Oldtimer Beethoven had a fight

Beethoven's been OTJ for 4 months done and doing great in that regard. The last time I checked his BG, it was 79. I was going to check and report it today, but now I'm not.

Last evening Beethoven was out on the deck. I didn't realize it, but DH must have let him out. Anyway, I started looking for him around the house and finally checked the deck. He was sitting at the door, obviously wanting in. When I opened the door, I saw that his ears were really red. Then I realized it was blood. It was fresh blood and it was still dripping. I ran to grab an old towel, dry him off, and apply pressure to stop the bleeding. It was raining, but he usually sits under the awning or under a chair to stay dry. This time he was soaking wet. I looked out at the deck and didn't see a cat or other animal, but there was white fur everywhere. It must have been quite a fight. I checked Mr. B over and didn't see any other wounds, but both ears are a bit torn up. One has a puncture wound. I tried to clean them and was going to apply some topical antibiotic ointment, but by now he wouldn't let me near his poor little ears. They look so bad. :sad: In a little while he cleaned himself then curled up on his chair and napped. He finished the food I left out for him during the night. But today he's sleeping on his futon and ate only about half his normal amount of food this morning. I think he's mainly emotionally distraught and exhausted, along with having some pain from his wounds.

Any words of wisdom? I haven't taken him to the vet. I thought I'd just keep an eye on him and, if there's any sign of infection, take him in then.

One other thing--I learned he likes bagels. A couple days ago DH left a bagel in the toaster. When he came home, he found half of it on the counter with part of it chewed off. We had a little talk about that. Notice how everything is DH's fault? ;-)

Aside from this, Beethoven's been doing really well. Now if his beans can just be a little more responsible.

 

Oh, poor Beethoven...his poor little ears... :sad:
I wonder what he as fighting with....??? Are there many cats in the neighborhood?
I wonder wha the ohter cat looked like when he got through with it... cat(2)_steam
Hope he will be ok....

 

Hi Ruth

I'm sorry to hear about Beethoven's fight. If you plan on keeping him home, I'd make sure that you check him very carefully (inch by inch) to make sure you haven't missed any stray punctures. Cats get bit on the front end (face/neck/forelegs) and frequently on the back end (hips/upper thighs/lower- and mid-back) as they turn to get away. I would go through his fur with your fingers and under a good bright light. Cats can get tiny punctures that become large abscesses.

You also need to keep an eye on the ears. If they look swollen tomorrow, he needs to go in because he's probably making a hematoma. This is a "blood blister" and it is painful and can disfigure the ear. It needs to be drained. He might also benefit from an e-collar if he rubs and scratches at his ears because that can cause a hematoma in a fresh wound.

Also I assume he's up to date on rabies, since he goes outside? And you need to re-test FeLV/FIV in three months. Ideally you'd do it at three and six months.

 

Ack! My post was eaten!

Anyway, I'm not sure whether to congratulate or scold Beethoven! He might actually be proud of himself (you know how boys are!). Hope his war-wounds heal quickly.

 

Oh Ruth! I'm so sorry that Beethoven was in a fight. I truly hope this is a situation where, "You oughta see the other guy." How dare a kitty intrude on Beethoven's territory.

I hope this is a big nothing and there's no aftermath. DH may loose his bean permit!

 

Oh no, poor Beethoven. I have had a lot of cat bites happen in my household (I have one aggressive cat) and they have all become abscessed. As Jess said, it is difficult to see the tiny punctures until the infection gets going. I would be tempted to get to the vet. I don't know if they would be able to start antibiotics just in case, or just be able to give him a very thorough checking over, wound cleansing, and soemthing for pain. The wounds need to be very thouroughly cleaned with soap and warm water. I think I would want to get the vet's advice on this and the potential for viruses that can be transmitted with bites wounds. I'm so sorry this has happened.

 

I hope he showed the other one who's who on his turf. Poor guy.

 

Thanks for the condolences and suggestions. I do think I'll take Beethoven to the vet. His left ear has a large gash near the puncture wound. He's done quite a good job of cleaning his wounds, but I know that cat bites and scratches can be dangerous. I don't usually worry about him going out on our deck. We have a pet gate to keep him in, and he doesn't jump up on the railing although he could. I guess that doesn't help much when another animal decides to intrude. I still don't know what it was, although I suspect a cat. There are a number of cats in the neighborhood. I've also seen raccoons.

OK, we're off to see the wizard, I mean the vet.

 

awww, poor beethoven! let us know what the vet has to say.
hope he heals quickly...

 

Kisses to those ears, ouch.
Wonder what the other cat looks like.

 

I sure hope his ears look much worse than they really are.

 

Poor Beethoven! (And poor DH? :razz: )

I hope the vetty bean gives him a clean bill of health and you don't find he has other punctures etc. AB's do seem like a good thing to do just in case...so sorry this happened!

Glad otherwise he is doing so well!

 

DH sounds like he needs a refresher course on the "do's' and "do nots" of owning a diabetic cat.

Glad Beethoven is mostly ok. Please let us know what the vetty bean says!

 

Uh Beethoven, you do realize bagels are loaded with carbs! And carbs are a no no!

Don't even try to use the excuse, but they are low carb! We don't believe you.

Now, stop the cat fighting and come to Maui's party! The nipjitos are a flowing and they sure are better than stinky, leftover bagels.

 

are you back from vet yet?
going to assume that vet is going to put him on AB's so i'll add in don't forget your probiotics.
also gonna add in addition to what jess said if you are unable to get to vet taking temp at home is a good way to get hints that an abscess might be forming.
hope he is okay and it looks worse than it really is (things always look dramatic on white cats).

ps. noodles for DH yes?

 

awww, poor Beethoven and poor ears! I think vet visit is a good idea, if for only getting AB for the just in case stuff. Looks the B might have won the fight if the other kitty isn't around anywhere. B showed him who was boss!!

I guess he couldn't control himself with that bagel, either. Glad you had that talk with DH...sometimes a refresher course is needed for everyone.

 

Ha! Enjoyed hearing your story, sorry about the cat fight. That's terrible!

Moses #1 favorite food of all time is bagels. Of course, not good now that he's a diabetic sugar kitty. It's nice to hear Beethoven shares the same high tastes :mrgreen:

 

Oh poor Beethoven. I hope the vet visit went well and that his injuries weren't as bad as they looked. Poor little ears!

 

Poor baby, hope everything turns out ok at the vets.

Yes, noodlez for DH :mrgreen:

 

Hey Ruth!! Poor Beethoven!! Hope vetty fixes him up totally--Poor ears..These cats fights happen so fast..
Hope sweet Beethoven will be on the mend...Nice to see you!

 

I would be worried that his not eating and exhaustion are from an abcess.
please update us.iz worried.

 

Hi all,

Sorry for the very late update. We have a houseful of company and other activities took over. We did go to the vet, who expressed some concern about the through-and-through puncture wound in Beethoven's left ear, esp. since it had started to swell with trapped blood and was starting to abscess. She kept him there to open it up, clean it out, and stitch it up. I picked him up later along with some metacam and clavamox. This evening I had to show off to our friends how easily I can pill a cat. He's been a little less energic than usual, but I think he'll be fine. I'm glad I took him to the vet instead of waiting for it to get worse. He's looking pretty tough right now but acting meek. Thanks for the probiotic reminder, jojo.

 

glad to hear the vet fixed up his wounds. stitches...... ooooo poor guy.
he needs some extra TLC cat_pet_icon

You know about the risks of metacam, right?
I hope it is not needed. ( eta or only a very low dose)

there was a nice post on health about pain for arthritis which listed all sorts of pain options. ( some of the info would apply to pain med use in general )
and dr. lisa did post a new paper on low dose metacam for seniors that said it worked w/o harm.
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=6113

 

Sorry to hear Beethoven has been in the wars, glad the vet has done their stuff.
One thing I picked up on here was Metacam is not a fav but can't remember why.
Edited-Found the thread on it:
http://www.felinediabetes.com/phorum5/r ... 22,1954473 so it sounds like as long as not long term use or history of kidney issues it's o.k to use.


Hope Beethoven recovers well and DH eats all the noodles Jojo gave him :lol: