My cat attacked my hamster. Her neck is wet. What should I do?

Thanks for reaching out about Smores. Cat bites and scratches can often lead to significant infections, as both carry bacteria that can contaminate wounds. Providing water through a syringe if Smores is not drinking, can provide well needed hydration until an appointment can be made with a veterinarian. A bite or scratch wound will often need to be treated with systemic antibiotics. Good luck.

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach, sorry to hear that your hamster was bitten! If the area is no longer bleeding and your hamster has a normal level of activity, and is eating/drinking/urinating/defecating normally, you can continue to monitor for any signs of infection (discharge, swelling, or redness). If you notice these signs, you should have him evaluated by a veterinarian as soon as possible. In the meantime, you can carefully trim your hamster's nails so that he does not traumatize the area while grooming and apply a very small amount (just the tip of a Q-tip) of silver sulfadiazene (SSD) or triple antibiotic ointment such as Neosporin to the area. In the future, I recommend not allowing your cat near the hamster cage, or having a very sturdy lid to avoid accidents.

Cat bites can be very nasty so I always recommend antibiotic therapy and pain management to animals (and to people) who fall victim to their feline. If you decide to hold off and take a wait & see approach, rodents often hide their illnesses until they are very sick - this is a defense mechanism as they are prey animals. They will stop eating, become highly lethargic, and may develop a high fever. As for your cat and the hamster bite, I am less concerned about this but would need to see photograph of the affected area to render an official opinion on the matter. Hope this makes sense.

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I'm sorry to hear that another hamster attacked Sugar. I recommend bringing him to your veterinarian to have him examined, have the wounds cleaned, and he can be given medication for pain and antibiotics. Any bite wound has the potential to become grossly infected and abscessed, which is very painful and can require surgery to resolve. In the meantime, you can try gently wiping any discharge away from the wounds with a damp cloth. I hope this is helpful!

thanks for reaching out about Coco and including a photo. this is likely bite wounds from aggression. As one is running away, they get bit on the rump. The two hamsters should be separated. Coco should probably see seen by a veterinarian as antibiotics might help the wounds heal more rapidly. Good luck.

Thanks for reaching out a out Zeus. The more concern is which antibiotic treats infection likely in a hamster's mouth. A veterinary visit is recommended as topical medications do not treat deeply into wounds, so systemic antibiotics are recommended. Cleaning with a mild soap can remove bacteria from the surface. Good luck.

Poor Fustuq! He really needs to be seen by a vet to determine the extent of his injury, especially since he is breathing weird and not moving. There isn't much you can do at home except keep him quiet, warm, and try to get him to eat and drink.