really need advice, cat opening wound

clancy

Hi am just looking for some practical advice please..
My cat got hit by a car 2 weeks and 3 days ago resulting in the rear left limb amputated, its been a nightmare as ive slept with him downstairs since it happened as he keeps trying to lick his wound, i have tried everything to keep the cone on his head but no luck, i took him back to the vets xmas eve and they suggested putting him in a babygrow, which i have been doing in the night and keeping him away from the wound in the day, they also put him on 5 days antibiotics which he had the last one today, just as it seems the wound is doing ok he gets to it again, he managed to get out of the babygrow at least twice each night, strangley at 1.57 am and then about 5am, i am so tired i wake at 1.57 but not always at 5am.
He is sleeping most of the day and then when does try and get it he is very unbalanced and spinning about which distresses him and after a episode now he got behind the chair and within 2 mins has nibbled at his wound and made it bleed, i am at my wits end to know what to do anymore and am so tired i could cry, does anyone have any advice or have been through the same thing as i really need to know its all normal and theres a light at the end of my very dark tunnel

gettingready

Sorry to hear about your cat - hope he feel better soon.

My lot always took the "cones" off till I started putting them onto the collars. Collars seemed to hold those better than a simple bandage as the vets attached it on bandage only.

Or perhaps something like that would be more comfy for him?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s?ie=UTF8&search-type=ss&index=pets&field-keywords=Comfy%20Cone

http://www.amazinghealth.co.uk/comfy-collar.htm

clancy

Thank you
I have tried both type collars and he manages to still get the cone off, my vet did mention the comfy collar but didnt have any left in the surgery, thanks will have a look at the links now

YorkiePud_3

Oh poor lad .... well, I found (the three times I needed to use these collars) that to cut them down a little so the cats could see a bit better but couldn't actually get to their wounds, they seemed to accept them and didn't try to get them off.
I'm not talking much .. maybe just an inch off the large open end I mean ... and it seemed to make a lot of difference to them. Maybe they didn't feel so "trapped" inside them, being able to see more out of the corners of their eyes, I don't know, but it worked each time, they left their wounds alone!

I'd be a bit concerned leaving him in a babygrow though ... if he's struggling to get out of it, he could trip himself up and hurt himself more. Until it kicks in with him that he's lost that leg, he's going to try moving about as before.
He could still be in shock and obviously it will take him time to realise he can still get about minus the leg so he may be more highly strung than usual and panicky too ... and you, you poor thing ... I can totally understand the state you must be in. Having slept downstairs (well, I say "slept" ... !!) for 6 weeks with a greyhound with a broken leg who needed oiking up when he needed to go out ... aye aye aye ... it's a nightmare, but it does get easier ... is there anyone who can watch over your kitty for a few hours while you get some shut eye ... ? It looks a lot better when you manage to get some sleep!

Very best wishes to the both of you .. hang on in there ... !!!

clancy

YorkiePud wrote: »

Oh poor lad .... well, I found (the three times I needed to use these collars) that to cut them down a little so the cats could see a bit better but couldn't actually get to their wounds, they seemed to accept them and didn't try to get them off.
I'm not talking much .. maybe just an inch off the large open end I mean ... and it seemed to make a lot of difference to them. Maybe they didn't feel so "trapped" inside them, being able to see more out of the corners of their eyes, I don't know, but it worked each time, they left their wounds alone!

I'd be a bit concerned leaving him in a babygrow though ... if he's struggling to get out of it, he could trip himself up and hurt himself more. Until it kicks in with him that he's lost that leg, he's going to try moving about as before.
He could still be in shock and obviously it will take him time to realise he can still get about minus the leg so he may be more highly strung than usual and panicky too ... and you, you poor thing ... I can totally understand the state you must be in. Having slept downstairs (well, I say "slept" ... !!) for 6 weeks with a greyhound with a broken leg who needed oiking up when he needed to go out ... aye aye aye ... it's a nightmare, but it does get easier ... is there anyone who can watch over your kitty for a few hours while you get some shut eye ... ? It looks a lot better when you manage to get some sleep!

Very best wishes to the both of you .. hang on in there ... !!!

Thank you and yes i have managed to get a few hrs sleep with my son watching him, my son gave me a night off the other night but when i woke i found he hadnt woken to the cat getting the collar off and the cat had opened the wound in 2 places hense the visit to vets xmas eve..
I got a clear collar from the vet so he can see everything, i was told by the vet to put him in a babygrow and seeing as he's not moved out of his bed much i thought this was ok, but seems he is more awake through the night and tonight im going back to the cone but just put a couple of strips of a cut up flannel in it for some padding, i know he has been through a massive ordeal as hit by a car and then managed to get home over my 7 ft fence to then be rushed to an emergency vet 20 miles away and left there for 2 days must have been horrific for him, i am giving him loads of love and attention and making his recovery as easy as i can but wish he would help himself by not opening his wound
going to go to a few animal shelters and vets tomor to see if i can buy a comfy collar as really need it tomor so if i get it online it wont get here as quick

clancy

Yorkshire pud hope your greyhound made a full recovery also

Sagz_2

Could you ask your vet about applying something nasty tasting to the wound to help deter your cat from licking or picking at his wound?

Your local cat rescue may have a comfy collar you could borrow, or may be able to offer advice.

Hope kitty makes a speedy recovery x

clancy

Sagz wrote: »

Could you ask your vet about applying something nasty tasting to the wound to help deter your cat from licking or picking at his wound?

Your local cat rescue may have a comfy collar you could borrow, or may be able to offer advice.

Hope kitty makes a speedy recovery x

Thank you Sagz and yes i did ask about that when i took him back but she said no and suggested the babygrow, hopefully i will be able to get a comfy collar tomor, but hope that works as everything else i thought would be the answer has'nt been, very frustating for all of us

elsien

Would you consider asking the vet to give you something to zonk him out at night? I had a similar thing with mutt when she had a toe amputated - she spent most of the night pinballing off the furniture and I had no sleep for weeks.
In the end in sheer desperation I asked the vet for something and mutt got given a doggy dose of valium. It was a godsend - calmed her down enough that I managed to get a bit of sleep before I got the sack at work! I know it feels like it goes on forever, but it does get better in the end, honestly. Mum had her one night a week as well, to give me a bit of a rest.
It did take mutt quite a long time to get back to normal though - I was sleeping on the settee for about 3 months (the vet pointed out several times that "his" bit was healing well, the problem was entirely due to mutt getting the collar off and making a right mess of the wound - how to feel like a bad owner in one easy lesson.) If she hadn't chewed it so badly it would have healed a heck of a lot quicker, so with any luck if you can manage to keep kitty away from the wound it'll be much quicker for you.
Good luck with it all, you have my sympathy. Being exhausted makes it feel much worse while it's actually happening to you.

Fridaycat

So sorry to hear of your cat's ordeal, clancy. I hope he gets better soon, you are obviously doing the very best you can for him.

I have got a product in my drawer - it is an Anti-Lick Strip made by Nurtured Pets. It says it is clinically and veterinary approved and "Effectively deters licking, biting and chewing behaviours". There is a quote on the back of the package from someone who used it on their dog who had had his tail amputated after an accident, and who had gotten through six collars.

I got this as a free gift at the Supreme Cat Show last month and thought I might need it for when my cat was spayed, but in the end she was better than I thought and didn't over-lick the wound - so if you PM me your address, I could pop this in the post for you tomorrow (1st class) if you like?

clancy

Your so right Elsien i feel so knackered, its been a huge trauma for us all, my boys are my babies and i hate seeing them hurt, he is being watched like a hawk in the daytime and thats when he managed to get to his wound today as he went to the loo and then got behind the sofa which gave him a min to get to the area before i got him, so as much as i think it would be good to get him some thing to calm him in the night it wouldnt have stopped what happened today, i must say ive been using feliway spray and plugin, i didnt think much of the plugin but the spray has been a godsend for calming him down, i am going to stay up tonight and my son will watch him tomor and i hope to be able to get a comfy collar somewhere tomorrow and i will also ring the vet and have a chat as there must be something to put near the wound that will keep him off it long enough for it to heal, still feel like im in phase 1 as i know phase 2 will be him being more mobile and us following him around the place.