How do i disinfect a wound....?

WITHOUT touching the cat?

I've finally resuced the last two kittens of a litter of four. They are all about 6 months... Two of them have been with me for almost 2 months now and are going to their new home.

The other two i managed to trap last night. One is very very cute and likes attention. The other is not fond of people AT all. Unfortunately he has a large wound on his back about half way down. It looks like a large graze... It does not seem to be infected BUT the area around it looks pretty dirty and sandy. Now there is NO way this guy is going to let me touch him....

So how can i keep it clean?? I'm not sure he can reach back there...

When he got in last nioght i was so worried about it getting infected that i filled a spay bottle with some water and salt (about as salty as sea water) and sprayed the entire area. I did this again this morning.

I wasn't sure what else to do or if this is the correct thing to do...

What can i do to keep it disinfected?

A. Disclaimer-take him to a vet.

B. I like betadine to disinfect wounds. This works for people and animals. It would be very messy to spray on him, but would do more than saline. Cats generally heal real quickly, so even one application would help. Treating for two days would be even better. JMHO.

will try the betadine.... they are other wise in good health.

Good. Do you realize how many kittens you have prevented, by taking care of this litter of 4? Good job! I hope the two older ones tame up nicely!

Thanks Beckiboo! They've all been fixed... And i am trying to do as many of the cats in my area as possible. So far i've done about 10 including the kittens some we re-homed, some we had to leave where they were.

I took a big risk a while ago and put a tshirt on him, scruffed him and had a good look at the wound. There is no pus. It's pretty grimey with some mud that has dried up and stuck to the fur all around the wound. WHile i had hold of him i did a quick spritz and then patted it dry. The graze itself is sensitive, but when i touched elsewhere to check for any abcesses that might be brewing i didn't find anything and he didn't flinch either.... Also gave the rest of him a quick wipe.

I really hope it doesn't get infected... I then wiped down the rest of the bathroom and gave them some new towels in their boxes. The girl is a real love bug!! AND she looks cute too.... Very much like that famous cartoon kitten Figaro.

Salt water is excellent in all such cases. They use it also at hospitals and surely veterinar-clinic.

There my be better preparats to use like this betadine,
and it is usually best to consult a vet!

but if you dont have any better ideas saltwater is useful.

Betadine is great and also any antiseptic powder that you can buy at a chemist is good too - Fantastic for cleaning up wounds.

The big plus of saltwater is it is very cheap and non dangerous, and germs dont like it. Thus you can - and should use it in a plenty, yes pour on, to clean the wounds.

After it you may use the other preparates you do have and/or the vet prescribed.

Here is not necessary either or, but both = combined.

But if you dont have anything at all and dont have access to vet - its "never" wrong with saltwater. (1litre water, 1 teaspoon kitchensalt, cook up, use preferably fingerwarm).

well the wound is healing up and drying out...
The area around it is still caked in mud...
He has turned out to be fairly finger friendly and will let me scratch him under the chin and around the ears etc. When he has had enough he will give me a bit of a warning back off nip... but nothing serious ....

I was originally going to release them into the large garden we have at the back BUT now i may try to get them homes instead.

Zazi, Wouldn't the salt water hurt him? I remember getting salt in mouth blisters and I wouldn't wish that on anything, ouch! I would say betadine or Iodine is a much better choice. also if you boil it out with peroxide that helps. The best thing you can do short of seeing a vet is try to get ahold of him long enough to get the area around the wound clean. I know you don't want to touch him since he's wild, but if you managed to do it once the best thing for him is to get it clean asap. as long as the wound is open and there is dirt around it there is a chance it can get infected. if you can get it clean putting some neosporin on him would prolly help it heal faster too. Good luck and I would try to wear gloves when I cleaned him up if I were you.

If he were mine, I would take him straightaway to the vet. If that weren't possible, I would take a bucket of warm water and pour a bit of betadine in it. I would get a second bucket of warm water and dunk a clean cloth in it, I would make sure the one bucket with betadine was full of water so when he was dunked rump first the water would cover the wound. He will grip the edge of the bucket, not your arm if you have him scruffed correctly. Keep his wound immersed for a few seconds, then pull him gently out being sure to stay away from the claws and mouth. Then, I would take the second cloth and drape it over his wound and pat him gently. Then place him back in the trap or a carrier and then get him to the vet quickly.

The scab fell of yesterday and he is doing fine... I did give the vet a call and describe the situation to them but they didn't think it was worth bringing him in. I think he is going to have a permament bal dpatch though

Glad he is healing well. It never ceases to amaze me what cats can recover from, but it is always good to keep a vet handy just in case! Glad he is healing well!

Will recovered from several deep wounds from cat fights (which he got into because I wasn't quick enough in getting him neutered). The fur grew back over all of them, and he is very handsome again. Still has one ear a little short from a fight months ago, but otherwise looks perfect! He did have antibiotics twice for the wounds.