My cat fought a dog. How to care for her injuries before the vet?

Ouch, poor Luna. I'd gently wash it with warm water and antiseptic soap. Keep the wound clean and dry, and monitor it for signs of infection. If you see redness, swelling, warmth to the touch, or pus, then it is infected and she will need to see the vet for antibiotics to treat it. Best of luck.

Hello, and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Until your nearest veterinarian opens, I recommend keeping Psycho as relaxed and quiet as possible. He's likely had a traumatic several weeks! Put him in a dark quiet room with his food, water, and litterbox, and minimize his stress. However, he should be seen by the vet as soon as possible - I'm concerned he may be fighting an abscess (infection) and may require antibiotics to get better. Hope this helps!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Cats are miraculous healers. The leg could just be sore. I would worry about an abscess forming from the bite. Abscesses required opening them up and antibiotics. The only thing you can do is clean the wounds twice daily with warm water and a mild soap and warm compress the wounds after each cleaning for the next 3-5 days. I wish you the best!

If you can't treat her at home because she won't let you then you will need to get her to a vet for treatment. They may have to sedate her to provide treatment. If you want to try at home, you can soak the foot in warm Epsom salt water for 5 minutes 3 times a day (if she will let you). This should draw out the infection. The other option is to use this wound spray. She won't like the spray noise, so you can douse a cotton ball with the solution and then wipe it on the wound. ( https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/vetericyn-cat-wound-and-skin-hydrogel ) If she is licking the foot you will need to get her a cone to wear. No matter what you put on this to treat it, if she continues to lick, it won't heal. Remember, the cone must be long enough to go past the end of her nose or she will still be able to lick the foot. You can buy these at your local Petco or other large pet shop. Also, keep her indoors until healed. Hope this helps.

Luna may be twitching because she is in pain. Unfortunately there are no OTC pain relievers you can give her. Many human ones are toxic to dogs and can be fatal if given. I would take her into the vet first thing in the morning to get checked out. I hope this helps!

First make sure your cat is not acting abnormal or is breathing hard. If she seems to be her normal self, but a bit agitated, then she is OK to do some first aid. If not, then she should go to the vet as soon as possible. The best thing to do is flush the wounds with clean water for five minutes. You want to apply good force to the water, so it gets to the bottom of the holes. If the holes are over the rib cage, then do not do this. For now, do not apply any antiseptics or soaps, because this can actually do more damage than good. After doing this, you should schedule an appointment with your veterinarian. The wounds should be explored to ensure the wounds did not go too deep and to ensure a bad infection does not develop. The sooner she sees a vet, then less likely she is to develop a major complication. I hope that helps and Raven gets better soon.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It is difficult to know the most appropriate course of action without knowing the extent of his injuries. However, the best thing you can do is to keep him as quiet as possible for now until you can have him evaluated by a veterinarian. He likely has trauma in multiple places which is why he is so responsive to the touch. Often times after fights they have injuries beyond what you can see from the outside. They would be able to check the extent of the injuries and recommend the best course of action but for now, I recommend that you rest him as much as possible and keep an eye on him to make sure he is ok. Good luck and have a great day!