7 month old kitten - puncture wound not healing

[Bitethehandthatfeedsyou]

My lovely cat was attacked by another cat a couple of weeks ago, was really under the weather and yelping when touched so I took him straight to the vet and he was prescribed an anti inflammatory and told to keep wound clean and should clear up. Initially the wound was looking better but then after a few days it was oozing clear liquid he was still under the weather so we took him back and vet said it was infected and gave him antibiotics, more anti inflammatory and more stuff to keep it clean and he is wearing a cone. We've been doing all of this religiously but the wound started to ooze again yesterday and still looking sore.

He's eating and using the cat loo okay and keeps hanging around the cat flap desperate to go out (he's not able to at the moment) so seems okay in himself but I am starting to get really worried about why it doesn't seem to be healing okay. The wound looks like a hole.

I have another appointment on Saturday but I might see if they can see him tomorrow instead. Has anyone else had anything like this?

Thank you

Using cooled, boiled water, make a salt water (saline) solution and sluice out the wound several times a day. If you have any old Calpol syringes, those are good for this task.

Salt water cleans it out and helps clear up infection before you get to the antibiotic stage for yet another time. Keeping it scrupulously clean makes a big difference.

Thank you - I am cleaning twice a day with the solution they gave us and once with salt water. I hadn't thought about sluicing out the wound myself. The vet did that the second time we took him.

That’s how to clean it - get the salt water into to wound cavity by shooting water at it from a medicine syringe.

If there’s any puss oozing out, a cotton bud dipping in saline to gently wipe it away helps too.

I had a ridiculously macho tiny cat who wouldn’t back away from a fight with the big bruisers in the neighbourhood, so I spent a LOT of days doing this. I felt like I saw the vet more often than DP at one point.

I hope the poor wee thing feels better soon.

Thanks so much - poor thing is so bored and just wants to get outside again.

Cat bite wounds can be particularly nasty due to the germs they carry and the depth of a wound, abcesses aren't uncommon. Possible he still needs more antibiotics and I'd be tempted to take him back sooner. Does the wound smell and is it still clear ooze?

Make sure sterilise the syringe in boiling water before use each time

I've had plenty of experiences with bite wounds in cats and they'd normally be pretty healed by now. It might be a stubborn infection (cat teeth are teeming with bacteria) or maybe something trapped in the wound that's stopping it healing. I'd try to see the vet sooner if you can, abcesses can be really miserable for the cat.

Thanks all so much for replying.

It was looking better this morning and now it's weeping again - I've sent photos to the vet to see if we need to bring the appointment forward. It's clear and doesn't smell but it's still not good. He's been really good about having his antibiotics and we've been cleaning his wound. I've never known a cat injury to go on like this.

On the plus side he is eating, using his litter tray and running around like a maniac (very usual for him ;). Mostly he looks fed up of being inside for last couple of weeks, he was just finding his freedom and making friends with next door's cats (these aren't the one that attacked him). And now he's back inside again. To make matters worse our other cat spent the day outside sunbathing in the garden while he looked on from the window ;)

I feel for you - I have two especially fighty cats - one ended up needing surgery on his leg after a bite

my other boy you can tell by the smell when he’s got a bite - I clean it like you do and keep an eye - vets if it’s not improving

my disclaimer - totally unscientific and not for cats secret weapon is Sudacrem

@ghostyslovesheets - interesting - what does the sudocrem do? Does it go on the wound?

I clean with salt water, dry then cover with sudecrem but I am not a vet and in no way qualified to suggest it’s a cure but it works for my rat bag

So I wanted to ask any other cat folk if they’d ever had this…

as per above my cat was still poorly so I took him back in and he’s ended up having surgery, several stitches, more antibiotics and anti inflammatory. I need to take him back for a follow up appointment tomorrow. The vet said this was remove dead tissue.

Now my vets are normally great but I can’t help but think if I had been given antibiotics in the first place then it wouldn’t have got this bad. I’ve had several cats and fights are annoying reality of having an outside cat but they’ve all just had a course of antibiotics and been fine.

I am obviously really glad he’s on the mend but poor thing is really bored again and sore from stitches.

Have you had him tested for FIV? This can be passed on by biting in cats and results in an initial infection that makes them under the weather.

Not to scare you but it’s a lifelong condition, they generally recover from the initial infection and then should be kept indoors to protect their weaker immune systems with vigilance about going to the vet if they seem unwell.

Both my boys have it (ended up in rescue both having been found with infected bites) and they have a happy, normal life but I’m glad we know about it so I can keep an eye on them!

@user1471548941 the vet has sent off a swab to see if there was anything else we need to know about. Poor thing, he loves it outside and would be such a shame if he couldn’t go out anymore. That said I’m really nervous to let him out again whilst the cat that attacked him is out, he’s an un-neutered Tom (the other cat not mine) and terrorises the other cats around here.

Sounds like your vet is on the ball! I HATE people that don’t neuter their cats, it causes so much fighting and it’s totally unnecessary!

If it’s any consolation, one of mine was clearly a massive adventurer before being rescued and confined to the indoor life and he has adjusted, he will occasionally sit at the door and cry but it’s become much much less frequent and generally as long as he gets enough play from either us or his adopted brother, he’s pretty chilled. Said brother wouldn’t stick so much as a whisker outdoors ever again, even if I left all the doors and windows open- he’s all about the indoor life! And I am less stressed, knowing they are safe and within my care all the time!

Fingers crossed for your boy!

Thank you :)

I've just had to chase the un-neutered cat out of our garden as he attacking our next door neighbours gentle cat.

We're all quietly conspiring to kidnap the bully cat and get him neutered (only half joking ;)

@Bitethehandthatfeedsyou came across this and wanted to ask - what was the outcome? We had a similar situation minus the oozing. Our cat had an abscess surgically drained as the initial antibiotics didn’t work so he had it drained and had an injection of antibiotics and a full day under vet care. They left the wound open so it could heal and gave him a cone.

unfortunately because this is all on the front leg he managed to rub the wound with the cone and it reopened after about 5/6 days since the surgery, and ever since then it’s been a cycle of it almost healing, vet telling us we can remove cone, removing cone and then him grooming and licking and the wound reopening again. He’s now on day 20 of this nightmare with a cone on almost all day (unless we are able to fully supervise him) and trapped inside :(

Really don’t know what to do. He is a very macho cat and going to the vet is a huge ordeal for him. My husband is livid with them as he thinks they gave us poor advice and is looking for another vet as it not the first time we have had issues.

Let me know if any of the methods helped with speeding up healing and I hope your kitty managed to recover well!

Please don’t use Sudacrem as it’s toxic to cats.