My kitten has an open wound just below his ear at the back, near his neck?
I took him to the vet and they gave me some antibiotics for him, and a neck cone collar thing to stop him scratching. He didnt like the collar at all but took the tablet OK. He wore the collar for a few hours but he couldnt eat or sleep or anything with it and just stood still for ages. I was worried it was stressing him out too much and it was too cruel so I took it off. I think its too big, its the smallest one the vets do but hes only a six month old kitten.
Anyway I took it off and he keeps scratching the wound and making it bleed. Will he be OK as he is taking the tablets, or does he need to stop scratching too? Can you suggest anything else I can do to stop him scratching? Like a bandage or something? Thanks
Answers:
Hi Zoe,
look, you need to take him back to the vet asap because so long as he scratchs the wound, it won't heal. I am no expert, but if the wound does not heal, the possibility of infection remains. For a little kitty an infection can be serious because their undeveloped immune systems can't fight off bacteria like an adult cat's might.
The vet needs to find a solution so that your kitty can sleep and eat comfortably. Understand that this is what they do for a living and if you are not happy with treatment, you have every right to talk to them about it. There is no need to shout /get angry though. I am sure that if you explain that the neck collar makes life intolerable for kitty, the vet will find another solution.
Please go back to the vet or telephone them, unless you are able to communicate here with someone who can advise you with sensible practical steps to take.
Best Wishes.
No, cats will pull of bandages, you'll have to put the collar back on him. I know he won't like it but its better than letting him scratch the wound and it getting inflamed and infected.
yes put a bandage round it. why did the vet not close the wound for him? what happened to him?
definitely put a bandage on. my cat done the same thing and didn't like the collar one bit. he just sat there like he was lost so i put a little vest on him cos the wound was on his chest under his front leg and he was fine with it. i only took the vest off when he went to get his stitches out.
put the bloody collar back on that kitten!
vets know what they are talking about.Cat's get used to things very quickly and you'll make that kittens health worse if you don't do what the vet told you to do.Put the collar back on,before the wound becomes infected.NOW.
He will soon get used to it,if he hasn't eaten in two days then take him back to the vet.Obviously he can't eat with a bleedin great cone over his head,so,take it off,let him eat,then put it back on again.simple.
When my kitten had a sore patch under her chin I put a dab of savlon on it and rubbed it in well. I did this twice a day for a few days. It worked and healed it pretty quickly.
I'd put the collar back on him sit him on my lap and stroke him 'till he relaxed and settled into sleep.
The collar must stay on;put it on now!
I learned my lesson early with one of my cats. I too felt sorry for him and I took it off. He opened up his stitches and had to have the collar on even longer.
It's tough on the little guy and you have to put it back on. Feed him with your fingers this weekend. If he isn't managing well by late Sunday plan to call the vet Monday and explain the situation.
You just need to keep your eye on him and help him a little to get around.
If you can get to a health foods store get a bottle of Rescue Remedy. It is a combination of five Bach Flower essences. You need to shake the bottle really well and apply a few drops on the fur between his ears. Apply it four or five times a day until he seems to relax a little. It is a remedy I feel should be in every animal owners home in case of an emergency and before you can take the animal to the vet. It should help kitty to accept that weird thing around his neck.
If it's a plastic collar try using a pair of scissors to trim the collar down.
I agree keep the collar on as much as possible so the wound will form a scab and begin to heal.
Hypercal/hypericum tincture is taken from hypericum plant, you'll be able to get some at nearest chemists. It is antiseptic and heals, dab some on with cotton wool swab. Our cat has a big cut on his ear too, that's what we've been doing.
try puting some neosporen on the wound to help it heal faster and you will have to leave the colar on him take it off for feeding or if you think he needs to go potty.
Forget the myth about cats being clean. Their mouths are filthy, cat bites usually get infected. Cats lick themselves and their feet; and their feet go in the cat litter.
You are letting your kitten scratch an open wound with filthy feet.
Get the collar and trim a couple of inches off if its too long; not so much that he can get his paw around the edge to his face. Take off too little rather than too much.
Cats and dogs have to wear these things all the time and they get used to them.
You are not giving him a fair chance to get better. He is scratching the wound and opening it. Just smearing on some ointment won't help. The collar is not cruel. If it was, the vet wouldn't do it. Vets and childrens doctors sometimes have to give injections or other treatments that are unpleasant in the short term. They don't do it for kicks.
make a smaller cone out of cardboard, of cut the big one down to size. He would tear bandages off, so it wouldn't work.
You really need to keep the collar on, its there for a reason and its the only way for the wound to heal. They soon adapt to wearing it. My cat had a colour when she was young cos I had her neutered and she soon got used to it. I would take it off for a little while but would put it straight back on. I had the same worries as you but seriously, the collar is the best solution. xx
my cat has done similar,there is a type of bandage you can get,that sticks to iteself but not the wound.he HAS to stop scratching it for it to heal.also there are other collars u can get,ive got one that looks like a neck brace,u can cut it to size.so u dont have to have the lamp shade look!best thing u can do is clean it with either the solution they use to clean area before surgery,or failing that use a simple saline solution,air dry totally then apply bandage/collar.good luck 2 little kitty :)
You can cut the height of the collar down some so it doesn't stick off his head so much..
nope
Put the collar back on- the vet put it there to stop him scratching the wound so it can heal. It could spread and become infected, and your kitten could die. He will be uncomfortable with it on, but after a couple of days, he will get used to it. Theres no point in asking a vet for help if you arent going to do as he says. DONT bandage the wound; he will scratch this off, and the wound needs fresh air to heal it. Put the collar back!!
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Anyway I took it off and he keeps scratching the wound and making it bleed. Will he be OK as he is taking the tablets, or does he need to stop scratching too? Can you suggest anything else I can do to stop him scratching? Like a bandage or something? Thanks
Answers:
Hi Zoe,
look, you need to take him back to the vet asap because so long as he scratchs the wound, it won't heal. I am no expert, but if the wound does not heal, the possibility of infection remains. For a little kitty an infection can be serious because their undeveloped immune systems can't fight off bacteria like an adult cat's might.
The vet needs to find a solution so that your kitty can sleep and eat comfortably. Understand that this is what they do for a living and if you are not happy with treatment, you have every right to talk to them about it. There is no need to shout /get angry though. I am sure that if you explain that the neck collar makes life intolerable for kitty, the vet will find another solution.
Please go back to the vet or telephone them, unless you are able to communicate here with someone who can advise you with sensible practical steps to take.
Best Wishes.
No, cats will pull of bandages, you'll have to put the collar back on him. I know he won't like it but its better than letting him scratch the wound and it getting inflamed and infected.
yes put a bandage round it. why did the vet not close the wound for him? what happened to him?
definitely put a bandage on. my cat done the same thing and didn't like the collar one bit. he just sat there like he was lost so i put a little vest on him cos the wound was on his chest under his front leg and he was fine with it. i only took the vest off when he went to get his stitches out.
put the bloody collar back on that kitten!
vets know what they are talking about.Cat's get used to things very quickly and you'll make that kittens health worse if you don't do what the vet told you to do.Put the collar back on,before the wound becomes infected.NOW.
He will soon get used to it,if he hasn't eaten in two days then take him back to the vet.Obviously he can't eat with a bleedin great cone over his head,so,take it off,let him eat,then put it back on again.simple.
When my kitten had a sore patch under her chin I put a dab of savlon on it and rubbed it in well. I did this twice a day for a few days. It worked and healed it pretty quickly.
I'd put the collar back on him sit him on my lap and stroke him 'till he relaxed and settled into sleep.
The collar must stay on;put it on now!
I learned my lesson early with one of my cats. I too felt sorry for him and I took it off. He opened up his stitches and had to have the collar on even longer.
It's tough on the little guy and you have to put it back on. Feed him with your fingers this weekend. If he isn't managing well by late Sunday plan to call the vet Monday and explain the situation.
You just need to keep your eye on him and help him a little to get around.
If you can get to a health foods store get a bottle of Rescue Remedy. It is a combination of five Bach Flower essences. You need to shake the bottle really well and apply a few drops on the fur between his ears. Apply it four or five times a day until he seems to relax a little. It is a remedy I feel should be in every animal owners home in case of an emergency and before you can take the animal to the vet. It should help kitty to accept that weird thing around his neck.
If it's a plastic collar try using a pair of scissors to trim the collar down.
I agree keep the collar on as much as possible so the wound will form a scab and begin to heal.
Hypercal/hypericum tincture is taken from hypericum plant, you'll be able to get some at nearest chemists. It is antiseptic and heals, dab some on with cotton wool swab. Our cat has a big cut on his ear too, that's what we've been doing.
try puting some neosporen on the wound to help it heal faster and you will have to leave the colar on him take it off for feeding or if you think he needs to go potty.
Forget the myth about cats being clean. Their mouths are filthy, cat bites usually get infected. Cats lick themselves and their feet; and their feet go in the cat litter.
You are letting your kitten scratch an open wound with filthy feet.
Get the collar and trim a couple of inches off if its too long; not so much that he can get his paw around the edge to his face. Take off too little rather than too much.
Cats and dogs have to wear these things all the time and they get used to them.
You are not giving him a fair chance to get better. He is scratching the wound and opening it. Just smearing on some ointment won't help. The collar is not cruel. If it was, the vet wouldn't do it. Vets and childrens doctors sometimes have to give injections or other treatments that are unpleasant in the short term. They don't do it for kicks.
make a smaller cone out of cardboard, of cut the big one down to size. He would tear bandages off, so it wouldn't work.
You really need to keep the collar on, its there for a reason and its the only way for the wound to heal. They soon adapt to wearing it. My cat had a colour when she was young cos I had her neutered and she soon got used to it. I would take it off for a little while but would put it straight back on. I had the same worries as you but seriously, the collar is the best solution. xx
my cat has done similar,there is a type of bandage you can get,that sticks to iteself but not the wound.he HAS to stop scratching it for it to heal.also there are other collars u can get,ive got one that looks like a neck brace,u can cut it to size.so u dont have to have the lamp shade look!best thing u can do is clean it with either the solution they use to clean area before surgery,or failing that use a simple saline solution,air dry totally then apply bandage/collar.good luck 2 little kitty :)
You can cut the height of the collar down some so it doesn't stick off his head so much..
nope
Put the collar back on- the vet put it there to stop him scratching the wound so it can heal. It could spread and become infected, and your kitten could die. He will be uncomfortable with it on, but after a couple of days, he will get used to it. Theres no point in asking a vet for help if you arent going to do as he says. DONT bandage the wound; he will scratch this off, and the wound needs fresh air to heal it. Put the collar back!!
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