| T.R | Title | User | Personal
Name | Date | Lines |
|---|
| 3475.1 | | FSHQA1::RKAGNO | A Cat Makes a Purrfect Friend | Fri Mar 30 1990 13:00 | 22 |
| Hi Paula. T.K. has had two abcesses over the last year and a half.
The first was when I was feeding him as a stray at our house. He
wasn't quite that tame to get into a carrier, but he did let me
grab him a few times and clean it out with hydrogen peroxide. It
was centered right between his eyes, so I was extremely worried
about him. But I kept it clean, and it healed just fine.
The second time I was able to get him to the vet, since he had already
been neutered and considered a house pet. Chauncey (RIP) had bitten
him in the ear, and it was obvious that I couldn't handle this one
on my own (there was dried blood and puss all over his ear, and
in his ear; it had to be cleaned professionally).
If Dickens is favoring one side and crying when you touch him, I
would let the vet handle it. I don't have enough confidence in
my medical abilities just yet to play Dr., though I agree with you
that the expenses can be high.
Hope Percy is well soon,
--Roberta
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| 3475.3 | | WR2FOR::CORDESBRO_JO | set home/cat_max=infinity | Fri Mar 30 1990 14:18 | 25 |
| The cats that are more prone to abcesses are outdoor cats. Indoor
cats have a very low incidence of abcesses since they usually aren't
getting into hairy fights.
There is another discussion on this same topic, it came up about
a month or two ago. Can't remember the note offhand, but maybe
the moderators can post a pointer.
Basically, if the cat is getting an abcess, and it is already painful
to the touch, then it will have to be lanced and a drain inserted
to let the puss drain away. I don't think you will be able to do
this on your own. He will also need antibiotics. There is no way
to prevent these abcesses, once the cat is bitten or scratched.
The problem is that the surface of the skin heals before the infection
underneath the skin. The infection is trapped there, and it will
eventually have to come out. Usually it will burst on it's own,
if it isn't taken care of by a vet. This is very painful to the
cat.
I have taken care of cat's whose abcesses have burst. One just
recently, had a very nasty abcess. I managed to keep the cut open
and draining, but the cat did end up needing stitches, since the
wound was very large.
Jo
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| 3475.4 | | CIRCUS::KOLLING | Karen/Sweetie/Holly/Little Bit Ca. | Fri Mar 30 1990 14:29 | 6 |
| When my first cat was an outdoor cat, I was told by the vet to
bring him in whenever I saw that he had been in a fight. Preventative
treatment with antibiotics, he said, would prevent abscesses from
forming. It seemed to work. I expect the vet also did some
cleaning of the wounds. Another reason to keep cats indoors....
|
| 3475.5 | I opt for the check-up first | SLSTRN::PLOETZ | | Mon Apr 02 1990 13:46 | 15 |
| Thanks all!
I think I was in a panic on Friday - I knew it was going to cost
$75.00 if I waited until Saturday.
The vet said that it is worthwhile to spend the $20.00 to get him
checked rather than the $100 or so to drain the abcess (excuse the
spelling on my base note) later.
Sure enough, he did have a fever and a LARGE puncture on his shoulder
which appeared to be a few days old. All's well with anti-biotics and
many mice to chase (hunting keeps the mind off EVERYTHING)!
Paula
|
| 3475.6 | Member of the Club | VFOFS::BUNIS | | Tue Apr 03 1990 13:04 | 13 |
| Paula,
Glad your cat is doing better..Just wanted to let you know you are by
no means alone in this one - I just made an appointment for my cat,
Bandit, for the exact same thing! According to "sources" around our
house, he always seems to fight with the same cat over and over again.
One thing that I do keep on hand, that the vet suggested, is Betadine
- hope that's spelled right - it's a little more expensive than your
average antibiotic cleanser, but it seems to help for the minor scrapes
and scratches.
Jan
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| 3475.7 | TIGGERS TROUBLES | DELNI::R_GASKELL | | Tue Apr 10 1990 13:21 | 13 |
| Until recently we lived in Maynard Massachusetts, where one of our cats
had at least one abcess on the go at all times. He was a healthy cat
but would challenge any raccoon that crossed the property--he had some
horrendous scratches from various fights. As it was impossible and
cruel to keep him in, we took to checking him over every morning and
washing suspect scratches with hydrogen peroxide and then applying
bacatracin (spelling sort of close) antiseptic jel. This did the
trick and saved a LOT of vet bills. As a note of interest, he hasn't
had one scratch since we moved to the more classy town of Groton Mass.
Guido Tiggerini, Miss Kitty Moppet, Mr. Georgie Peakams, Flea and Me
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