Cuts on a Cat

Bleeding even small amounts frightens many pet owners, but the blood's remarkable clotting mechanism stops most bleeding in five minutes. When a small blood vessel is injured, it constricts (narrows) to allow less blood to escape. Platelets, which are blood cells, arrive at the scene to plug the hole, and chemicals released by the platelets combine with factors in the blood to produce fiber like strands called fibrin, which complete the bloodclot and stop the bleeding.

Sometimes the injury to the blood vessel is too large for the clotting mechanism to be effective. Apply direct pressure to the wound for five or ten minutes and allow the clotting mechanism to work; that's usually all that is needed. Use the cleanest material available gauze pads, sheets, towels, or clothing. A pre s-sure bandage can be applied for sustained pressure. If these measures are un-successful, a tourniquet is needed.

Cuts on a Cat Home Remedies

Clean the wound with soap and water after the bleeding stops. Hydrogen peroxide (3percent) can also be used. Do not rub the wound hard, or the clot may loosen and the bleeding will recur. Gently remove any hair,dirt, or other foreign material from the area.

Wounds heal by skin contraction and by the presence of serum and blood cells at the site. Even gaping wounds will heal in time by this process if kept clean. There probably lissome truth to the statement that cats lick their wounds to keep them clean and to enhance healing.

Direct pressure with a gauze pad or clean cloth should stop the bleeding of a cut footpad.If you cannot get to a veterinarian, check the wound for dirt or other debris and then ban-d age it firmly. If it starts bleeding again, flush the wound gently with 3 percent hydrogen per-oxide and re bandage it.

Shallow footpad wounds do not have to be sutured. Your pet may have a sore paw panda limp for a few weeks, but nightly flushing clean water and hydrogen peroxide will help heal the wound. If the wound becomes in-feted, go see your doctor.

Cuts on a Cat Treatment

You should see your doctor if the wound is very deep, very large (longer titan one-half inch), or very dirty, or has become infected. In these cases, your veterinarian will probably recommend surgery. A narcotic or tranquilizer and a local anesthetic (or general anesthesia)will be used so that your pet will not feel any pain. The wound will be explored for hair, dirt,and other foreign particles and flushed with sterile water mixed with antibiotics to prevent or eliminate infection. it will be sutured to de-crease the healing time and to prevent dirt from reentering. If your cat chews its wounds,or if it is overactive, tranquilizers and or a special protective collar may be prescribed during the healing period. Your veterinarian will also determine whether antibiotics are necessary.

Deep footpad wounds need to be sutured.Your doctor may also suggest antibiotics if the wound was extremely dirty. Cats are quite resistant to tetanus, but if the wound occur red around stables, your veterinarian may recommend a tetanus shot.

Removing Stitches. Your veterinarian will tell you when the stitches are to be removed. Unless your doctor wants to recheckyour pet, you can do the job yourself. Gently grasp a loose end of the knot with tweezers. Using a pair of small, sharp scissors, cut thestitch as close to the skin as possible and pull it out. Cutting close to the skin reduces thechance of contamination and infection.