We are broke and cant afford to take the cat to the vet.... Lily our old cat went out and got hurt.... we think she might have been snake bit.... not sure thou.

the wound on her arm swelled up and then ruptured, green flies follow her around, yesturday i put peroxide on it and it foamed up something awful, then after it dried i put neosporine on it and wrapped it in gauze... she can walk on it just fine.

This morning i went to check it and it was nasty! Yellow slime... NASTY, the flesh that was covering the wound was rotting away... so as gross as it was i cut the skin off of her that was hanging..... you can see muscle tissue very well.... the wound is about 4 inches long and and 1.5 inches wide.... she is walking fine thou.

I cleaned it the best i could.... i had no help... my neighbor gave me some pink thick stuff the vet gave her for her dogs.... it repels green flies.... so i put that on the inside of the bandage and wrapped it again.... i really dont know what to do....

This isn't something that can really be treated at home. You're looking at sepsis here and possibly gangrene, if it hasn't begun already. Call ALL of the vets in your area, and see if any will work out payment plans with you. If they won't call the humane society. You might have to sign her over to them in order for them to give treatment, but the cat is very ill and may not even survive with treatment. To be blunt, not seeking treatment for her, in most areas, is seen as criminal animal neglect and you could face severe fines if any of your neighbors sees or reports her condition.

I replied in a rush, and after reading it, realized I might sound unsympathetic, which isn't true. I just wanted to get across how serious this is. My dad was raised on a farm, where seriously ill or injured cats and dogs weren't sent to the vet, they were shot. This sounds horrible, but they didn't have the money to do otherwise, and it was more humane than allowing an animal to die slowly. I am certainly not advising you to kill your cat (that itself can be construed as abuse in some areas, no matter how humanely it is done), but an infection this seriously cannot be treated with over-the-counter medications or medications intended for another animal (and possibly a different condition). The longer you delay, the more likely treatment will be costlier and/or ineffective.

Go to a vet IMMEDIATELY. I'm no doctor but that sounds painful. I know you keep saying your cat is walking on it fine but they cant express pain the way humans can. If you dont have the money for it like the post above said take the cat to the humane society and see what help they can give.

Im sure it hurts.... that i have no doubt... i cried while trying to bandage her... my point of saying she could walk on it shows that the muscles were working .
thats a good thing!

we live in the middle of no where... there isnt a vet or a human society, or even a pound in this county, yes i live in a **** hole! I wish there was someone to call about crulty to animals... our own Sherrif has fighting roosters!

The nearest vet is 40 miles away, we had a vet and she moved away... and even she didnt want to waste her preciouse time on cats and dogs... she wanted big $$$ hourses and cows were her thing... you were lucky to get her to look at a cat.

I have a friend in another county i emailed.. she was vet assistant for years... i am doing all i can.

I'm sure you're trying to do right by the cat, but the yellow gook and rotting flesh means a SEVERE infection, and the cat being able to walk on it is not a sign that she isn't extremely sick. If the infection gets into the blood, she very well may die before she becomes unable to walk. From the sound of the wound you are describing, it may already be too late to save the leg and possibly even the cat's life. It may take you 45 minutes to get this cat to a vet or a humane society, but this is a life you are responsible for. If you can't find a way to get the animal the treatment it needs, it really would be better for the cat to be put to sleep than to die slowly and painfully of sepsis. Your county should have an animal control agency that can help, if not at least call all the vets and humane societies in and out of your county and ask what can be done. Someone may be able to come and get the cat, or tell you how you can humanely euthanize it at home. But the cat probably needs IV antibiotics and maybe even surgery. These are not procedures that can be done at home.

I agree, and can sympathize as I live 75 miles from ANYTHING also. We also live on a farm and we shoot any animals who can not be saved, rather than spend hundreds on medical expense..sound harsh, yes it is, but we are not rich...which is why we have a cattle dog and "farm" cats whose job is to chase mice, we do not even feed the cats, they fend for themselves and trust me with the hay around there are plenty of mice, all the cats are FAT!

But back to the subject, this cat needs to either be seen immediately by a vet or be put down for her own comfort. The longer you wait the worse it will be for her. I know times are hard but spend the time and gas money to take this cat in to any Vet, I mean if they are not willing to take payments or help you out with this, they honesly have no business tending to animals. I mean it is even pretty cheap to put an animal down. If it is as bad as you describe they will help you the minute they see the cat!

The cat had been missing for days... she came home this way... im calling everyone i can for help.

X

I feel so sorry for you and your pet...wish there was something more that I could do for you. You are in my prayers!

As hard as it is, I think the cat needs treatment by a vet or euthanasia. It's a hard thing to face, but once a wound is this infected there's almost no chance of it healing on it's own. I can tell you from personal experience how serious even a tiny infected wound can become. Maybe 10 years ago, I was nearly hospitalized for a dangerous infection caused by a tiny scratch during a car accident (my keys hit my knee, embedding a piece of denim thread into my knee. I got cellulitis from a staph infection (yellow-green gook and all) and even though I got treatment within a week of the injury, I was on oral and injected antibiotics for three months. The doctor said I could have easily had blood poisoning if I hadn't come in when I did (all from an inch long scratch and red area that never got bigger than 3 inches in diameter). It was almost unbelievable that something so little could be so life threatening.

Staph bacteria is EVERYWHERE, in fact most people (and I imagine critters as well) have it on their skin, but only a break in the skin allows the bacteria to cause problems. The break in the skin can be big or very tiny. The larger the wound, the greater the probability of infection. Burns and other large wounds of the skin almost guarantee a serious staph or strepp bacterial infection, and need professional medical treatment.

Trying to treat this at home is only going to prolong the cat's suffering. You might try taking her temperature, if it's normal or only a little elevated, the infection might be localized and not incredibly difficult or expensive for a vet to treat. However, if it's very high the temperature might signify that the infection is already systemic, and amputation and IV antibiotics (and a long stay at the vet's) might not even save the animal's live. Putting the cat to sleep may be your only option.

It's a hard thing to consider for a furry friend. I had to have my pet rat (I was a psychology major and learned what good little apartment pets they make), put to sleep a few years ago. They charged me the same amount that they would have for any pet under 12 lbs - $18. I almost didn't take her in because she was "just a rat," but she was suffering terribly and she was my responsibility. I had seen a rabbit killed humanely by breaking it's neck, and thought maybe I could do it myself. I was too afraid I'd do it "wrong," and she'd suffer even more, so I went to the vet and had them do it.

Good luck, and I really wish you and kitty the best.

My friend came and took the cat to have it put down.....

If you are a praying person please pray for my family... she will be sorly missed... thank you

X

Oh, I am so sorry to hear about your cat! I know how much a part of the family a pet can become. I can't even imagine. Your family is in my thoughts and prayers.

I know it doesn't help to hear you did the best thing for kitty, but my prayers are with you and your family.