My cat has a paw wound from a fight and won't let me treat it. What to do?

The first step in wound treatment is to get the hair out of the way. You will need to use clippers to clip a wide area around the wound - you can't use scissors or a razor, you have to use the buzzing type of clippers. The next step is disinfection. I recommend using a first aid chlorhexidine scrub to gently rub into the wound, and wash copiously with clean water. You only need to do this once. The third step is to prevent Gio from licking the wound. Licking spreads bacteria and decreases the rate of healing. You will have to buy an e-collar or cone for her to wear since cats are very flexible and a bandage will not be able to stay in place on this area of her body. You can apply Neosporin ointment twice a day, making sure she doesn't lick it off. If you follow these steps, small wounds will often heal on their own. If the wound has already been infected, or continues to swell, oozes a creamy discharge, or he has a rectal temperature above 103 (normal is 100-102.5), Gio will need prescription antibiotics to allow the wound to heal.

I suggest you try this wound spray and keep the foot covered with a sock. If it doesn't heal (which it should easily if it is just a wound) you will need to take her back to the vet. ( https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/vetericyn-cat-wound-and-skin-hydrogel ) ( https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/good2go-pink-gripper-dog-socks ) If she is licking it or won't keep the sock on then she should wear an E-collar (cone) until healed. 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!

Ouch, poor Pritzy! Thank you for providing pictures of this wound, as it helps with my answer to you. I don't see any pus, and it doesn't look particularly red, swollen, or deep. Based on that, this is something you can try to treat at home. I would gently clean the wound with warm water and antiseptic soap. To keep her from licking at it, you can put an Ecollar on her. You can get one at a pet store or make one at home. I will put a link below on how to make an Ecollar at home. 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. Good luck, I hope this helps :-) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ffR-LzyW1M

This photo looks like Ginger has an abscess, probably from a bite or scratch from another cat. The best option for treatment is to have the wound flushed out (sometimes sedation is needed for this) and putting Ginger on antibiotics for about 2 weeks. If you are unable to take her to the vet to have this done you can try cleaning the wound at home with some dilute iodine solution and warm water and then applying a topical antibiotic ointment. You would have to ensure that Ginger does not lick off the ointment and you would need to clean it at least once a day. If the abscess does not resolve with home therapy in 3 days then I would strongly recommend taking her in to the vet to be treated. If the infection does not resolve you run the risk of the infection moving into the blood stream which can be life threatening.

You can try making an Epsom salts soak (directions for dilution with warm water are on the package), which will help to cleanse the toes, and hopefully give Maki some protection against infection - but she might not tolerate it well. You can also purchase an e-collar, which will keep her from licking, as this often causes secondary infection. You can show this to your parents - if the skin is truly peeled back, it's likely that Maki is quite painful (imagine how that would feel) and needs veterinary care in order to protect the area, prevent infection, and treat the pain. You might tell them that dealing with this now, rather than later, may be less expensive, as foot injuries can easily get complicated in cats, since they use a litter box, and infection is common.

These look like bite wound abscesses that have blown out. More than likely Bella got in a fight with another cat. The wounds festered & abscessed out. You can clean them with a little peroxide, but she really needs to be on antibiotics. We do not always close these wounds with sutures, because they are usually pretty contaminated, but if severe enough, they may need to be. You can try placing an Elizabethean collar on her ( Cone of shame ) to keep her from licking the wounds. She is doing her best to help her wounds, but her sand paper tongue does not help with healing. You can find the collars at your nearest Petco. I hope she heals quickly, & thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.