My sneaky cat ran out while I was bringing in groceries and fought with another cat. I took him to the vet the following day because he was acting lethargic and I was very worried. They found no abscess but gave him antibiotics and pain medication anyway. 2 days later I'm warm compressing his wounds and an abscess from an area I wasn't aware of as it was under some tail fur, busts and drains, I take him to the vet right away and they clear and clean his abscess. It's pretty deep, I feel so bad for him. They gave him the 2 week antibiotics and instruct to continue giving the oral as well. I've tried a stiff cone and one of the soft donuts and a onesie to keep from licking but im just stressing him out more but he just wants to lick, I'm cleaning it with warm water and a cotton ball every time I catch him licking, I'm wondering what can I expect from recovery and is there a way I can ensure I keep his wound clean despite his licking efforts. Also sorry for how long winded this is, I'm just worried, I've never had this happen before.
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Took my buddy to the vet for a cat fight wound, abscess found, what to expect for recovery and tips on keeping wound clean and my kitty comfy?
- Thread starter sjcg2010
- Start Date
I had x2 bite wounds/abscesses but I'm not a wound care expert or anything. That said, I am pretty sure that the reason licking i bad is the possibility of opening the wound, not cleanlyness given that the cat is on antibiotics. So excessive licking can be a problem, and biting at it is worse, but a stray lick or two isn't going to do anything bad.
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- #3
Thank you for your reply! I'm sorry about your kitty's abscess, they are not fun I'm a nervous wreck...I haven't seen him biting at it but he has licked at it quite a bit, like I said I'm trying to clean it every time I see him do it with warm water and a cotton ball. I guess I'm just concerned if that'll be good enough.
If its just a bit of licking, then yes, it should be fine. It will get red before the stiches come out and it opens. From the scab coming off/irritation, not infection. The licking is just not relevant to infection with antibiotics being taken, especially if the scab is still on there. So I wouldnt fuss with cleaning it with a cotton ball. If its light lickin once in a while and its not read, its not such a big deal. If its a lot of licking or biting at it, may need to keep fussing with the cone, miserable as that is.
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- #5
They didn't give him any stitches, they left it open to drain and told me to keep it as clean as possible/ as much as he'd allow me to. He's on the 2 week antibiotics and the oral too per the vet so hopefully he'll be fine.
Oh, I guess that makes sense. This happened to me over 10 years ago, so maybe I forgot that aspect of it. But if its open, it does seem like a bigger deal to keep him out of it. Although I assume its a tiny actual wound at the surface. At least with my cats, the wounds always looked like a nail wound until the abscess formed and the hair fell out. In fact, I once took a cat in thinking a nail wound was a bite wound. I remember it was $500+ each time, which hurt probably more than the bite wound.
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- #7
It is not small. it's about the size of a dime and fairly deep, my vet said she was worried about some tissue so she felt more comfortable removing it than not and us ending up at square one, it's going to take longer than a normal abscess wound to heal, I know that for sure. And she probably wanted it to drain as much as possible and dry out so it can heal healthily. I just want to keep it as clean and debris free as possible.
Oh geez, sorry to hear that, they usually aren't that bad since most cats get bit on places where the fur falls out and it shows, and also places you normally pet. So normally its hard to miss an abscess for all that long. Under the tail is a weird location for a bite, you got really unlucky. Hate to say it, but with a real deal surgical wound, I'd try hard to follow the vet's timing on the cone. I know how hard that can be.
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- #9
