londoneye Posted April 11, 2007 Share Posted April 11, 2007 My poor cat has been in the wars again. He was bitten by another feral cat last Friday and yesterday a large lump appeared. I thought it was just bruising but fortunately my neighbour is very knowledgeable about cats and told me that it was an abcess and to take him to vets. This of course we did, whereby he was anaesthetised and had the abcess cut out. He has a large stretchy bandage covering half his body, and I am told stitches under it.Last night he was in so much pain he cried every time he moved (oh yes, and of course I cried with him ..). Today he seems a little better and is moving around a little, but the bandage is driving him demented. The vet said to try and keep it on for 10 days, but already he is knawing (the cat obviously!) away at it, and pulling at it. I just can't see that bandage lasting 10 days. I am sure he is not the first cat here to get an abcess - did anyone take the bandage off before the 10 days please, and was it ok. I am not talking about taking it off today or anything, but I would have thought the wound would anyway heal better in the air ??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patf Posted April 11, 2007 Share Posted April 11, 2007 One of our cats had an abcess on his stomach and we took him to have it removed. It was a while ago and I can't completely remember but I don't think he had a bandage at all. I think there was a dressing. How big is the wound, and where is it? Would it be possible to put a dressing on instead? If you do change it the main thing is to keep it clean. This same cat had another abcess on his head - he was always fighting. This really stank. The vet just prescribed antibiotics and told us to bathe it with antiseptic - betadine is good. It eventually cleared up. Pat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Val_2 Posted April 11, 2007 Share Posted April 11, 2007 Get the vet to lend you one of those lampshades to stop the cat biting the wound. My cats have got abcesses over the years from fighting and getting an infected leg or front paw and its pretty horrible especially when the abcess explodes all over the place with blood and puss.I would keep the wound covered and the animal indoors for a few days to lessen the risk of any further infections and if at all worried go straight back to the vet for some more antibiotics if you have run low. There is a good antiseptic spray for cats and dogs which although smells of herbs and they hate it,stops them licking the wound IF YOU CAN CATCH THEM FIRST! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
londoneye Posted April 11, 2007 Author Share Posted April 11, 2007 Tell me about it ! the catching that is.We have let him out under 'supervision' for an hour or so today and already he decided to go up to the top of the stables, which was fine, but unfortunately he then couldn't get down - crying, scrabling at the ladder (which we conveniently leave for his descent - yes he is spoilt rotten). queue myself up ladder trying to get bandaged cat down without hurting him (or me !).Other than that he seems a little better actually, although he hasn't had a poo or pee (will they get past the censors !???) since getting home, so now i am worried about that also.currently he is sleeping in the car, where he often demands to be let in if he is feeling insecure, but then i will have to drag him in again i suppose.I think I may leave the bandage a couple of days then have a peek and see what i think - poor thing is running all crouched down, as if he has the world's biggest flea on his back ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suein56 Posted April 11, 2007 Share Posted April 11, 2007 [quote user="londoneye"]I think I may leave the bandage a couple of days then have a peek and see what i think - poor thing is running all crouched down, as if he has the world's biggest flea on his back ![/quote]IMHO, and after a lifetime of sharing my home with cats, I nearly said 'owning' dreadful error there, your cat is only trying to distance himself from this awful appendage he seems to have acquired [due to no fault of his own] - no wonder he is distraught. It must have been quite a large abcess, or an abcess in an accessible spot, for the Vet to bandage it in such a way. Cleanliness of the wound site is crucial for a good heal, so perhaps that is what the Vet hopes to achieve. Stick with it but ... if you are not happy then seek a second opinion from a different Vet. There are two of you in this equation and Vets have been known to be wrong;Sue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ejc Posted April 11, 2007 Share Posted April 11, 2007 Cats have a way of completely confounding the vet about 20 years ago, just after we moved house in the UK our then youngish cat was hit by a car and so badly injured that he had his pelvis pinned and his hip joint on one side removed. The vet told us to keep him confined..... for a few weeks, once he'd recovered from the immediate effects of the anaesthetic he hated it. We ended up letting him love around as he felt comfortable - he lived another 15 years and was as fierce a hunter as before chased anything off including dogs, but managed to limp, noty always on the correct leg when he wante sympathy. I'm sure your friend will be fine and as mentioned the most împortant thing is keeping the wound clean - it maybe an idea to see of there's any chance of using that spray on dressing that is used for humans if the bandage is really distressing him - check back with your vet. Good luck and let us know how he goes on Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
londoneye Posted April 11, 2007 Author Share Posted April 11, 2007 thanks allthe vet has seen both our animals (but primarily the poor cat, who is not a fighter!) quite frequently and so far I have been very happy with what they have done, so I will try to follow instructions.He seems much better now (the cat, I am sure the vet is just fine counting his money!). I will let you know how he gets on.However, far be it for me to preach, but we have tried to keep cat in after dark after the first couple of attacks; I am afraid we caved in because the weather has been so nice, and this is what happened. Never again, nice or not, he comes in, it's just not worth the pain of seeing him like this. Thus, my advice to others, if your cat is a wuss who keeps getting beaten up after dark, don't give in because you feel guilty. Trust me you will feel a lot more guilty if you have to put him through something like this !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlotte3 Posted April 14, 2007 Share Posted April 14, 2007 Just a thought,our big fella, the Mayennaise canine equivalent of Brian Ferry (sleazy beggar!) kept fighting and getting abcesses (the last one was enormous and burst in the car on the way to the vets which may have influenced me somewhat). Our vet had kept recommending he be castrated and i kept saying No! but enough was enough and I gave in.He was a very sorry sight when he arrived home, it was funny (for me) because my OH kept wincing in unison with the cat! However, he hasn't looked back, is still the wimp he always was, but doesn't seem to get picked on as much and certainly hasn't had an abcess for the last 2 years.I do hope he recovers quickly... you always suffer with them, don't you, the poor wee soul!Aly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
londoneye Posted April 17, 2007 Author Share Posted April 17, 2007 HiHe is castrated already - he never fights per se, but runs away (hence the bite on his rear end !). Mostly he is quick enough to get away, but he does get caught occasionally !Did take bandage off after 5 days, and although it all looks a bit gruesome (about 2 inches long and 10 stitches or so - seems a tad excessive, but what do I know), he seems much happier now. He has even stopped trying to take the stitches out himself now!Actually I think I suffered more than he did, to be honest; just can't bear to see any animal distressed, which is why I keep well away from dog and cat shelters (apart from when we got the cat), because otherwise I would come out with all of them .. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suein56 Posted April 17, 2007 Share Posted April 17, 2007 [quote user="londoneye"]Actually I think I suffered more than he did, to be honest; just can't bear to see any animal distressed, which is why I keep well away from dog and cat shelters (apart from when we got the cat), because otherwise I would come out with all of them .. [/quote]Which is why I ended up with 8 cats and my friend with 12 at one point in our lives. BTW delighted to hear your lovely cat is on the mend.Sue [:)] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlotte3 Posted April 18, 2007 Share Posted April 18, 2007 Londoneye,So the damage is being done perhaps by a feral lady who won't take no for a answer......the poor old fellow!My OH won't let me look at any sites or visit any animal (or human, for that matter) shelters. He just knows what would happen.... He still remembers when I wanted to join the "Adopt a Granny" scheme! Well it's not my fault I don't have grandparents!I'm so glad he's on the mend, perhaps you can relax a little now as well,Aly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now