Laceration

I heard some cats fighting ouside my window last night that woke me up a couple of times. Turns out it must have been my Cat which seems strange as she's been going outside two years without incident. Today my Cat has come home limping pretty badly and has a cut about the length of a kidney bean on her lower leg. It seems to be bothering her quite a bit but everywhere else seems to be ok and she is eating and sleeping ok. I can't afford to take her to the Vet at this time and was wondering if anyone could give me some tips for treating her myself at home. Should I clean it well although she is in pain doing so and would putting some antibiotic cream on the cut be a good idea to keep it from getting infected. any tips or help would be appreciated. also should I leave it open for her to lick or should I wrap it after cleaning and treating.

1) As best as you can without risking injury to yourself, wash the wound with an antibacterial soap and warm water. You might need to enlist the aid of an additional pair of hands to hold your kitty down while you do this. Make sure whoever you pick isn't going to flinch and let go or else you are going to be bitten as sure as I am sitting here telling you that you are.

2) Don't put anything else on it. Don't cover it. She is going to lick it and there is no stopping that. Just keep a real close eye on it and if it gets infected, you are going to have to bite the bullet and take her to a vet. While she is there, you might also request that she be tested for the common feline bloodborne viruses.

3) Please, please, please tell me this cat is spayed?

4) Please, please, please keep her inside from now on. It will be safer for her.

Best of luck.

~gf~

thanks, and yes the cat is spayed and yes I will keeping her inside for the foreseeable future. like I said I have been letting her out for a couple of years amongst other animals such as raccoons, foxes and neighbors cats and nothing like this had ever happened. She was just probably in the wrong place at the wrong time.

If you can get some sterile saline solution, you can use it to wash the wound. If you feel heat from the area, it could be forming and abscess and will need vet attention. Most cats will require antibiotics as part of the treatment for an abscess. If one does start to form, you can use warm compresses to keep it draining and prevent it from getting worse. Good luck! Hopefully cleaning it and flushing it with saline will be sufficient.

So I have been treating this cut since last Friday morning and there seems to be no sign of infection. The Cat seems to be ok even running around the house chasing things, eating and going to the bathroom fine and wanting outside. One problem, she is still only walking on three paws. She is not using the injured paw whatsoever even though it seems to be healed almost completely. I have been feeling around and she doesn't seem to be in any pain in the leg only exactly where the cut is. Somebody has told me that the cat may get use to only using three paws from her injury and it will become habit and won't use her paw again. Has anybody ever heard of this happening and if so how can I get here to start using her paw to walk with again. I have been picking her up and then holding her other legs and letting her down slowly on the bad leg with all her weight and it doesn't seem to bother her but she won't use it to walk with. I need HELP!!!!

I would take this cat to the vet- I have handled many an abscessed kitty and none of them have taken the weight off the injured leg longer than just a few hours after confrontation. Chances are there is something quite serious going on besides just one laceration. When cats fight and really go at it, they go airborn several feet- you cat could have broke a bone or have a pressure fracture.