Help! My Cats ear fell off

I need some help. My poor Uno stayed out all night about a month and a half ago. When she came in she was pretty beat up. We are not sure if she got in a fight or fell or something. After a couple days she was back to herself but we noticed the ends of her ears were hard and crusty. She is a Tuxedo cat so her ears are black so it was hard to see what was wrong. We finally figured out that she must have gotten frost bite. This morning the tip of one of her ears fell off

She does not seem to be bothered by it or in any pain. It is not bleeding at all it is just a thin red line.

My question is should we put something on it like Neosporin? or just leave it alone. We are worried it might get infected. I am sure the tip of her other ear will probably fall off as well.

She needs to see a vet ASAP. It fell off because she probably has gangrene. It is common after getting frostbite. She probably needs antibotics and maybe a little surgery to stop the gangrene. They will be able to tell how far down the healthy tissue starts and amputate there. -LB

Take her to the vet.. NOW!! There may be more damage than what you can tell.

Oh my word I agree get the poor thing to the vet ASAP before anything else happens. Was she checked out after she stayed out all night? Has she been spayed because she is probably pregnant if not.
Let us know how she gets on.

neopsorin wouldn't hurt, but I agree with the others that gangrene may set in. Give her ears a good whiff & if you notice an "off" odor, get an emergency appt. - gangrene has a distinctive rotting smell - it will give your poor cat blood poisoning.

Originally Posted by AsecretK

I need some help. My poor Uno stayed out all night about a month and a half ago. When she came in she was pretty beat up. We are not sure if she got in a fight or fell or something. After a couple days she was back to herself but we noticed the ends of her ears were hard and crusty. She is a Tuxedo cat so her ears are black so it was hard to see what was wrong. We finally figured out that she must have gotten frost bite. This morning the tip of one of her ears fell off

She does not seem to be bothered by it or in any pain. It is not bleeding at all it is just a thin red line.

My question is should we put something on it like Neosporin? or just leave it alone. We are worried it might get infected. I am sure the tip of her other ear will probably fall off as well.

Click to expand...

How is your cat? Did you get her to the vet? I hope she does ok. Update, please?

She seems to be doing fine. The ear has completly scabbed over. I have not taken her to the vet. I am going to keep a good eye on her for a couple days and see how she does. She was happy and purring this morning. We are keeping her inside and mostly confined to our bedroom so we can keep a better eye on her and to keep her away from the other cats for awhile. She is a loner anyway so not having the other cats around her does not bother her at all. She was an only kitten (hence the name Uno) so she is used to being alone. We do let her out once a day so she can run around a bit and feel "free".

Thanks for all your replies

Can I ask if there is a reason you have not taken her to the vet? I think even before there was a problem with her ear she should have had a trip to the vet if she came home looking like she had a fight or fell.
The fact that part of her ear has now fallen off should be all the more reason to get her there ASAP.
It might look like it is scabbing over and healing ok to you but you are not a vet.
Please take her just to get the once over. I'm sure she will be fine but you won't know until you get her seen.

Originally Posted by Pombina

Can I ask if there is a reason you have not taken her to the vet? I think even before there was a problem with her ear she should have had a trip to the vet if she came home looking like she had a fight or fell.
The fact that part of her ear has now fallen off should be all the more reason to get her there ASAP.
It might look like it is scabbing over and healing ok to you but you are not a vet.
Please take her just to get the once over. I'm sure she will be fine but you won't know until you get her seen.

Click to expand...

I was thinking the same thing. I'm pretty sure that if part of a human family members ear would have fallen off that a Dr's visit would have been immediate.

IMHO... with owning a pet should come a responsibility & commitment to care & love that pet for all of it's days on earth. That means taking it to the vet when necessary.

I don't want to sound harsh but I have to agree with the above 2 posters. I still havea question going through my head that why was she staying out in the weather that was cold enough to even possibly cause frost bite. Please take her to the vet. It could be worse that it seems. Cats hide discomfort and pain very well.

I must ask as others have....why have you not taken Uno to the vet?

Domestic cats are predators but if they show weakness, such as illness or pain, they could be attacked and killed by other predators.

Hiding pain or illness, is a survival mechanism that has been retained from the past...before they became humans companions.

Because of this behavior, it is imperative that when a cat is injured, she should be seen by a vet for an assessment.

Cats purr when they are content but they also purr when they are in pain or ill.
Purring is not an accurate guide to how healthy or "happy" your cat is.

You have shown that you care about Uno by finding TCS and asking what to do.

You have your answer.
Have a vet check check her right away.
She could be in terrible pain & very ill.

Let us know what you find out.

Just because your cat is purring doesn't mean she is healthy or even happy. Cats hide pain very well. You really REALLY REALLY need to take Uno to the vet. PLEASE do so ASAP. No one here is trying to be mean. We just love cats and want the best for them.

Purring can also be a sign of pain and distress. Cats use it to calm themselves, it's soothing to them just like it is to us. Please don't assume that because she is purring she is OK; it's a common mistake to make though, since most people don't know that purring can mean something other than "happy".

I think your going to find that the vast majority of people are going to tell you to take your cat to the vets.

Ring your vet, explain the problem and see what they say.

Phoning for advice doesnt cost a thing and you dont even have to leave the house.

Please update us on your precious kitty. If you'd like, I am friends with my vet and I will call him for you if you can't take Uno to the vet, though I truly hope that you already have. But if not, let me know and I will find out what I can for you.

Cats often purr a lot right before they die. I know sounds strange but it is true. Please take her to see a vet. In many states it would be considered neglect not to. -LB