If you have a pet cat you will have surely encountered a situation where you have had to cure an injury on your feline friend. Whether your cat housebound or one which roams freely and gets up to mischief, at some point it is likely to hurt itself.
In the case of minor wounds you will be able to cure your pet at home by following a few tips and having access to a first aid kit. In OneHowTo we show you how to treat cat wounds.
- Serum
- lean gauzes
- Diluted iodine
- Scaring cream
- Elizabethan collar
A cat's wound may be the result of fighting, scratches from its street escapades, from playing, etc. Whatever the reason, the first thing we must assess is whether your cat has a superficial wound or whether it is severe.
If you believe it to be serious, deep and bloody, you must visit a veterinary clinic immediately, there is no need to run the unnecessary risk of infection. An injury which has not been tended to properly can lead to a bacterial infection and complications in the cat's health. Following the first 12 or 24 hours after the injury, the first symptoms of an infection will become apparent.
If on the other hand, your cat's injury is small and shallow, you can treat cat wounds at home. For this we must first clean the injury. For proper hygiene, we must remove attached soil in that area and ensure that there are no impurities.
A good way to clean the area in depth is to cut or shave the hair in that area giving space to attend the wound more precisely. The cleaning must be done with serum that will remove all dirt deposit and a clean gauze with which to remove dry skin or tougher dirt remains.
We must now disinfect the wound with diluted iodine and a soaked gauze. Any iodine solution is good but this must always be mixed with water. More or less, the proportions needed are to fill a large container with water and then add a big splash of iodine, the resulting liquid should be a somewhat yellowish. We must do this because human pH is different from that of cats.
The process of cleaning and disinfection must take place every day for least one week or more, according to advice from the veterinarian. A way of speeding up the cure of your cat's injury is to use creams to accelerate healing.
The best way to implement this lotion is using gloves and apply it softly with your fingers. This can be done after disinfecting the wound. After this, leave to air out so it becomes dry.
Finally, you must ensure that the cat cannot reach the wound. That can be solved using an Elizabethan collar or cone. If your feline friend reaches the wound and licks it it will delay the process of healing as its tongue will scrape the new skin. If you put a collar on it you will avoid it reaching the wound and it will recover without problems.
If you notice that the wound is infected, and that your cat is feverish, weak and has no appetite, you should bring it to the vet, as it may require antibiotics.
Next, on OneHowTo.com, find out how to treat a stressed cat and how to treat a poisoned cat.
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