What antiseptic is safe to clean my cat's leg wound from a fight?

Hi there and thank you for using pet coach! I typically recommend mixing Betadine and water until you get a light brown mixture and use that to clean wounds. If it is a superficial scrape then it will likely heal but if there is a flap of skin or the wound looks to be deep, it will need veterinary care most likely. For superficial cuts and scrapes I recommend zymox topical ointment or vetericyn spray gel. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you ha e any other questions or concerns.

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.

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I can see a small superficial wound above Toby’s eye. I recommend clipping the area with an electric clipper gently, if you have one available and Toby allows. Keep the area clean, and you can apply silver sulfadiazene (SSD) ointment once a day to promote healing. You can also get Toby an E-collar or “cone” to prevent him from scratching/rubbing the area and causing further trauma. I hope this helps and that all is well with Toby!

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!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Stormy! I would shave the fur away from the wound then clean it well with water and a mild soap (avoid hydrogen peroxide). Then apply triple antibiotic ointment twice daily. The most important thing is to have Stormy wear and E-collar to prevent licking and keep him indoors. He should see a Vet as soon as possible to at a minimum get antibiotics but to also see if surgery is required to close the wound. I would call your local SPCA to see if they offer a low cost Veterinary clinic. I hope this helps and I wish Stormy a speedy recovery!

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. You need to clean it twice a day with antiseptic solution. 4% chlorhexidine would work best, you should be able to buy it at pharmacies or online. Also, make sure that that your Kettey is not scratching that area and that the other cats are not licking the wound. It should go away after a few days, but if not, she will need to be put on a course of antibiotics.

Hi Linda. I'm sorry to hear that Bugger has squamous cell carcinoma. If you're cleaning the wound simply to remove any build up of discharge, then saline alone is sufficient. However, if you're looking more for antiseptic properties, cleansers like chlorhexidine (Hibiclens is a trade name) or betadine are more effective. Either of these should be rinsed well with water. With that said, if his SCC is near his eye, avoid other cleansers, as they could cause eye irritation. Generally speaking, I try to avoid medications containing neomycin in cats because many cats can react poorly. Additionally, the dexamethasone may help minimize some inflammation, but is likely to delay any healing. Ultimately, your best option is to establish a care protocol with Bugger's vet since I don't know the extent of this lesion nor its location. In the meantime, you can stick with saline cleaning if the lesion is near his eye, or switch to the antiseptic cleansers mentioned above if the lesion is elsewhere. I hope that everything goes well.