How to care for a wound that won't heal?

Cat has a six-month-old tumor on a rear foot that has just broke through the skin and is bleeding.

Cat is old and has health problems but likes affection and eats well.

Tumor is likely inoperable.

Plan is to help the cat to deal with the ongoing, open wound. 

But how to help, to treat, that is the question.

I've bandaged it (using a strip cut from an old T-shirt) but the cat removes the bandage.

Infection is another concern.

Anybody got experience with this?

Interested in thoughts and ideas beyond, "Take your cat to the vet." That has happened and will happen again. I post here in search of enlightened advice the vet might not mention or know about.

Do a search here for colloidal silver. Amazing deep wound was healed. How do you know it is inoperable? Looks like a straight forward routine surgery.....

That's the kind of help I'm looking for! Thanks for your thoughts.

@Feralvr uses something else too (she also uses colloidal silver), but I can't recall the name of it.  Hoping she sees that I have "tagged" her and responds accordingly.

Thank you.

Well, I don't think it would be a straight forward surgery at this point. The tumor has been there for a very long time from the looks of it. And surgery at this point would probably mean taking the foot off. Has your vet ever seen this tumor? At this point, it looks pretty nasty and may be infected as well. I would seriously recommend getting an antibiotic called Clindamycin which is an excellent choice for skin type infections. You would need a prescription from a vet.

My suggestion would be to clean the foot daily right now with Hibiclens http://www.hibiclens.com/retail You can get this at any pharmacy. Gently clean, no rubbing/scrubbing. Then I would use this called Vetericyn You can get it on-line or from the vet. Spray this on the tumor 2 - 4 times daily and it will immediately help soothe and heal the outside tissue. It is extremely safe and non-toxic to use on animals even in their eyes!!!! There is also a gel form. Also - Colloidal Silver may be of a benefit to use. I use this one THIS IS NOT A CURE NOR A FIX for this nasty looking tumor which, sorry I am going to say this, a vet seriously needs to see and treat so you can get proper medications to use at home.. I understand the kitty is old but make sure you are also getting it proper veterinary attention which is of the utmost importance when they are seniors.

What does your vet recommend?  This really needs to be removed.  I agree with the above poster it probably may require amputation at this point as it has gotten so big and is probably involving the tissue underneath. 

thank you all very much for your input.

it turns out the growth probably could be surgically removed. it is on a stem and the attachment to the foot is considerably less in circumference than that of the actual growth.

it was my understanding that an old cat  cannot, as a rule, undergo surgery, but i was wrong.

it has been clarified to me that older animals may not well tolerate injections of anesthetic, it is true, but they often do perfectly fine  if only respiratory anesthesia, administered with a mask, is used.

this takes longer and involves some stress to the animal, which is one reason some vets might avoid it.

but my vet was willing to try that and actually didn't think the surgery would be much of a problem. kudos to the one of you who had that same opinion. you were right.

however, pre-surgical bloodwork showed the cat to be significantly anemic, and a pre-surgical exam revealed a mass of significant size in the cat's mouth. which explains the cat's diminished interest in food lately. or at least, diminished ability to consume it.

i have opted not to do surgery, and will give the cat as much comfort as i'm able.

thank you again for your thoughts and may the Lord bless you for the good you do for cats.

I'm sorry, Crier. God bless you and kitty. Thanks for letting us know...I was wondering....

I am sorry to hear that other underlying health issues have been found by your vet and I think you have made the only decision you can. I have been in your shoes before with pre-surgical blood work and exam showing other problems thus derailing the surgery all together. :shame: I wish you all the best as you enjoy the time you have left with your cat and know that you have given him a wonderful life. It is not easy to get such news. Keep us posted when you can.

thank you for your sympathy for me and the cat. he actually was a neighbor's cat who chose me instead, and they were kind enough to honor his decision. but i've had him a good while and i am fond of him.

and amazed at him. he is old, sick, and surely hurting, but he's doing surprisingly well.

first, i have learned that an inoperable growth on the outside of a cat is not in itself going to kill the animal.

i don't know, i guess i thought the cat would bleed to death once the growth busted through the skin, which it had stretched like a balloon.

and there was some blood at first, which was scary.

i treated it first with turpentine, then read something that said why treat, and so i stopped.

and the cat takes care of it fine. he tends it in the day, licks it. there has been a bit more blood but surprisingly little. nearly none at all, really.

and despite the growth in the cat's mouth -- i can tell that bugs him also -- and despite his severe anemia, he is eager to eat at mealtimes.

he loves to be held, wish i had more time for him.

he has taken over my bed pillow so i have had to sleep elsewhere.

i post these photos in hope that others who have cats with inoperable growths may take heart. this cat is happy to be alive despite them.

turpentine?????????????

your previous posts were thought-provoking but

TURPENTINE????

so what are you doing about the cat's anemia?

are you aware IT IS FATAL?

thank you for your posts.  i have GOOD NEWS for owners of dogs or cats with growths that burst through the skin.

this is my first experience with it and it is not the nightmare i thought it would be. i thought if we couldn't have it surgically removed, we'd have to consider euthanizing the cat because of a gaping, growing, growth, wet, vulnerable to infection, surely painful, exposed.

due to the cat's poor health surgery was ruled out.

the only thing i could do was let God and the cat handle it. 

and i can say, they are doing just that. 

the cat licked and nursed the wound. other than my first probably stupid application of turpentine, the cat was the only one who tended the wound.

and now it's shrunk and dried. it seems to be a non-issue. praise the Lord!

will all tumors / growths behave like this? surely not. but it's not the guaranteed downer i thought it was going to be.

somebody said never put God in a box. never say, God, this is what i need and this is how You should do it.

just say God, please help this dear cat. you can make the sun not rise, please help my dear cat with this problem.

and prepare to be amazed and grateful. i was. i am.

i know the anemia is dangerous. what should one do for an anemic cat?