My cat's bitten ear smells infected. What home treatments are safe?

Owie, it looks like your kitty has a cat bite abscess in her ear. Almost all cat bites are infected, so this is not unusual. The location is rather unusual. Maggots are gross, however in this case I think they helped clean the wound. Maggots are often used in human medicine to clean out infected wounds, so this is a tried and tested method, albeit, in your kitty's case not originally intended. This is all you can do for tonight. You did na nice job cleaning the wound and I see it is quite swollen, so now the swelling needs to go down. That might take a few days. Your vet will likely prescribe an antibiotic to keep the wound from festering again. If you have an e-collar at home, you could put that on your kitty to keep her from scratching the wound, however I suspect she will leave the wound alone anyway.

This is a severe infection and should be treated as soon as possible. Some amoxicillin and clavulanic acid both locally and systemically could help and should be the first choice. If this antibiotic won't help a bacterial swab should be taken to identify the type of infection more specifically. Always handle this wound with gloves as well. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

Hello. If you have or can purchase a skin antiseptic, one with either 2% chlorhexidine or 1% povidine iodine, then you can gently clean this 2 times daily. Antibiotics would hasten healing, & if the wound is not looking better by early next week, I would consider a veterinary visit. But by keeping this clean, it will heal, & yes, this has the look of a typical cat bite abscess, so he did get into an argument with another cat. Thanks for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

This is probably self inflicted and due to generalized itch or inflammation infection of the ear canal. A check up would be immediately required to determine specifically underlying cause and treat appropriately. Disinfection may be started at home with very diluted hibiscrub or betadine or salted water baths. Buster collar may be useful as well to avoid any scratching. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

Hello. There may be a pocket of infection that just did not clear with the amoxicillin. You either need to change to another antibiotic ( like amoxicillin/clauvalanic acid known as Clavamox here ) or you need to go longer on the Amoxicillin. Speak to your veterinarian as to the best thing to do for Kaaryaa. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Agree that Mochi may greatly benefit from antibiotics. Infections related to fighting are common and these can become more severe the longer they are present (though the body will try to heal itself). have Mochi wear an elizabethan collar at all times to protect the wound. Keep the wound clean and dry. Keep Mochi inside. Here is a link about abscesses: https://www.petcoach.co/article/abscesses-a-common-skin-condition-in-cats/ You may look into financing through Care Credit or Scratch Pay. You may call the local humane society to ask if they offer/know of any low cost solutions. Moving forward, keep Mochi indoors and I recommend to have her spayed as there are many health and behavioral benefits to the procedure. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

The best things that you can do include cleaning the wound with an antiseptic soap (such as chlorhexidine or betadine) and keeping an e-collar (cone) on your cat to prevent any skin damage from scratching. If you do not have an e-collar at home, this link provides some tips to make one at home: http://dogsaholic.com/care/homemade-dog-cone.html. Your vet will be able to evaluate the extent of the wound and start antibiotics. I hope that all goes well!