Why won't my stray cat's year-old wound heal despite treatment?

Poor Casper. I am concerned that He has a bad bacterial infection in that area. Since it has been 2 months, there is a good chance that he could have a resistant infection. I would talk to your vet to see if he could do a culture and sensitivity on the wound. This is to see what type of bacteria is in the wound and what type of antibiotics are needed to clear it up. It likely reopened after being sutured because either it is infected or there is some other cause. Since he is a stray cat, he could also have feline leukemia or feline aids slowing down his healing. I would also talk to your vet about testing him for these viruses. I hope this helps!

That is a pretty large wound! That being said though, it looks like it is healing fine. It does not appear swollen or to have discharge coming from it. The tissue looks healthy. Having it stitched when it first happened which would have allowed it to heal faster. I am not sure how long it's been but a wound that size would take weeks to heal without stitches. If I were you I would keep applying a topical antibiotic cream and just leave it be. Stop using the Betadine. If he is licking it you must stop that behavior by using an Elizabethan collar (cone). As long as he keeps licking it will not heal. If you want it to heal faster you need to take him to a vet to have it stitched. Hope this helps. Best wishes!

It's not going to hurt him to give Augmentin once a day, but it's just going to be slower to help. I would be concerned that this cat has some type of immunosuppressive disease, such as feline AIDs or feline leukemia, that's making it difficult for him to heal. If you can get any vet to help you there is an injectable antibiotic for animals called Convenia; one injection lasts for 2 weeks. Perhaps someone could order it for you; that might be your best bet.

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. That is wonderful of you to try to help care for this stray cat! Wounds can be challenging to manage, especially if a cat will not tolerate you trying to clean it. It is possible that the wound will heal over time on its own with scar tissue. However, there is also a chance that the skin is too damaged or will become so infected with bacteria that it will not heal. I recommend monitoring the area frequently and bringing the cat back to the veterinarian if the skin appears to be becoming black or nonviable, or you notice excessive abnormal discharge that is yellow/thick. I hope this is helpful - and best of luck!

From the picture I can only say this may be due to a trauma or localized spot of skin infection (likely to be caused by bacteria or fungal). A check up, appropriate disinfection and possibly antibiotics or antifungal meds (oral, topical or in a shampoo formulation) are needed to solve the problem. More investigations like sampling and bacterial swabs would be needed to determine the underlying cause more specifically. In my experience I have seen large wounds like this one from Poxvirus infection (but usually other wounds are present as well). I would suggest to handle this wound always with gloves (you are doing it anyway as I can see from the pic). Buster collar may be useful as well to avoid any licking. 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.

It sounds like he had an abscess from an injury, probably an altercation with another cat. A veterinarian would likely not suture it anyway to avoid trapping any contaminants and causing another abscess. It looks pretty clean with healthy granulation tissue forming. The antibiotics, even intermittent have probably helped keep further infection at bay. Keep an eye on it, if he will let you, clean it gently with a damp clean washcloth and keep any debris or infected material cleaned out. It should heal from the outside of the wound to the inside, gradually shrinking and closing over the open area. As long as he continues to eat and drink and behave normally, and and the wound continues to look clean with pink and healthy tissue, he should do fine. He needs to eat, going without eating for more than a few days will cause liver problems in cats which would require a vet visit to be treated.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I'm sorry to hear Rory has been having such skin issues. Nonresolving skin lesions can be due to a variety of causes, including severe trauma and necrosis of the skin, a resistant bacterial infection, or an immune disorder, among others. If it is non-resolving, it may need surgical removal in order for the rest of the skin to heal, and a culture for a resistant infection and a biopsy can be done in order to determine further what may be going on. Good luck!