Cat Has Puncture Wound On Shoulder

[EmersonandEvie]

Hi everyone. I am on mobile so sorry for any spelling errors.

I am staying at my mom's house. She has a cat...sort of...named Grey Kitty (Grey). He is pretty much exclusively an outside cat. She thinks he "family hops" and may partially belong to someone else. She found him neutered and well fed, very clean, and socialized.

Anyway. I am here tonight alone (of course) and Grey got into a fight with another cat. He has a pretty gnarly puncture/gash on his shoulder from the fight. He favors the leg and has a limp.

I have cleaned it as much as he will let me. I dont know if it was the right thing todo, but I poured hydrogen peroxide onto the wound. That was the only disinfectant I could think of that wouldnt hurt him if he groomed it. He has eaten and is currently curled up next to me. My mom will take him to the vet if it starts looking infected or doesnt look better by Tuesday. Is there anything else I can do for him in the meantime?

Thank you all!

 

[Furballsmom]

Bless you for quick thinking and action!
I don't know of anything else, other members may.

 

[neely]

Thank you for trying to help Grey Kitty. Do you know if he has been vaccinated? If not, I would be concerned since he got into a fight with another outdoor cat.
Here are two threads that discuss how to clean an open wound, I hope this helps:
How to clean open abscess?
Cats sore after fight

Best of luck, please keep us updated on Grey's progress.

 

[EmersonandEvie]

I dont know and neither does my mom. Since he was neutered I would assume he would be vaccinated for his kitten shots (rabies and the triple one I can't remember the name of) because wouldnt a vet refuse to see him if he wasn't? But I am unsure if he has been kept up to date. I know mom hasnt taken him but that doesn't mean his other family(s) haven't.

 

[neely]

I dont know and neither does my mom. Since he was neutered I would assume he would be vaccinated for his kitten shots

You know what they say when you assume? Maybe your mom or you could check with the other families, i.e. they may also assume someone else vaccinated Grey.

FYI, here is a helpful guide about cat vaccinations:
Cat Vaccinations: A Quick & Useful Guide

 

[EmersonandEvie]

She doesnt know that he has another family is the problem. He adopted them sometime in the summer and was here basically 24/7 as an outside and inside cat. In the last month or so he has been leaving for 2 to 3 days at a time so mom figured he had adopted another family. It's a strange situation...lol

 

[neely]

She doesnt know that he has another family is the problem. He adopted them sometime in the summer and was here basically 24/7 as an outside and inside cat. In the last month or so he has been leaving for 2 to 3 days at a time so mom figured he had adopted another family. It's a strange situation...lol

Then I would err on the side of caution and check with your vet. Once again, thank you and your mom for helping this lovable guy.

 

[EmersonandEvie]

Update on Grey! We got him to the vet. The vet gave us the option to 1. Leave the wound open to heal on its own or 2. Stitch him up. Stitched would have required an e collar, which he absolutely would not tolerate, and we ran the risk of him tearing the stitches out. So we opted to let the wound close on its own. Vet shaved the area and cleaned it with saline. He got a systemic antibiotic shot that lasts for 10 to 14 days and a rabies shot. Vet says if it isn't scabbed over in 10 days to bring him back in.

 

[Kflowers]

When one of ours got a large shallow wound, sort of size of a child's palm, we did the hydrogen peroxide and left it open. It healed well. If this happened now, we'd take the kit to the vet and opt for leaving it open. Sometimes when you stitch wounds the top heals first which isn't always good. Think of it as you did your skinned knees. At least, that's how I thought of it.

 

[EmersonandEvie]

When one of ours got a large shallow wound, sort of size of a child's palm, we did the hydrogen peroxide and left it open. It healed well. If this happened now, we'd take the kit to the vet and opt for leaving it open. Sometimes when you stitch wounds the top heals first which isn't always good. Think of it as you did your skinned knees. At least, that's how I thought of it.

I was very worried because this isnt s shallow wound. The other cat managed to make a good sized hole in the skin, but it thankfully didnt go down into the muscle. You can see tendon in the gash. poor Grey. The vet didn't seem too concerned though.

 

[Kflowers]

expletive. Of course, you know if Grey was mine, he would be mine, in his own room, yowling like mad for his other family to come. Yes, I'd put up flyers, but... Okay, he might be yowling to get out and finish the fight and you should see the other guy.

Still, if the vet didn't think he needed stitching inside, that's good. It means the tendon wasn't damaged and that's huge. That was one serious fight.

Extending hand to give your hand a little squeeze because, expletive.

 

[EmersonandEvie]

Update on Grey! It has been exactly a week since his fight and the wound is almost completely scabbed over. No noticeable redness or irritation. He jumps normally again. He's a hardly fellow.

 

[Furballsmom]

Aww, this is terrific news!! Thank you for the update!