Help! Hurt at the groomer!

This is my second trip to the groomer's with Baby Cat.. And less than 24hrs after bringing her home, I see a large gash on her underarm area. I can tell this is obviously from the clippers.. It isn't bleeding, but she has been licking at it.. I've left a message with my vet's office and taken pictures.

I wiped the wound down with a warm, damp cloth.. See below.

How should I proceed?? I'm very worried this is serious or could become serious quickly. She isn't limping, lethargic, or refusing to eat.. I don't know I feel so bad for bringing her to a place that hurt her! Should the vet cover any expenses related to possible aftercare?

so the vet's office did the grooming? if so, i think they should cover the aftercare. in the mean time, i would use an antiseptic spray or wipe on it. i prefer a chlorhexidine product at 0.05% but you could also use a benzalkonium product such as Bactine. you could also put a triple antibiotic ointment on it, such as Neosporin.

detmut said:

so the vet's office did the grooming? if so, i think they should cover the aftercare. in the mean time, i would use an antiseptic spray or wipe on it. i prefer a chlorhexidine product at 0.05% but you could also use a benzalkonium product such as Bactine. you could also put a triple antibiotic ointment on it, such as Neosporin.

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Yes this grooming was done at my vet's office by their in-house groomer. I didn't notice any blood/bleeding immediately after bringing her home, but I didn't have much time to look at her as I had another appt to go to.
I know cats struggle but for my vet to say nothing to me when I know this wound probably bled makes me really sad for her

My mom also recommended the bactine spray, as it will hopefully be the least-offensive to her and hopefully help with any pain.

This will probably be the last time she gets this cut..

she will be ok. Bactine has lidocaine in addition to benzalkonium, so you have the antiseptic action with the pain relief. 

I'd put a cone on her to keep her from licking it.  If you don't have one on hand, I've heard of people making a temporary one with paper plates.

Quick update:
I am at the vet with Bab and they basically gave me 2 options that included antibiotics:
Glue or staple.
She's having anesthesia right now so they can quickly staple the skin back together to hopefully prevent an abscess. No charge and they said their groomer will be reprimanded for, "overlooking," the gash.

Just got her home

i'm glad you were able to get her fixed up and didn't have to wait until monday. i didn't realize how bad/deep the cut was from the pic.what did the vet say were the pro and cons of the glue vs staple? i know you said you chose the staple. 

Poor gal, glad they took care of it , though.  Given that the wound is in a place that gets a lot of movement, I agree that a staple was probably the best option.  And she might not think so, but those soft cones are awesome.

kiwischan said:

Just got her home

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Might be a good idea to find another groomer. Even if she was "reprimanded" i wouldnt risk my cat there. She should have been fired for injuring an animal. and not being honest about it. It would have been different had it been an accident, and she told you when you picked her up. It bugs me that she said nothing.

Furmonster Mom said:

Poor gal, glad they took care of it , though.  Given that the wound is in a place that gets a lot of movement, I agree that a staple was probably the best option.  And she might not think so, but those soft cones are awesome.

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Thankfully, I had a soft cone leftover from a former surgery because baby cat immediately started TEARING at the staples. I've taken all the lids from the litter boxes off for her also
Thankfully my roommate works the opposite shift from me, so she'll make sure the cone stays on while I'm at work.

[quote name="terestrife"]
Might be a good idea to find another groomer. Even if she was "reprimanded" i wouldnt risk my cat there. She should have been fired for injuring an animal. and not being honest about it. It would have been different had it been an accident, and she told you when you picked her up. It bugs me that she said nothing.
[/quote]
i completely agree--there would have been a completely different outcome if the groomer had said something. she obviously has ZERO integrity in her work and is probably hurting other animals--accidentally or not. i know the vet examination, staples and antibiotics would have run me around $200 total if i had to pay.

there is NO WAY i am bringing baby cat back to my vet for a groom--EVER. the actual vets there have done great work with her for surgery and treatments, but this episode is absolutely unacceptable.

over the next 6 or so months it takes for her fur to grow back almost-completely, i will be searching for another veterinary clinic with in-house grooming in case something happens again...which i really hope it does not because i feel just AWFUL that she was hurt

kiwischan said:

i completely agree--there would have been a completely different outcome if the groomer had said something. she obviously has ZERO integrity in her work and is probably hurting other animals--accidentally or not. i know the vet examination, staples and antibiotics would have run me around $200 total if i had to pay.

there is NO WAY i am bringing baby cat back to my vet for a groom--EVER. the actual vets there have done great work with her for surgery and treatments, but this episode is absolutely unacceptable.

over the next 6 or so months it takes for her fur to grow back almost-completely, i will be searching for another veterinary clinic with in-house grooming in case something happens again...which i really hope it does not because i feel just AWFUL that she was hurt

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im sorry you had to go through that, i feel so lost when i think of my cats being injured. So frustrating to not be able to trust others to care for your pets. I hope you find a better groomer. Perhaps check reviews online?

Why did you take her into the groomer? Was she badly matted for something? I give my own cats baths plus I brush & comb them on a regular basis. Chelsea & Topaz with their long hair, tend to mat up from time to time but I have a special comb that takes care of this & if not, than I just cut it out as the hair will grow back.

cats5 said:

 
Why did you take her into the groomer? Was she badly matted for something? I give my own cats baths plus I brush & comb them on a regular basis. Chelsea & Topaz with their long hair, tend to mat up from time to time but I have a special comb that takes care of this & if not, than I just cut it out as the hair will grow back.

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i've been taking her to the groomer because she, for whatever reason, won't clean her butt dingleberries are frequent issues and she will just hang out with a poopy-butt. 

kiwischan said:

 
i've been taking her to the groomer because she, for whatever reason, won't clean her butt dingleberries are frequent issues and she will just hang out with a poopy-butt. 

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My cat sometimes has tiny peices of poo on her butt, her vet says the anal glads need to be pressed to extract it or something lol

Something else that could be causing a poopy butt is an overweight cat. Is she overweight?

i've also been having a little trouble with her in her soft cone.. she has a hard time getting into her litter box with it on, even with the lid off. since it's a new work week tomorrow, i won't be around for long periods of the day.. does anyone have any recommendations to make things a little easier on her while i'm out? i know if i leave the cone off, she'll start licking/digging at her wound.

terestrife said:

 
My cat sometimes has tiny peices of poo on her butt, her vet says the anal glads need to be pressed to extract it or something lol

Something else that could be causing a poopy butt is an overweight cat. Is she overweight?

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not particularly? the last time she was weighed, she was in at around 14lbs. the vet said she was a little porky, but not overweight. 

kiwischan said:

 
not particularly? the last time she was weighed, she was in at around 14lbs. the vet said she was a little porky, but not overweight. 

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Kitty at 13 lbs was when she first started having poo on her butt, when she never had it before. My vet says she should be 9 lbs. Just saying the extra weight might be making it tougher for self cleaning.

kiwischan said:

 
i've also been having a little trouble with her in her soft cone.. she has a hard time getting into her litter box with it on, even with the lid off. since it's a new work week tomorrow, i won't be around for long periods of the day.. does anyone have any recommendations to make things a little easier on her while i'm out? i know if i leave the cone off, she'll start licking/digging at her wound.

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so, a hard time stepping in? you could get a litter box for kittens which has shorter sides. or use a short-sided oven pan.