small skin cut (worried!)

klopek007

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My cat has some clumped/matted fur. Tonight I was trimming some with scissors. I thought one particular clump was far enough from the skin, but she suddenly gave a painful meow as I got some skin. The wound is circular, about 1 inch (2 cm) in diameter. The fur layer is removed, and part of that area has a deeper layer exposed. At first, there was absolutely no bleeding. She licked it, and when I checked again, there was a small amount of blood.

I followed the advice I found on various websites. I cleaned it with a paper towel and warm soapy water, then rinsed the soap away with more warm water on a paper towel. Then I applied some triple-antibiotic ointment, which I guess I should do at regular intervals. The cleaning freaked her out and probably hurt a little, but she seemed fine once I let her go.

Have I done the right thing? Should I be taking her to a vet? I can't exactly go right now, it's 3am (I work nights and this is my weekend). Is it dangerous for her to lick the antibiotic ointment?

I feel horrible. She wouldn't have matted fur if I brushed her more often. I should probably just get her shaved by a professional, but I'm worried that she'd get traumatized because she doesn't do well with strangers, loud noises, and people doing stuff to her.

I'll upload a picture when I can get her out from under the bed.
 

cloud_shade

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I'd say skip the antibiotic ointment if she's licking the area. Just keep it clean and dry and watch for signs of infection (redness as it heals, area warm to the touch). Just to make you feel better, I was once trimming the fur around my kitty's behind (he had a bad case of diarrhea in reaction to antibiotics and needed help keeping the area clean) and managed to clip too close, actually creating a small wound on his anus. In that case, the vet prescribed a special cream to treat both the wound and reduce swelling due to the diarrhea he was having. I felt horrible, but he forgave me quickly.
 
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klopek007

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Thanks


I'll definitely check it often, and call the vet in the morning to check. Unfortunately, I left my camera at someone's house, so the extremely low quality image below is from my phone.

I'm glad to hear that your cut worked out ok.
 
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klopek007

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So... I'm hoping the absence of replies from anyone else means that I'm on the right track? Just want to make sure, not that I don't trust cloud_shade, but you know, can't be too careful.
 

nance

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I think if it was my cat ..I'd take it to the vet and get something for it ...but thats me I tend to worry about the what if's...From the pic it looks like its a fair size....and might take longer to heal...IMO the long it takes to heal the more likey for it to get infected...Or at the least call the vets and see what they suggest for you to do....good luck...I hope it heals with no troubles..
 

chris10

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keep it clean, maybe some ointment, and talk to the vet. Good chance they will say keep it clean and put on a OTC topical ointment or buy an ointment from them. Cuts always look worse than it really is. Its still a wound but should heal with no problem.
 

otto

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I would probably take the kitty to the vet. I might be told to just let it heal on it's own, but I am a nervous nelly and prefer peace of mind.

As you said yourself, daily brushing will help keep the mats down, but I wonder what you are feeding her? Improving the quality of the food can also go a way toward preventing mats.

I have seen this in action with a cat I know who has terrible mats. Her people do not keep up with the grooming and every time I am there I was splitting mats on this poor cat.

Finally got her to the vet, she's grossly obese too, and the vet gave them some recommendations..the same ones I gave, but coming from the vet they seem to be listening.

They've only upgraded to Purina ONE, but going from "what ever is on sale" to the Purina ONE has made a huge difference in this cat's fur..and energy level, I might add. She's actually even lost a little weight.

Sorry for the drift, but I just thought this might help you with the matting.


PS a safer way to split mats is to use one of those safety razor letter openers:
 
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klopek007

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Thanks for the letter opener idea.

I'll have to see if the vet has Sunday hours, it's too late today, I need to get a few hours sleep before work. But she seems to be acting normally, only gets upset when I try to put ointment on.

I feed her Nutro Natural Choice Complete Care, the weight management formula.
 

northernglow

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I just had a similar accident with my longhair male. He's shedding his long summer coat and preparing for winter by growing a shorter fur (
) so I need to comb him daily, but he hates it when I try to brush his tummy side, so he got a matt there which I tried to cut off..and of course he moved just the second I was going to do it and he got a small cut, similar to yours. I sprayed some non-stinging disinfectant to the wound and just let it be, and it has healed well.
 

otto

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Originally Posted by NorthernGlow

I just had a similar accident with my longhair male. He's shedding his long summer coat and preparing for winter by growing a shorter fur (
) so I need to comb him daily, but he hates it when I try to brush his tummy side, so he got a matt there which I tried to cut off..and of course he moved just the second I was going to do it and he got a small cut, similar to yours. I sprayed some non-stinging disinfectant to the wound and just let it be, and it has healed well.
terrific post, thanks for sharing your experience!
 

CatMom7824

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My cat has some clumped/matted fur. Tonight I was trimming some with scissors. I thought one particular clump was far enough from the skin, but she suddenly gave a painful meow as I got some skin. The wound is circular, about 1 inch (2 cm) in diameter. The fur layer is removed, and part of that area has a deeper layer exposed. At first, there was absolutely no bleeding. She licked it, and when I checked again, there was a small amount of blood.

I followed the advice I found on various websites. I cleaned it with a paper towel and warm soapy water, then rinsed the soap away with more warm water on a paper towel. Then I applied some triple-antibiotic ointment, which I guess I should do at regular intervals. The cleaning freaked her out and probably hurt a little, but she seemed fine once I let her go.

Have I done the right thing? Should I be taking her to a vet? I can't exactly go right now, it's 3am (I work nights and this is my weekend). Is it dangerous for her to lick the antibiotic ointment?

I feel horrible. She wouldn't have matted fur if I brushed her more often. I should probably just get her shaved by a professional, but I'm worried that she'd get traumatized because she doesn't do well with strangers, loud noises, and people doing stuff to her.

I'll upload a picture when I can get her out from under the bed.
I realize this was a while ago but I was scrolling through links and came across this and was wondering if your kitty healed ok or if you ended up going to a vet? How long did the healing process take? And you?? You manage ok? I could tell you were upset and wanted to say sorry this happened to you! Accidents happen and our pets stay loyal and loving to us anyway. It's hard to forgive ourselves. Hope everything turned out alright
 
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