERDAY ASAP.He needs help badly and it may o oh be infection but the kind of infection can determine the course of treatment. A vet can take aculture and ascertain this. Has he been eating? Btw ecstatic are lactose intolerant -despite what we heard in earlier yrs so buy him some kitten milk which will be good for him.


I know it is late but while he is at thd vet anyway, now is a good time, once recovered to have both Tom's neutered so they can both lead long healthy lives and not fight so much.

Good luck!! I hope the infection has not spread and can be contained so he will be ok. Sending you best vibes!

Abisiobhan said:

Any penicillin works with cats or as has been suggested, any antibiotics you have shd be used. But rely my advice is to get that little one to a vet like YESTERDAY ASAP.He needs help badly and it may o oh be infection but the kind of infection can determine the course of treatment. A vet can take aculture and ascertain this. Has he been eating? Btw ecstatic are lactose intolerant -despite what we heard in earlier yrs so buy him some kitten milk which will be good for him.


I know it is late but while he is at thd vet anyway, now is a good time, once recovered to have both Tom's neutered so they can both lead long healthy lives and not fight so much.

Good luck!! I hope the infection has not spread and can be contained so he will be ok. Sending you best vibes!

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I just wanted to update everyone.  My mother still refuses to take the cat to the vet.  Her co-worker who use to work for a vet insists that the cat will heal on his own and since my mother wanted to hear that anyway, she is sticking to it.  I can't afford to take him so there is only so much I can do. 

I went to the pharmacy and got some hydrogen peroxide.  I was nervous that the H P might scare him but the smell was getting so bad and I wanted to help him so I pored the HP into the wound.  I filled it up with the H P.  He didn't even flinch, didn't act like he know I did anything to him.  I checked to see if I had any antibiotics and neither me or my mother did. 

But the H P seems to have done a lot of good.  The smell is still there but it is no where near as strong and the wound looks wetter now.  Also the cat is acting a lot more active.  He is eating a lot and crys, wanting out of the cage.  His foot is still swollen but appears to be getting better.

Also this mourning I was outside and heard a cat screaming.  I ran around the corner and the other outside cat, the 3 year old one, was up a tree with a whole pack of dogs under the tree.  I ran them off and ran inside and called Animal Control.  My mother said the dogs have been hanging around quit a bit.  With the damage to the cat being so bad, I am convinced one of these dogs must have done it and not the other male cat.  The owner of the dogs has been warned as there were several other complains recently and he has been given two weeks to get his dogs under control or the county is stepping in. 

I know a lot of people say the cat should go to the vet...and I agree but my mother won't budge.  I am doing all I can for him.  I also wanted everyone to know that the older male cat appears to be off the hook.  I no longer think he is the culprit.  I just think that once he saw the younger cat was wounded....it made him more hostile.  Of course that doesn't help the little cat any but he has improved some.

Ok, you NEED to take the cat to the vet. If your mom's not willing to pay for vet care then tell her you can have him put to sleep, it's cheaper. It's not right to let him suffer.

A lot of veterinary clinics will help you set up a reasonable payment plan if you don't have a lot of money. Call around and ask.

Second, the cats need to be neutered. If they are neutered the fighting will die WAY down. Two unnuetered males are going to fight, it's their nature. Not to mention spray in the house, whatever house that might be. Another very important thing to remember is that there are already many homeless cats, cats being put to sleep in shelters, or left outdoors and not cared for properly, because they do not have homes.

PLEASE look for a low cost spay/neuter clinic or program in your area. Not only will it tame the fighting, but it will reduce the homelessness and lack of care of animals, and it will also make it easier to find real homes for one or both of these cats... which it really sounds like they need.

I know this is your mother, but the cats are being neglected. Honestly, you can call the SPCA about this. If you're not willing to do that then tell me what vet you want to go to and maybe I can wire them some money.

It sounds like the little cat is suffering.  Have you tried calling your local animal shelter and asking if there are any lost cost vet clinics in the area?  Where I live there is one and the vet care there is very cheap.  You can have a cat spayed for 35.00!  A neuter is 25.00! I had my dog's teeth cleaned there last year for 50.00.  It is at least worth looking into.  If not you  might want to consider confronting your mother about how cruel she is being. Maybe she would be willing to let a rescue have the cats if she won't or can't properly care for them.

Melly123 said:

It sounds like the little cat is suffering.  Have you tried calling your local animal shelter and asking if there are any lost cost vet clinics in the area?  Where I live there is one and the vet care there is very cheap.  You can have a cat spayed for 35.00!  A neuter is 25.00! I had my dog's teeth cleaned there last year for 50.00.  It is at least worth looking into.  If not you  might want to consider confronting your mother about how cruel she is being. Maybe she would be willing to let a rescue have the cats if she won't or can't properly care for them.

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I think I have painted an incorrect picture of my mother.  My mother does care about the cat and she has been helping me take care of it.  But she doesn't have a lot of disposable income her self and is just afraid being that the cat lives outside that if she dishes out the money to take the cat to the vet and get treatment, that it is just going to happen again.  Especially now that we know that a pack of dogs caused the wounds and not the other male cat.   She is afraid this is going to happen again even if she gets both cats neutered.

Someone recommended to me privately that I should contact the local animal shelter and explain the situation and they may be willing to offer treatment at a discount price.  I am going to do that tommarow. 

My mother does take her dog to the vet and her indoor cats but that is only because she isn't worried about a pack of dogs getting the ones in the house.

I am hoping the local animal shelter will offer to have a look at the little cat...he is so sweat. 

Please let us know how it turns out.

Please have both outdoor kitties neutered.  Get the little one to a vet ASAP.  It should not be that expensive and most vets will work with you on a payment plan.  I am sure even $10/month would be enough.

How is the cat doing?