My cat was burned by hot water. What should I do immediately?

I would highly recommend taking Bankai to a veterinarian. They can evaluate the extent of the wounds and see what type of treatment should be done. It depends all on what they look like. They can also dispense antibiotics (if needed) and appropriate pain medication for cats. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Ouch! Running cold water on it was smart. Ideally, he should be seen by your vet since the burn looks like it goes through the pad. This could lead to infection. If this is not possible now, keep the area clean and dry. Use an e-collar (cone) on him to prevent licking. A dab of aloe vera gel can be applied a few times daily. Keep the e-collar on so he doesn't ingest the aloe vera. You may want to use shredded paper towels in the litterbox until the paw heals. Monitor for lameness, lethargy, swelling, discharge or odor. These are symptoms that should be addressed by your veterinarian.

What a cute kitty! I am sorry to hear about his accident. I would recommend having his veterinarian take a look at his paws. Burns can worsen over several days so if this just occurred, we may be seeing this worsen before it gets better. The area may become painful and can be a site for infection to develop, so prescription medication to help treat pain and potential infection/aid in healing of the paw pads may be needed. I would call your vet first thing when they open for an exam. If Friskie is in pain tonight, then a trip to the emergency vet may be warranted. Best of luck to you and Friskie.

Poor Tilly! If the wounds are severe, she should be seen by a vet right away for bandaging, antibiotics, and pain medication. You can apply a small amount of SSD (silver sulfadiazine) ointment to the paws - an E-collar or "cone" will help keep Tilly from licking her paws and causing further trauma. I hope this helps and that all is well with Tilly!

I hate to hear Jax did that! Unfortunately, that happens frequently to cats. You are correct that there is a concern that they will get infected. Cats use litter boxes which are sources of infection and the granules can pack into the sores. I would recommend to take him into the vet for antibiotics and an elizabethan collar (so he can't lick the feet). I would also recommend to switch the litter to either paper pellets or feline pine. You can switch back to the normal litter once the feet are healed. Make sure the scoop the body multiple times a day while his feet are healing (will help to keep his feet cleaner). I hope Jax heals quickly!

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I'm sorry to hear that Jack fell into the shower today. If the water wasn't hot enough to burn you, it likely didn't cause any severe burns to Jack. He may feel uncomfortable from being so wet, and his skin may feel a little irritated. He will likely groom himself if he hasn't already, and be OK once he's fully dry. If Jack continues to act abnormally or doesn't want to eat for more than 1-2 meals, or you notice any other unusual signs, something else may be wrong and would warrant a visit to the veterinarian. I hope this is helpful!

This is a bad burn, but doesn't look too bad and should heal well with treatment over the next couple of weeks. The best thing you can do is flush the wound using a syringe or other dispensing device with cool water for five minutes. This may not be easy, because cats tend to hate water on their paws. I recommend having someone help you with this and wrapping Zorro in a towel to make sure the wound gets flushed well. Below is a link to a demonstration of an eye flush that shows how to restrain her well. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDGzdUTUdNI Infection is the biggest concern with burns; so after flushing, it's best to apply an antibacterial cream to the wound. Silver sulfadizine is the best for burns and you may be able to get this at the pharmacy. In order to keep the wound clean, it's best to flush the wound 1-2 times a day and gently wipe away any big crusts - make sure not to scrub the wound, because this can make it worse. Apply the antibacterial cream after each flushing. After that, it's best to bandage the paw, or he may lick the cream, which can be bad for him. Bandaging will also help the wound heal faster. There are some helpful videos on YouTube to help you do this well. You can help keep the bandage on by placing a good (really sticky) tape above and below the bandage. I hope that helps and Zorro gets better soon.