Cat fights are a gnarly sight. As reality sets in and the fight is hopefully stopped quickly, it’s even more shocking when you spot an injury on your cat.
You’re probably here for advice on what to do if your cat has been bitten in the last few hours (or days if there’s a sign of infection).
So I’m not going to bore you with details such as brands of antibiotics or pain meds or how to prevent a cat bite in the future.
You need to make sure your cat is healthy and won’t succumb to an easily treatable wound right now.
There are a couple of things you can do right away and also a handful of signs that the wounds need immediate veterinary care.
My Cat Was Bitten By Another Cat And Is Swelling
If your cat was bitten by another cat and is swelling, visit an emergency vet to rule out an infection and to properly clean the wound, and perhaps prescribe antibiotics.
The first step right after the incident is to check your cat’s whole body.
In case your cat has a very long or thick coat, just check your pet over quickly and leave the proper examination to the vet who might shave off fur where necessary.
Secondly, you can clean minor wounds with warm water, soap, and a washcloth, cotton ball, or gauze.
Severe wounds will probably be thoroughly cleaned by your vet too.
What your vet will do from there on depends on the severity, location, and how exactly the wound itself looks.
Minor injuries such as small puncture wounds might get cleaned and left open.
Both minor injuries and severe injuries that will be left open might require a topical antibiotic.
In rare cases, anesthesia might be required (i.e. multiple extensive wounds or sensitive areas such as the ears, nose, eyes, mouth.
If skin penetration is unsure, a broad-spectrum antibiotic may be prescribed.
Lacerations might require infected tissue to be cut away and sutured. Similarly, some wounds need to be opened and sutured up.
Small Puncture Wound on Cat
Don’t underestimate small puncture wounds or scrapes on your cat as the skin quickly closes over these and the bacteria might multiply and spread.
A small puncture wound needs to be thoroughly cleaned, possibly opened up further if there’s infected tissue, and perhaps treated with a topical antibiotic.
It’s best to have every small puncture wound checked out by a vet and cleaned properly (the same goes for all the humans involved).
How To Treat a Puncture Wound on a Cat At Home
You can clean a puncture wound on your cat at home by gently applying warm water and soap on your cat’s wound with a washcloth, cotton ball, or gauze.
However, while this is better than not removing any dirt and debris, it’s still better to just check in with your vet.
A puncture wound might close over quickly but the bacteria beneath the skin will multiply and cause an infection that can be life-threatening.
A cat cone might be required to avoid your cat repeatedly licking the area.
Cat Bite Infection On Cat
If your cat has been bitten and shows signs of an infection, immediately contact your vet to get the wound looked at and cleaned. Surgical closing of the bite wound or antibiotics might be required.
While it’s best to contact your vet right away no matter how the wound looks, you should definitely book an emergency trip to the vet if signs of infection develop.
Signs that the bite wound on your cat is infected include redness, continuously oozing blood from the wound, breathing difficulty, blue or pale gums, vocalization, as well as behavioral signs such as lethargy, weakness, and disorientation.
I know not all of these signs are clear-cut but if you keep an eye on the wound as well as your cat’s behavior, you should get a pretty good idea. When in doubt, go to your vet.
Veterinary attention is necessary to minimize the damage and avoid the spreading of bacteria.
What can happen if a bite infection on a cat is left untreated?
The bacteria can cause the following:
- Localized abscess
- Tissue infection (cellulitis)
- Joint infection (septic arthritis)
- Bone infection (osteomyelitis)
- Pus in the chest cavity (pyothorax)
- Pus in the abdominal cavity (septic peritonitis)
Issues such as joint or bone infection as well as pus in the chest or abdominal cavity are relatively rare but a risk nonetheless.
A study of 50 infected cat bites, showed that in nearly 50% of the cases, there are one or more of these three leading bacteria present: Pasteurella, Streptococcus, Staphylococcus.
Bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus are most commonly responsible for tissue, joint, and bone infection and have been found in 10% of total cases.
Another study of 135 healthy cats in California also found this type of bacteria in 10% of the cats.
My Cat Was Bitten By Another Cat But No Blood
If your cat was bitten but there’s no blood, that’s a good sign meaning the skin wasn’t penetrated deeply but there might still be a small puncture which can lead to an infection.
If you have a long-haired cat or one with a dark coat, wounds will be harder to locate.
With my Maine Coon, a lot is more difficult. Wounds are not as apparent in her dark and dense coat, brownish ticks vanish more easily, and even black nails are harder to cut.
Check your cat over thoroughly because some wounds might only drip really lightly or dry immediately around the wound’s fur.
Small puncture wounds are especially dangerous since they close over quickly, providing an ideal space for the bacteria to spread throughout the tissue.
In the future, it’s best to learn how to read feline body language to avoid any kind of bite happening again.
Your own two cats are fighting and inflicting wounds each other? Check out the linked article.
I also have a resource on how to break up cat fights in general and what you can with all the legal stuff involving cat bites.
Leave a Comment