Gizmo just came in with a pretty deep puncture wound in his ear. I'm assuming it's a bite -- there's a new cat living somewhere behind us and it's been making territorial moves toward our yard recently. We've chased it off every time we've seen it and moved all of Gizmo's food indoors, but apparently things have escalated beyond the point of that being effective.
It's a single puncture toward the juncture of ear and head and is bleeding freely. There's already some pus and swelling. I cleaned it with diluted hydrogen peroxide, applied a warm compress, and then some bacitracin after letting it bleed a bit more. Luckily, Gizmo will tolerate just about anything if there's squishy food in front of him.
Does anyone know if you can apply calendula washes or calendula lotion to cats? I'm trying to think of things I have around the house that would help keep the wound clean and prevent infection. Ear wounds close up so quickly and get infected so easily. I really want to stay on top of this to keep him as comfortable as possible. Other ideas are welcome, too.
Please don't turn this into a debate about keeping cats indoors. Most of my cats have been indoor cats. Gizmo, however, is a feral rescue with a very strong personality. We tried for YEARS. It's simply not going to happen. We're going to try to keep him inside for a few days, with supervised trips outside for potty breaks. He's already trying to go back outside. He may be 14 now, but he never got rid of his feral instincts. Our screens will never be the same. Wish me luck.
It's a single puncture toward the juncture of ear and head and is bleeding freely. There's already some pus and swelling. I cleaned it with diluted hydrogen peroxide, applied a warm compress, and then some bacitracin after letting it bleed a bit more. Luckily, Gizmo will tolerate just about anything if there's squishy food in front of him.
Does anyone know if you can apply calendula washes or calendula lotion to cats? I'm trying to think of things I have around the house that would help keep the wound clean and prevent infection. Ear wounds close up so quickly and get infected so easily. I really want to stay on top of this to keep him as comfortable as possible. Other ideas are welcome, too.
Please don't turn this into a debate about keeping cats indoors. Most of my cats have been indoor cats. Gizmo, however, is a feral rescue with a very strong personality. We tried for YEARS. It's simply not going to happen. We're going to try to keep him inside for a few days, with supervised trips outside for potty breaks. He's already trying to go back outside. He may be 14 now, but he never got rid of his feral instincts. Our screens will never be the same. Wish me luck.
I hope gizmo heals up fine.
