How To Treat An Open Wound On A Cat

Introduction

Cats are naturally inclined to get into trouble. If your cat gets out, it can often find itself in a fight with another animal or scratching itself on a piece of debris. If you come across an open wound, it’s important to treat it as soon as possible before the wound gets worse or becomes infected. This guide will explain what you should do when you see an open wound on your cat and how to best care for it until you can see your veterinarian.

Clean off the wound.

To clean an open wound, you need to use mild soap and water. Use a cotton ball to gently apply the soap and water mixture to the wound. Be careful not to use too much soap or water—you don’t want it running all down your cat’s fur!

Do not use hydrogen peroxide or rubbing alcohol on an open wound! These products can cause chemical burns if they get into the cat’s blood stream through its broken skin. They may also irritate your cat’s skin in general, which is never good for any animal with an open wound.

Wash around the wound with warm water to clean it out.

Wet the wound with warm water and use mild soap if needed. This can help remove any dirt, debris or germs that may be in or near the wound, as well as assist with getting it clean and ready for treatment.
Rinse out any soap residue using warm running water from your sink, but do not use alcohol or hydrogen peroxide on this open wound – either of these substances could increase pain and make things worse!
Do not soak wounds in water – this is one of the most common mistakes that cat owners make when trying to treat an open wound on their pet’s paw or leg! Most wounds don’t need more than a few seconds of gentle scrubbing before being rinsed out with lukewarm tap water (it’s also important not to let your cat drink from any bowls while they have an injury).

Dry the wound thoroughly and apply a light coat of antibiotic ointment.

Get a cotton swab and apply some antibiotic ointment to it.
Gently apply the ointment to the wound itself, not the surrounding skin.
Use a light coat of antibiotic ointment. Do not use so much that it’s dripping off or flaking off onto the floor when you remove the bandage.
If your cat has an allergy to one of those types of topical antibiotics, this might be too much for them anyway!

Wrap a bandage around the area to keep it dry and prevent your cat from licking the ointment off.

It’s important to keep your cat’s wound protected and dry. To do this, you can use a bandage.

The bandage should be a snug fit so that it doesn’t slide down too much or come off easily, but not tight enough to constrict your cat’s circulation or cause pain.

Keep an eye on your cat’s open wound.

You’ll want to keep an eye on your cat’s open wound for at least two weeks. If you see any signs of infection, or if the wound starts getting worse, you will need to take your cat to the vet. Otherwise, you can stop checking it once it has healed and been cleaned properly.

Your cat’s wound might not get better without antibiotics.

If your cat’s wound doesn’t seem to be healing or if it becomes infected, you may need to see a veterinarian for antibiotics.

Wounds that don’t heal properly can lead to serious problems later on. Even if the skin around the wound seems fine and healthy, deeper down there could be complications. If an infection develops from an open wound in your cat’s foot or leg, for example, it could spread through his body and eventually become fatal.

If you take your cat to a vet for treatment of an open wound on his foot or leg and he needs antibiotics for a few weeks before it heals completely, then this would also be considered part of treating his injury

Change your cat’s bandages regularly to keep them from getting wet or dirty.

In order to keep your cat’s wound clean, you will need to change their bandages regularly. It is important that you keep the wound dry, so be sure not to let any water or dirt get into it while bathing them or giving them a bath (if they like baths). If your cat has an open wound on their face or anywhere else that could be exposed to germs, it is important that you wash your hands before and after handling them in order to avoid spreading germs around.

You should also make sure that the bandage is clean before applying it again; otherwise, bacteria can build up underneath it and cause infection. You can use warm water and soap or alcohol wipes if necessary; just make sure not too soak through with either one since this might irritate the skin underneath

It is important to treat a wound as soon as you find it

It is important to treat a wound as soon as you find it. If you leave your cat’s wound untreated, the injury could get worse over time. It is possible that the open area will get infected, which can lead to additional pain and discomfort for your cat. Other complications include:

The wound getting bigger
The wound getting deeper
The animal starting to feel pain in an area that was previously numb due to injury or surgery (such as when a tooth is removed)

Conclusion

Those are the steps to treating an open wound. As you can see, it’s not overly complicated, but it does take a bit of patience and a willingness to stay on top of things until your cat recovers. If you’d rather leave this job for someone else, then make sure that you bring your cat in to see us right away so we can start working our magic.