Injured cat!

Contributor: K101 K101
Having sort of an emergency right now! I was home with my parents and happened to find my mom's small cat wrapped in a towel in the middle of the floor. I unwrapped her and saw that her foot is injured (back foot). I don't know what happened and since it's nearly 3AM, I've no clue how to help her! I assume my dad found her because he had been outside and when I pulled up, walked inside, I found the kitty! I guess he found her hurt and wrapped her up? The point is, she has an injured foot! It's small and there's hardly no blood except right on the hole. It looks like something went right through the top of her little foot! A few minutes ago, as I was checking her out, I heard a big cat outside nearly screaming! My parents told me he was hanging around their house for a while and meows so loud it sounds like screams. I'm thinking he may have attacked her kitty. It looks a lot like a bite, I guess. There's only one hole though. I know it wasn't anything like a panther or raccoon because the poor baby would've been a lot worse off had it been something like that. No other body part seems injured.

While I walked into a different room to log online hoping to find info on how to help, she managed to hobble in here and find me. So I know she can walk a little bit. She's been breathing very hard though and when she stands up she growls because it hurts. She also tried jumping on a couch and couldn't because the pain. So any suggestions? What could I do? Any kind of advice would be much appreciated. I really don't want to go playing Dr. Kendra because I've no idea how to treat a cat's injured foot. I don't want to touch her and make anything worse. I also don't know exactly what caused the injury and I'd prefer being able to do *something* for her sometime soon as there will be no vet to take her today! Is there anything you can give kitties for pain?
04/01/2012
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Contributor: Kindred Kindred
Quote:
Originally posted by K101
Having sort of an emergency right now! I was home with my parents and happened to find my mom's small cat wrapped in a towel in the middle of the floor. I unwrapped her and saw that her foot is injured (back foot). I don't know what happened ... more
If there are no other visible wounds, I would try your best to wash out the one puncture. You can just use some antibacterial soap and water to wash it out. If it's not bleeding, I would leave it open to air. You can apply something like Neosporin or Bacitracin (antibiotic ointment) to the wound. If it at all looks like there's a broken bone, it's best to probably not manipulate it and keep her confined so se doesn't move. If there are no vets open today, keep an eye on her and make sure she's acting reasonably normal and eating/drinking. Not all of her injuries may be obvious. It may be a cat bite, but for example dog bites are crushing injuries and don't necessarily cause any visible puncture wounds. Especially make sure she doesn't have difficulty breathing. Keep her confined and quiet as much as possible. DO NOT give her anything for pain. Aspirin, Tylenol, ibuprofen are all toxic for cats.

Edit: I forgot to mention that since it is potentially a bite wound, rabies is a concern. Discuss it with your vet but your cat may need to be temporarily quarantined.
04/01/2012
Contributor: js250 js250
I am so glad Kindred got here first!! Spot on advice and wayyy more comprehensive than I would have added.

Good luck, sometimes a vet will come in after hours if you call them. Mine is amazing about that!!!! I live in a very small town, but my vet will come in after hours and on weekends/holidays for emergencies. This has saved so many animals. I am a sucker and also end up taking care of our neighbor's animals when they are hurt as well. Or adopting the drop off strays, or.....
04/01/2012
Contributor: Airen Wolf Airen Wolf
Quote:
Originally posted by Kindred
If there are no other visible wounds, I would try your best to wash out the one puncture. You can just use some antibacterial soap and water to wash it out. If it's not bleeding, I would leave it open to air. You can apply something like ... more
Also try cleaning the wound by cutting back the hair around it so that the skin is exposed. Cats have a double epidermis layer on their body but on the feet the skin is fragile and thin so tearing is a concern. Also the wound can be much more serious than it looks on a cat because they are engineered to not show the extent of their injuries. If you clear away the hair slightly she may be able to clean the wound herself adequately. Cat saliva has anitbiotic properties and they can heal from some pretty horrible wounds just with time.
Moniter if she is using the limb and whether her habits change significantly: does she drag the limb, claw at it, shake it, or if the wound is oozing clear or whitish fluid as these are signs of infection, nerve damage, as well as broken bones. A broken toe bone won't be much of an issue and a broken "wrist" bone should heal on it's own though she may have a limp. It's best if you hear "clicking" or feel popping when you gentle manipulate the bone to get her to a vet.
As Kindred said her wounds may be extensive especially after a cat attack so watch her for listless behavior and not wanting to groom. Excessive purring or a moaning sound when breathing can suggest other injuries.
If she is mobile and her eyes are clear and alert (the nictitating membrane will close half over the eyes if she is in terrible pain or very sick) let her care for the injury but be prepared to wash it with a cotton ball and some warm water as it heals.
Cats have their own pharmacopia of pain meds none of which are used by humans (for the most part) and the doses are VERY different so no pain management unless the doc prescribes it.
Gnerally cats can take care of themselves fairly easily, I've had cats with throats torn out that required only a tube sock top to protect the injury site...feet punctured, claws ripped out, teeth ripped out, torn ears, broken tails and all manner of horrible looking injuries so I wouldn't worry too much (I know it's hard not to) and generally anitboitic ointments aren't suggested where a cat can ingest them...it's not a horrible consideration but it can make them vomit. For injuries up near the back of the shoulders or neck where cat's have a hard time cleaning the wound anitbiotic ointment is a good thing.
Good luck and let us know how it goes!
Certainly if your vet knows your area to be under a rabies concern find out whether this might be an issue...especially if you live in an area with raccoons, skunks or other natural carriers of the virus!
04/01/2012
Contributor: bayosgirl bayosgirl
Take her to the vet ASAP!!! It could be serious!
04/01/2012
Contributor: K101 K101
Quote:
Originally posted by Kindred
If there are no other visible wounds, I would try your best to wash out the one puncture. You can just use some antibacterial soap and water to wash it out. If it's not bleeding, I would leave it open to air. You can apply something like ... more
Oh thank you so much for your help Kindred! I appreciate you taking the time to help and message me Thankfully, she just got vaccinated a while ago.


And I posted this question last night about the kitty and I stayed up all night and morning checking on her and fell asleep around noon. Woke up 2 hours later and kitty was GONE! We searched the house high and low and finally went outdoors thinking it was the only other place left. We all spent the entire evening out in the woods with no luck. I came back at 10pm tonight and apparently Puffin had holed up in my old bedroom! I have no clue where she had been hiding because we searched everywhere, but she came out and found another dark, quiet room to rest in. There's no swelling, she seems OK except for her foot and of course that makes her not feel like moving around. We have no luck of seeing a vet anytime soon so I'm having to wing it.

Js250: I am the same way! Lol. ALL of our pets were taken in due to idiots dumping them on our road or a couple that were in abusive homes. I can't let the poor animals stay out on the street so we usually take them in if we can.

Thanks for all the help ya'll. Like I said, she growls and just ends up hurting herself if I try to go near the foot. She does not want it touched and I'm not going to hurt her. I will try later. She likes me to pet and love her, but she won't have touching that foot. When I try, she growls and shifts and then yells in pain from trying to move. I will just wait. She seemed to feel a little better and when she wakes up she may let me clean it or something and work on keeping it from getting infected. I really want to find some kind of medicine for cats that will help the pain.
04/02/2012
Contributor: K101 K101
Quote:
Originally posted by Airen Wolf
Also try cleaning the wound by cutting back the hair around it so that the skin is exposed. Cats have a double epidermis layer on their body but on the feet the skin is fragile and thin so tearing is a concern. Also the wound can be much more serious ... more
Thank you for so much help! She really didn't have hardly any blood and it's kind of a puncture like wound so she is able to lick it. I knew dogs had the healing tongue, but I didn't know cats did too! How cool. There's been no dishcarge from the wound and she actually tries walking on it. I noticed she laid on her side with that foot under her with no problem, but when she shifts on it or puts pressure on it, she growls. She hasn't hobbled or anything, but she seems to be walking with more of her weight on the other feet. She's really only got up once today though so maybe it's having time to heal? No, she doesn't drag it. It mostly just looked like she was walking very slow. Her foot touches the ground when she walks. I will certainly keep an eye out for all of those things you told me. The little puncture is on top of her back foot, further back from where her pads are, I guess right before her heel. It doesn't look like it went all the way through, but it's hard to tell. She doesn't purr, but when I first found her, her breathing was rapid and she made light sounds when breathing. That went away after minutes. No moaning, only growling when she shifts on the foot.

She does seem alert, but in pain too. She's responsive to me and will even nudge me to pet her head. I haven't checked on her in a while since she's been resting in the dark, quiet room. I figured that meant she wanted to be left alone. I will go check her and clean the foot somehow today though.

And Oh my, your poor kitties! Those sound like horrible injuries. We haven't dealt with too many extreme injuries. We had a kitten that was bit in her throat by a dog and died and one was hit by a car and died, but other than that, nothing big. My grandmother is a kitty fanatic (must be where I get it from!) and she knows all about taking care of cats. She could be a vet! But I wasn't able to get to her today.

Oh, yes she was just vaccinated for rabies and all only a while ago. Looking at the wound, it's not terrible, but the way she acted was freaking me out. I do live in an area with raccoons! We have a family of them that come on the porch at night, but I'm positive that wasn't it. Plus I'm pretty sure it would've killed her or she'd have had some other injury besides the one. She's perfect everywhere else but the foot.

Thank you all for the help and concern! I will update when I check on her again. I sure hope she's recovering. I think so anyway.

Oh yea, she does not want to eat or drink! I'm really hoping she gets up and decides to eat tonight or that will be my next worry. I think she will. She was interested when I brought her water and food, but she sniffed it and changed her mind. She doesn't eat much anyway, but I expect her to wolf down when I bring her some soft cat food. She hasn't ate all day!
04/02/2012
Contributor: js250 js250
A small can of canned milk, one raw egg and a teaspoon of Karo syrup. My vet told me to give this to nursing kittens and also to a cat that was in a fight and did not want to eat. A bit of hamburger and rice mixed together with a touch of gravy....heaven to a hurt cat.

Good luck, hun....we love our critters!!
04/02/2012
Contributor: Kindred Kindred
Quote:
Originally posted by js250
A small can of canned milk, one raw egg and a teaspoon of Karo syrup. My vet told me to give this to nursing kittens and also to a cat that was in a fight and did not want to eat. A bit of hamburger and rice mixed together with a touch of ... more
Honestly, I would be afraid to give a kitten a raw egg unless you farmed it yourself. The risk of salmonella is just as real to animals and a kitten would be especially susceptible. There are milk replacer formulas on the market that would be easier and healthier.
04/02/2012
Contributor: voenne voenne
Awww, poor baby! I don't know what to say - my cat had an accident and I was so lucky to have taken her to an emergency vet office right away. All I can say is try to help keep her from moving around too much. I think intuitively, cats will do what they can to hang in there as best they can, so just stay by her side and watch her! They have strong spirits and will push themselves through the pain. I hope it all turns out okay, I'm a huge cat lover and this makes me sad.
04/02/2012
Contributor: K101 K101
Thanks ya'll! You are all fabulous! Guess what?......

PUFFIN IS GREAT! WHOO-HOOO! She stayed in the room resting all lastnight and all day, then our 12 year old went to check on her and she was gone. We got to looking and found her on the porch staring out at the yard (her favorite place) and she was just sitting there enjoying herself! She's almost fully recovered now! She let us pick her up and is just begging for loving. I guess she was deprived the past couple days. She has been walking around OK, but she's still staying off her feet. We noticed she had a raw-looking spot between her toe and that tiny puncture wound I talked about is gone! However, we noticed a tiny little knot on her other foot and it seems somewhat sore, but she walks on it fine. She lays with the foot that has the knot up so it doesn't hurt. She still is somewhat sore, but is so much better! She came and climbed onto my bed several hours ago and hasn't moved since. I brought her a selection of food (a kitty buffet!) and she was happy to eat her regular cat food. She wolfed it down right out of my hand. Unfortunately the weiner dog stole her little pile of food on the bed so we had to bring her more. I made her a sick bed at the end of my bed since that's where she keeps wanting to sleep.

Thank you guys again. It meant so much to me to have ya'lls help and concerns! Puffin is very grateful to ya'll too!

Here's a pic of her from just a couple hours ago. She's still lounging in the same spot right now. She's happy, not in pain and doing a great job at recovering! PS. You can even see her dinner leftovers right in front of her.
04/03/2012