My cat's got a hole in her neck! * WARNING *. Graphic photos.

Poor girl i guess was bitten by one of our cats. Im pretty sure its an abscess as she got all lethargic and lost appetite in the beginning. Few days, later the area that u see above ballooned up and burst, there was pus everywhere. That had now developded into this. It got this bad cz she would scratch the wound whenever it healed, literally ripping her skin off. Obviously shes not in pain...besides the gruesome looking wound with a hole, shes acting pretty normal.

I took her to the vet. Prescribed antibiotic shots and iodine to clean the wound regularly.

Anyone got any experience with something like this? Should I try packing the wound as it is fairly big? Should i get it stitched? I wrapped her paws with duct tape so she cant claw at her neck. So no worries there.

Wow that looks really painful.  I don't know much about abscesses but I do know that you don't want to have it stitched.  It needs to stay open so it can drain and heal from the inside out.  You wouldn't want to pack it for the same reason as not getting it stitched.  There should be some way to cover it to protect it without closing it off.    I think it is going to be a long slow healing.  At some point she may need some kind of restorative surgery.

Holy cow!  That looks like it must hurt like the dickens .  So they are just having you clean the wound, but not put anything on it afterwards?  That's kind of surprising, but I guess you just never know.

Just for the heck of it, I'm attaching this thread, which is about a cat who had an even larger wound than this, and how they eventually got it to heal over:  http://www.thecatsite.com/t/240011/colloidal-silver-usage-for-cats-health-in-some-occasions

I just wonder about using duct tape on his paws.  That can get really stiff, and could end up scratchng the wound too, couldn't it?  Not sure of there is anything else I know of that is any softer, other than soft claws, they can still scratch it, but wouldn't be sharp at all. 

Alright, this looks pretty awful. Secondly, I think what may be more awful is the duct taped paws. How do you suppose you're going to get the tape off? That sticks like crazy and its going to pull like crazy. Also you must be very careful when wrapping any limp that the binding is not so tight that it restricts circulation. I've used Vetrycin on some nasty wounds, but not this large. I've seen the images of it been used on horses. I suppose you could look into that. I'll find a link. It is a little expensive but I think it would really help her. If you can get some Vet Wrap, the kind that clings to itself and not the fur, you might be able to carefully and loosely wrap her neck wound, be certain you can slip at least 2 to 3 fingers under the binding. I did think, you might be able to soak her paws in some sort of vegetable oil or vaseline and see if the tape will give way. I do hope you can get it off. Yes, I do think it is painful, any open wound is painful, she is just instinctively not showing pain.

Also, if you cannot get the Vet Wrap right away, you can cut the stretchy upper leg portion of a loose cotton sock and slip that over her neck like a cowl so that it will keep her actual claws from digging in.

I've had many cats with abScesses.FIRST GET THE DUCT TAPE OFF THE PAWS! Second, boil some water, make a homemade saline solution (salt and baking soda, recipes online) use a large syringe to wash it out daily. Gently pat dry.Use the antibiotics as prescribed.It will clear up eventually. GOOD LUCK!

(LET THE WATER COOL)

Thank you for your replies everyone.

For all that are suggesting to remove the duct tape, how do u suggest i keep her from scratching her skin off everytime it heals??

katocy said:

Thank you for your replies everyone.

For all that are suggesting to remove the duct tape, how do u suggest i keep her from scratching her skin off everytime it heals??

Click to expand...

Baby socks, with pet bandage wrap, used for animals. Socks so on first, then secure with the wrap, which already has a mild adhesive. 

Thank you all for your replies.

Ti all ghat are saying/suggesting to remove the duct tape, how am i going to keep her from scratching her skin off everytine it heals? Tried bandage but she can get it off

Nora1 said:

Baby socks, with pet bandage wrap, used for animals. Socks so on first, then secure with the wrap, which already has a mild adhesive. 

Click to expand...

Whats the difference between human and vet bandage wrap?

I think the vet stuff (which you can buy from regular pet stores), has a very mild "stick" to it, so it's not as sticky as the human stuff. I also think human wrap can come treated, which would make me nervous to put it on a cat.

That is going to need to be stitched up. I am surprised the vet didn't tell you that needs to be done for this to heal. My cat had a similar looking wound at the base of his tail from a bite that went bad and burst. The vet told me no way was it going to heal on its own and if it does it will take months. If you vet won't stitch it up I'd find one who will.

You could get some Soft Paws and put them on her nails (plastic nail caps that are glued on the nails).

hexiesfriend said:

That is going to need to be stitched up. I am surprised the vet didn't tell you that needs to be done for this to heal. My cat had a similar looking wound at the base of his tail from a bite that went bad and burst. The vet told me no way was it going to heal on its own and if it does it will take months. If you vet won't stitch it up I'd find one who will.

Click to expand...

Yeah, thought he would too. But been hearing about keeping it open so that the infection would clear. Would love to get a 2nd opinion on that but unfortunately, hes the only vet around here.

hexiesfriend said:

That is going to need to be stitched up. I am surprised the vet didn't tell you that needs to be done for this to heal. My cat had a similar looking wound at the base of his tail from a bite that went bad and burst. The vet told me no way was it going to heal on its own and if it does it will take months. If you vet won't stitch it up I'd find one who will.

Click to expand...

It's actually very rare for a vet to stitch close a burst abscess.  I don''t think this one could be stitched it is too large.  They won't stitch wounds on people if it's been too long.  I had a cut from work and I went 24 hours later because it kept bleeding and they wouldn't stitch it.  They said that at that point they would be stitching it with germs inside the wound.

It looks like the muscle is exposed but that may just be the photo. It will probably be awhile for this to heal but it's not impossible.

Have you been able to get the tape off her paws?

nansiludie said:

Have you been able to get the tape off her paws?

Click to expand...

Yeah i managed to get the tape off and just like u guys said, one of the paws got inflamed...had to sedate her to get it off. That was 2 days ago. She was limping...until today. Now that she can make use of her nails (clipped btw), her wound has gotten bigger because shes been scratching it. *sigh*

What about trying the baby socks with vet wrap over them as someone suggested?

Sorry about your poor kitty.