Earlier today my cat got her self caught in the blind in our kitchen trying to get up on top of the fridge. In he process of doing this she lost a nail in one of her back paws. I didn't notice that she had even lost it until i found it on the floor when i was cleaning up the shredded blind. I found also a small amount of blood.
She is doing fine now, there was very little blood loss and the bleeding has stopped, long ago now.
There is NO vet clinic open early in the morning where I live nor anywhere near where i live. There are also no vets opened on sunday where i live either. I've cleaned out her wound with saline solution and gave her a very soft blanket to sleep on.
She seems to be doing fine and isn't' crying out in pain, she is just laying on the blanket sleeping right now. My question is this.. am i able to give her any kind of children's ibuprofen or anything for her pain until i can get her to the vet tomorrow, and should i wrap her paw lightly with a bandage or should I simply allow it to stay the way it is now.
She is doing fine now, there was very little blood loss and the bleeding has stopped, long ago now.
There is NO vet clinic open early in the morning where I live nor anywhere near where i live. There are also no vets opened on sunday where i live either. I've cleaned out her wound with saline solution and gave her a very soft blanket to sleep on.
She seems to be doing fine and isn't' crying out in pain, she is just laying on the blanket sleeping right now. My question is this.. am i able to give her any kind of children's ibuprofen or anything for her pain until i can get her to the vet tomorrow, and should i wrap her paw lightly with a bandage or should I simply allow it to stay the way it is now.
Hi there,
Ouch!!!
Sorry to hear about your kitty's accident. I am sorry that there are no vets open near you, but you could call your vet's office and leave a message. Veterinary technicians come into the office to take care of patients who are hospitalized so they would get your message.
Ibuprofen is extremely toxic to cats. Please do not give any human pain medication to your cat. You could easily poison her. Do not give aspirin either, as aspirin is toxic as well.
You have disinfected the wound, but paws are really difficult to bandage and keep clean. I suggest that you keep the wound as clean,as possible, using saline which is safe for your kitty. It probably did not sting her. Keep an eye on her and try to keep her quiet.
http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Cats/Cats-c...
For more information about wound care visit:
http://www.acatdog.com/dogcatwoundcare.a...
You can use Triple Antibiotic ointment on the wound, which is helpful in preventing and treating bacterial infections. It contains: Neomycin Sulfate, Polymyxin B Sulfate, and Bacitracin Zinc and can be purchased at your local pharmacy.
I do hope that calling your vet will at least get you in contact with a technician who will be at the clinic, or there should be an emergency contact number for you to call, for further instructions, but I think that all the information you have received so far is right on target.
The suggestion about litter is really great. Try mixing in a small amount of her litter with shredded newspapers, or even paper towels to see if she will be more comfortable and if she will use the box.
Good luck with your kitty, and taking her to the vet in the morning, if you cannot get her in today.
Hope this helps,
Troublesniffer
Owned by cats for over 40 years
Member: Cat Writer's Association
Ouch!!!
Sorry to hear about your kitty's accident. I am sorry that there are no vets open near you, but you could call your vet's office and leave a message. Veterinary technicians come into the office to take care of patients who are hospitalized so they would get your message.
Ibuprofen is extremely toxic to cats. Please do not give any human pain medication to your cat. You could easily poison her. Do not give aspirin either, as aspirin is toxic as well.
You have disinfected the wound, but paws are really difficult to bandage and keep clean. I suggest that you keep the wound as clean,as possible, using saline which is safe for your kitty. It probably did not sting her. Keep an eye on her and try to keep her quiet.
http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Cats/Cats-c...
For more information about wound care visit:
http://www.acatdog.com/dogcatwoundcare.a...
You can use Triple Antibiotic ointment on the wound, which is helpful in preventing and treating bacterial infections. It contains: Neomycin Sulfate, Polymyxin B Sulfate, and Bacitracin Zinc and can be purchased at your local pharmacy.
I do hope that calling your vet will at least get you in contact with a technician who will be at the clinic, or there should be an emergency contact number for you to call, for further instructions, but I think that all the information you have received so far is right on target.
The suggestion about litter is really great. Try mixing in a small amount of her litter with shredded newspapers, or even paper towels to see if she will be more comfortable and if she will use the box.
Good luck with your kitty, and taking her to the vet in the morning, if you cannot get her in today.
Hope this helps,
Troublesniffer
Owned by cats for over 40 years
Member: Cat Writer's Association
It's unlikely that she's pulled the whole claw out...it will just be the equivalent of a human nail. I've seen pictures of the instrument that is used to take the whole claw out. (Disgusting).
I would advise against trying to give her any pain-killers. The process itself would distress her. I would just leave her to be quiet until you can get her to a vet.
You sound like a very caring member of her staff, if I may say so.
I would advise against trying to give her any pain-killers. The process itself would distress her. I would just leave her to be quiet until you can get her to a vet.
You sound like a very caring member of her staff, if I may say so.
She wont have declawed herself, that takes an operation which involves an amputation. She has probably just ripped the initial nail out, sort of the same as when a humans rips their nail when they catch it on something. DO NOT give her any pain relief otherwise you will end up with a much bigger problem then a broken nail. Just keep an eye on her, you have done the right thing by washing it with saline solution, just keep an eye out for infection. I wouldn't put a bandage on it, let the air get to it. On monday you could ring your vet for further advice but I wouldn't worry about her overly. Good luck.
Hi there
If you've cleaned your kitty's toe off and the bleeding has stopped, it's not an emergency. Waiting for the vet on Monday is fine.
Just make sure to clean it several times today and put an antibiotic cream on the wound like neosporin or bacitration. Both are fine to use and won't hurt kitty when she licks them.
But do NOT give her ANY pain medications!
Ibuprofen, Tylenol and Aspirin are toxic to cats and could kill your kitty or give her kidney or liver damage.
Also, remove any clumping litter from her litter pan and use either shredded news paper or a product called "yesterdays news" which you can find in the petstore. Clumping or clay litter will collect in the wound and cause an infection and pain.
Just keep the wound clean with saline and apply some antibiotic cream (not the kind with the pain medicine in it tho!) a few times today. Call your vet on Monday and make an appointment so they can remove any broken bits of nail that you can't see, maybe put her on antibiotics and recommend any further treatment.
Best of luck!
If you've cleaned your kitty's toe off and the bleeding has stopped, it's not an emergency. Waiting for the vet on Monday is fine.
Just make sure to clean it several times today and put an antibiotic cream on the wound like neosporin or bacitration. Both are fine to use and won't hurt kitty when she licks them.
But do NOT give her ANY pain medications!
Ibuprofen, Tylenol and Aspirin are toxic to cats and could kill your kitty or give her kidney or liver damage.
Also, remove any clumping litter from her litter pan and use either shredded news paper or a product called "yesterdays news" which you can find in the petstore. Clumping or clay litter will collect in the wound and cause an infection and pain.
Just keep the wound clean with saline and apply some antibiotic cream (not the kind with the pain medicine in it tho!) a few times today. Call your vet on Monday and make an appointment so they can remove any broken bits of nail that you can't see, maybe put her on antibiotics and recommend any further treatment.
Best of luck!
Former Vet Tech, current feral cat rescue volunteer
if she seems fine I wouldnt give her anything for pain relief- its impossible to tell how she would react to it. if she didnt lose a lot of blood I dont think there's much to worry about. Just keep her indoors until it heals over to prevent picking up an infection outside. Getting a nandage to stay on a paw is awkward and will probably annoy her more so I wouldnt bother. Just rinse it a few times a day in saline solution to keep it clean until its covered over then let it be, it will heal. Honestly it doesnt sound as if she even needs the vet. Keep an eye out for any infection though because she would need antibiotics then. Shouldnt be a problem if you keep her in & keep it clean though.
Don't give her any medication. While some human painkillers are sometimes given to cats it has to be done very carefully, with proper health screening and under vet supervision as they are toxic to cats. It's very easy to kill a cat with human pain meds.
Since she seems fine I think she will be OK till tomorrow. Hopefully the damage is less than it seems. Possibly she will need an op to fully remove the claw on that toe to stop it regrowing wrong and causing more problems, hopefully not. I'm guessing it's minor, but do get it checked.
Since she seems fine I think she will be OK till tomorrow. Hopefully the damage is less than it seems. Possibly she will need an op to fully remove the claw on that toe to stop it regrowing wrong and causing more problems, hopefully not. I'm guessing it's minor, but do get it checked.