Content

• Steps
• Warning

Cats sometimes have small wounds. They may be scratched or bitten during a fight or scratched when exploring the neighborhood. If your cat comes home with a puncture, cut, scratch, or more serious wound, you should wash the wound promptly to reduce the risk of infection or an abscess.

Steps

Part 1 of 4: Choosing a cleaning solution

1. 

   Buy a sterile salt solution. A sterile saline solution (as often seen in first aid kits) is an ideal choice for cleaning contaminated wounds. Washing will remove bacteria and dirt, and a saline solution with a pH equivalent to that of body tissue will help limit tissue damage.
   • You will need to use a large amount of the saline solution and keep rinsing until the wound looks clean.

2. 

   
   
   Boil water and let it cool before washing the wound. For a dirty, gritty wound, you can use cool boiled water instead of a salt solution to clean it.
   • There is a slight risk of damaging the tissues when you use water instead of a saline solution: Water does not have the same composition as body fluids, so the fluid in damaged tissues will be drained from contact. country. However, medical studies have shown that using tap water to wash the wound doesn't have a big impact on the risk of infection.

3. 

   
   
   Make salt water. Saline has natural antiseptic properties and is a great backup solution for cleaning cat wounds. To make the brine, boil a kettle of water, measure 1 cup of water, and add half a teaspoon of salt. Stir in salt and let cool.
   • The brine you just made is almost like tears and body fluids, so it's also less damaging to tissues than commercially saline or unsalted water.

Part 2 of 4: Choosing an antiseptic solution

1. 

   
   
   Buy a safe antiseptic solution for pets. There are many disinfectants available on the market for washing the wound for pets, the most common being povidone-iodine and chlorhexidine. Consult with your veterinarian if you want to buy one of these products in case your cat gets scratched.
   • Don't forget that not all disinfectants are safe for cats. Products containing phenol are toxic to feline animals. Be sure to read the label carefully to see if the product contains phenol to avoid use. Another indication that a product contains phenol is that the solution becomes cloudy when water is added. If in doubt, avoid the product and look for another.
   • With povidone-Iodine solution: dilute 1 ml of povidone-iodine with 100 ml of water. Use the reconstituted solution to wash off impurities on the wound.
   • With chlorhexidine solution: mix 2.5 ml of chlorhexidine with 100 ml of water to have a concentration suitable for wound cleaning. Chlorhexidine is the active ingredient in many surgical antiseptics, such as Hibiscrub. This is a solution of pink soap that must be diluted with water. Chlorhexidine is highly antibacterial and has a maintenance effect, ie it still has a bactericidal effect even after drying.

2. 

   Dilute hydrogen peroxide. Hydrogen peroxide is another popular wound cleaner. However, this solution can be very harmful to tissues if left undiluted. The effervescence when hydrogen peroxide comes into contact with the wound indicates bacteria is being destroyed, but unfortunately it also damages tissues that must be healthy to help the wound heal.
   • The correct method is to use 1 part 3% hydrogen peroxide mixed with 3 parts water (eg 25 ml hydrogen peroxide with 75 ml water) to have a disinfectant solution suitable for washing wounds.

3. 

   Choose the safest product available. The use of disinfectant solution is up to your preferences and what you have available. You should always follow the dilution instructions on the product, as too concentrated solution can damage the tissue. Note that many household disinfectant products and some disinfectant sprays containing benzalkonium chloride are not formulated for use on living tissues.
   • If you are not sure if a certain antiseptic is suitable for your cat, replace it with a saline solution or salt water, which is always a safe option.

Part 3 of 4: Disinfect wounds

1. 

   Ask someone else to help you keep the cat. Your cat may be in pain or shock after being injured and may scratch and bite when you touch it. This is true even for the normally gentle cats. As such, try to ask a friend or neighbor to help you hold the cat so that you can focus on washing the wound.
   • Try wrapping the cat in a loose towel and leaving only the wound open. This is a great way to calm your cat and reduce the chance that your cat will be bitten by scratching.

2. 

   Wash the wound with a syringe. Pour the selected wound cleaning solution into a bowl. Use a syringe to suck the solution and spray it on the wound to wash and clean the wound. Spray the wound several times until you feel it is clean.
   • New wounds must be washed and disinfected to reduce the risk of infection.
   • Scratches from a car crash or falling from a tree can be contaminated with dirt and bacteria. Washing the wound thoroughly to remove dirt will help reduce the risk of complications, such as an infection or a wound that is difficult to heal.

3. 

   Use a cotton ball soaked in the solution to clean the wound if you don't have a syringe. If you don't have a syringe, you can soak a cotton ball in the solution and squeeze a cotton ball to let the solution run into the wound. If the wound is too dirty and this won't remove dirt, you can dab a cotton ball on the wound to clean it.
   • After each dab on the wound, you need to get a new cotton ball to avoid re-contamination. Continue washing the wound until you feel the cotton is no longer dirty, and then pour the solution on the wound.
   • If your cat has an abscess, the wound may be leaking a lot of pus. Use cotton, gauze, or absorbent paper to remove any pus. Press gently around the wound with the abscess, press inward and toward the tooth mark where pus is draining. It is important to remove as much pus as possible, as this is a permanent source of infection.

4. 

   Use an antiseptic. You can use an antiseptic after you've washed off the dirt. Follow the instructions on the package for correct use.
   • The goal here is to wash the infected area until you see healthy and unpolluted tissue before applying an antiseptic.

5. 

   Determine if the wound is needed. Most wounds should be exposed to air, so do not try to cover up minor, minor wounds. However, if the cat keeps trying to lick or bite the wound, you may need to cover it. In these cases, the wound may take longer to heal.
   • Some people think that cats licking the wound are fine, but the rough tongue can actually damage tissues rather than heal.

Part 4 of 4: Wound detection

1. 

   Watch your cat for signs of injury. It is important for cat owners to understand their normal behavior. This will help you figure out if something is wrong. Observe changes in your cat's behavior, which include (but are not limited to) changes in eating habits, movement, and communication.
   • The above changes can be a sign of many diseases, including trauma.
   • If your cat's temperament or behavior changes suddenly for no apparent reason, take the cat to the vet. These changes can be symptoms of a health problem.

2. 

   Look for the wound if you see or hear a cat fight. If you hear cat fights, or your cat is limping home, check the cat for signs of injury. One sign of a fight is sticky hairs. Look for hairs that look messy or have an unusual angle. Gently examine the cat by separating the fur and observing the skin underneath.
   • In addition, you can find areas where the cat has been stripped of hair by an opponent during a fight. These places may have wounds. You may also see blood stains or swelling. A cat with white hair or light fur is the easiest to find. For a black cat, gently stroke the cat's body and observe how it responds when it hurts or feels pain, swelling or scabs.

3. 

   Regularly check your cat for wounds. You may not always see cats fight or see signs of their fur. Therefore, you need to regularly check your cat for wounds. This is especially important if your cat goes out and fights frequently.
   • Petting your cat is a good time to do this. Keep the cat calm, gently pat the cat's body, and observe the cat's skin under the fur.
   • Old wounds may become infected with swelling, scabs, hair loss, blood or pus oozing from the wound.
   • Broken old abscesses often have a lot of pus that can lead to sticky hair.
   • In addition, the skin above the affected abscess will die and leave a large hole where you can see the exposed muscles or tissue.

Warning

• You can wash minor wounds at home and watch for signs of infection. Larger and heavier wounds that penetrate thick layers of skin or reveal underlying structures must be treated by a veterinarian. You also need to take your cat to the vet if there is a hole in the joint due to the risk of bacteria getting into the joint and a short course of antibiotics may be required to prevent septic arthritis.