I need a little bit of help from an experienced cat owner

[hyphenate]

Two kits must have been fighting while I was out all day, and I came home to girl kit's mouth bleeding. It hasn't stopped bleeding since I've been home, about 4 hours now, but it's not a huge amount, just enough to make me worry.

Can I use hydrogen peroxide on the outside of the mouth? And what can I do about the inside of her mouth? Should I give her some milk to perhaps help clean out the mouth (she'll drink milk without hesitation)? I know enough to keep all medications from her, but is there anything I can do to "put a bandaid" on her chin, or upper lip?

Egads. I've had cats for over 40 years, but never had to worry about a bloody mouth!

(In case anyone asks: no car, no vets within walking distance, which isn't too far, anyhow, as I can't walk very far on my own. I also wouldn't have enough money to get to the only 24 hour veterinary hospital, which is about fifteen miles a way. I have to set up my paratransit rides the day before I travel.)

[FSogol]

1. Kick, hoping you get an answer.

[emilyg]

2. I've used hydrogen peroxide on my

kitties. Dab gently to clean off.

p.s. neosporin would be ok, too.

[waiting for hope]

3. Here:

http://www.cat-health-guide.org/catwoundcare.html

Cat Wound Care Treatment

There are several important things to know about the treatment of cat wounds.

When performing cat wound care at home for any type of wound, do not use hydrogen peroxide. It does kill bacteria, but it can also destroy healthy tissue. Use sterile saline to clean wounds instead. You can then apply an antibiotic ointment such as Triple Antibiotic Ointment.

If you take your cat to the veterinarian for cat wound care, your vet will probably prescribe antibiotics regardless of whether or not the wound is infected. If the wound is not infected, this will prevent an infection from developing. Make sure to give your cat the full course of antibiotics prescribed, even if your cat seems to be feelings better.

Types of Cat Wounds

There are several types of wounds that require cat wound care.

Superficial Lacerations, cat scratches or cuts - These are wounds in which the skin is not cut all the way through. They may be caused by sharp objects or by bites or scratches. They usually do not need stitches. Treat these types of feline wounds by cleaning them with sterile saline and then apply antibiotic ointment daily until the cut has healed. If you notice signs of infection (increased redness of the area, red streaks running from the area, puss draining from the wound, a bad smell) take your cat to the veterinarian.

Herbalists believe that wounds can be treated with herbs know for their ability to reduce pain, lessen swelling and help the healing process. It makes sense to have an herbal treatment such as Wound Dr. in your medicine chest.

Hope that helps! and hope kitty gets better! :hug:

[emilyg]

6. Thanks. My vet always suggests

hydrogen per. for superficial wounds.

[LiberalHeart]

7. That's odd. My vet prescribed peroxide to be applied multiple times per day.

[blogslut]

8. HydroPerox is good for an initial cleaning

But not for continued use as it keeps eating the tissue and therefore retards the wound from scabbing/healing.

[SPedigrees]

12. Have to disagree with this. My vet is good with hydrogen peroxide & I've used it on cats.

Esp for puncture wounds, peroxide introduces oxygen into the wound and kills bacteria. I'd use it two or 3 times daily for 4 or 5 days.

Hope your kitty heals uneventfully and quickly.

[blogslut]

4. I would try to clean with plain water

Or maybe something gentle like Witch Hazel. As for the milk, I don't think that's best for washing our her mouth. See if she'll take water. See if you can stop the external bleeding with a touch of triple anti-biotic cream.

[LiberalHeart]

5. Do you know the cause of the bleeding?

I had a cat whose mouth bled. It was because the cat was trying to get free of it's collar and got caught in it. Was it something like that, or maybe a lost tooth?

I used peroxide on a cat's abscess at a vet's direction. Everything was fine.

[Warpy]

13. That was my question

you're going to have to find out exactly what's bleeding and treat it accordingly.

I never used peroxide on my cats. It hurts and damages healthy tissue. I always just used a dab of antibiotic ointment (yes, the people stuff) on external wounds. You want to keep the wound open while it heals from the bottom up, so expect to put a little ointment on twice a day.

If the wound is inside her mouth or if it's large or deep, seek help from a vet. If it's inside her mouth, you might have a kitten living on heavy cream and chicken baby food for a few days. A prematurely lost milk tooth will probably heal on its own.

[jillan]

9. Not a cat owner - but a trick i used to do with my kids if they had a bloody lip, or gums -

crushed ice.

Always worked. Can't hurt.. poor kitty!

[MagickMuffin]

10. My advice

Please don't give her cow's milk, cats are lactose intolerant and cannot disgust it. I just rescued 3 kitties (they were probably 3 or 4 weeks old) and we gave them cow's milk, they had a hard time disgusting it and it almost killed them. However, they have bounced back and are doing quite well now.

Have you checked to see if perhaps she has a loose tooth?.?.?

I would put a little bit of antibiotic ointment on the outside of the mouth, after using a small amount of hydrogen peroxide on the wound.

I can PM you a cat rescue number, they were very helpful when I found them to help me out with my kitty babies.

[SPedigrees]

15. This is an overblown caution. *Some* cats are allergic to cow's milk.

None of the 6 cats I've had in my lifetime had this problem. If your cat digests milk w/o side effects (diarrhea) then it's no problem, and is a source of good nutrition.

Checking for a loose tooth is a good idea, although the injury may also be a bite wound.

[MagickMuffin]

20. Most people I spoke (including the Vet who saw them) to told me NO cow's milk for these kitties

They suggested feeding them a canned milk "Kitty Mother Replacement Milk" because my kitties were so young. I have given my adult cats cow's milk and they seem to disgust it alright, however, I don't give it to them very often.

[SPedigrees]

21. Since your kittens had a bad reaction to milk (assuming

that's what it was) I'd avoid it too, for those particular cats. I think the intolerance is genetic though. Three of mine drank milk all their lives from kittenhood and lived into their 20s. I have to assume mine didn't have the lactose intolerance gene.

[hyphenate]

24. I know about the kittens with the milk--vet helped with a cat litter

some years ago who were orphaned at a week old. There were 3 in the litter, and the vet wasn't sure how many would survive, but that milk, evaporated milk and all other animal milk would not be good. We used the KMR for them, and two of the three survived. I lost both within a year of each other when one was 9 1/2 and 10. They had been good babies.

This "kit" is actually about 14. I call them all "kits" because they will always be kittens to me.

[MagickMuffin]

25. The Vet that saw my babies didn't say one way or the other if they would survive

We only took in two of them as we hadn't discovered the third one until later that day after the Vet visit. The boy kitty was the one we were concerned about as he was found after a very heavy rain the night before. Poor thing was trapped in a tight spot laying on his back and he couldn't turn over. But he took to the moist food we bought for them. His sister was refusing to eat anything.

After the Vet's visit I decided I would have to use tough love on her and force food down her. She didn't like it and she fought hard, but she didn't have any other options but to eat whatever we could force down her throat, same thing with her sister. That was a few weeks ago and they are growing, playing and eating like there is no tomorrow.

My BABIES:







A couple years ago I tamed a litter of three feral kitties. They were already weaned when I started feeding them Meow Mix. Two of the three survived, the runt who I had been trying my hardest to nurse back to health died a little after her first birthday :cry: She was the sweetest little baby and I was devastated when she died, but her siblings are really sweet as well. They sleep with me and follow me everywhere in the house, just like they did with their mama.


EDIT: asked a question, but it was answered further down the thread. I'm glad the bleeding stopped :hug:

[Lasher]

11. That bleeding seems unusual for a cat.

Sounds like a scratch, since cats release quickly after they bite, leaving puncture wounds that seal over quickly.

I found a website that advises against the use of hydrogen peroxide.

http://www.acatdog.com/dogcatwoundcare.aspx

[SPedigrees]

17. Scratches, bites, both puncture wounds.

If tooth or claw perforates a blood vessel it will likely bleed more.

[asjr]

14. Omg you sound like me.

I had a brother and sister duo where the brother would kick the hell out of his sister on her head all the time nonstop. I got rid of him but 7 years later the sister is still loopy.

[SidDithers]

16. Maybe send a pm to kestrel91316?...

That poster is a vet. Maybe a pm asking them to take a peek at this thread would be a good idea.

Sid

[snappyturtle]

18. I know I've heard that hydrogen peroxide can destroy tissue HOWEVER,

a dentist told me that if I brushed with diluted hydrogen peroxide and baking soda I would never have peridontal disease. I did this several times a week and my teeth whitened and I never had any gum problems. But, I grew lazy and stopped. Over time I got periodontal disease. When I was informed of that I started the ol' routine again. Weeks later when I went in for more dental work the dentist (a different one) was amazed!

I read up on hydrogen peroxide and what makes it effective against anaerobic bacteria (they breed and multiply with a lack of oxygen) is the extra oxygen molecule. So the long story short would be to dilute the peroxide with water to avoid 'burning' the kitty's tissues and prevent a bacterial infection.

[TNDemo]

19. My cat used to get abscesses in his cheek that would pop

and bleed occasionally. Had there been some swelling or was this just a scratch?

[gblady]

22. don't know about on cats....

but from all the trauma first aid classes I took
while working in an ER, the use of hydrogen peroxide
was definitely a no-no. As was stated above,
it destroys the cells at the skin's surface
making it harder for the cells to regrow together.

Saline water, which has the consistency of our tears,
was what we used for wound cleansing.

[hyphenate]

23. Thanks everyone for the advice!

I think I'm finally okay. The bleeding seems to have stopped. I fed her and she ate fine, and I looked at her tongue, and it's clean. It seems to be a cut or a scratch on her upper lip. Oliver would have never gotten to bite her--they both have their claws, though. As long as it still looks clean when I look at it later, I think I'll be okay. The reason I think it looked worse than it might have been was because she drools anyhow, and the drooling kept it wet. But after eating, she did clean herself up a bit, and there isn't any more blood sighted.

I decided, however, before I rechecked it, to dilute the hydrogen peroxide substantially if I was going to use it at all. I did find some antiseptic wipes in my first aid kit, and I was going to dilute that with more water, but it appears not to be needed. I do have some triple antibiotic ointment as well, so I'll do the recheck in a couple of hours. I'll also check tomorrow to see if there is a scab or sign of a deeper cut. There is a cut above her left eye which is why I doubt there is a whole lot serious about it. She and Oliver have "argued" in the past on quite a few occasions, and they both bear battle scars from the other.