Cat Fight Do’s & Don’ts · Vet Tips

Cat fights! No one wants their kitty to get in to a kerfuffle, but sometimes nature takes its course. In this video, Dr. Kirsten explains how to spot the signs of a cat fight, how to help your cat recover, and some of the things you can do to potentially prevent it from happening in the first place. The million dollar question - why do pets nibble on grass? Let Dr. Kirsten explain a few reasons why.

TRANSCRIPT

has your cat come home looking worse for wear as cat parents it's important that we prep ourselves to know what to do if your cat comes home with wounds from a cat fight and also some things you can do to decrease the likelihood of it happening in the first place cat fight injuries can vary in severity from something as simple as a small scratch to a bigger laceration to even a bite mark with an abscess associated with it here's some signs your cat may have come home with a fight wound visible scratches bite marks or PK wounds swelling and redness discharge coming from the site or even just as simple as clumps of hair or missing hair from where that they were bit if a wound isn't clearly visible which is often the case you may see your cat displaying changes in Behavior they can show signs of lethargy changeing appetite or even hiding if they're feeling poorly if you suspect your cat has come home with a wound from fighting please give them some time to calm down when they return they're often very stressed and sometimes in pain post fight you can gently feel along for signs of scratches or bite marks but you may not be able to easily feel them anytime I have a cat come in the clinic that does go outside and they have a fever and a lack of appetite I always have fight wounds on my list because that's a common source of infection and abscess cats contain lots of bacteria in their mouth and have sharp teeth so cat bite wounds are often a cause of infection in our indoor outdoor kitties if your cat comes home with some War wounds it's really important to chat to your vet about it you should call your vet or take your cat in for appointment if you see the following if the wound is deep or they have a lot of bleeding going on if you see signs of infection so swelling redness or discharge or if you can see visible puncture marks from the other cats 2 K9 teeth if your cat is experiencing pain or seems lethargic if your cat is hiding or doesn't want to eat their food normally or if your cat has chronic health conditions that are currently being managed by your veterinarian it's very possible that minor injuries from cat fights can heal on their own but I do see a lot of these cats end up in the with me because we can see secondary infections if you're not sure please don't hesitate to contact your vet to ask questions about whether your cat should be seen here's a few things that you can do safely at home right when your cat comes home with some wounds in a lot of cases it can be safe to very gently clean wounds when your cat comes home now if you have access to a pet safe or Veterinary approved antimicrobial wash that's a good option but if not warm water is okay too you may be able to see the scratches easily but for puncture marks the damage underneath can can be potentially trickier to see often times these are hiding under things like clumped fur so you might not catch it right away another thing to remember is that your safety is just as important as your cats a lot of these guys are going to be uncomfortable and stressed when they come home so I would encourage you to if you have an extra set of hands have someone put a gentle hold on your cat while you are looking and cleaning any wounds at home the other thing that you can do at home after your cat comes back with fight wounds is Monitor them it's really important for the week after fight wounds to keep an eye on your cat this is because it can take infection anywhere from 24 to 48 hours to potentially start to show up when I say infection I'm talking about an abscess forming after they are bit so we may see signs like swelling redness discharge you may even have a very bad smell I'm sorry if you smelled it before it's not pleasant but it's really important that we keep an eye out for these things the week after we have our cat come home from a fight if you suspect this might be the case please contact your veterinarian I have had many a cat come in with a fever well over 41° from a cat bite abscess these cats can be absolutely miserable and the sooner I see them the sooner we can get them feeling better lastly I tell people try to prevent your cat from licking if they do have wounds I know that cats hate the cone of shame and so I really try to avoid those if I can but sometimes it's the only way to keep them from introducing more of their own mouth bacteria into a wound trying to heal so we may need to use something like an e-collar a cone or a pet shirt we just want to keep their mouths away from creating more trauma at the site that's trying to heal the truth truth is that generally speaking cats don't tend to like other cats particularly cats that they don't know and so while we can't control their behavior when they are outside having fun without us there's a few things that we can do to potentially decrease the likelihood that they're getting into fights so the first is having your cat neutered so spayed or castrated this can potentially decrease the likelihood that they feel to roam around especially those intact male cats the second when it comes to multiple cats in your home in the same house is that making sure we have enough space and resour resources for those cats I always encourage owners to have a set of resources for each cat in the house a litter box food and water bowls toys and a space where they can have some time to decompress third is environmental enrichment at home so if we can provide mental stimulation and activities for cats in the house when they're home it can sometimes decrease some boredom and get out frustration that they may need when they normally want to go outside and look for something to do lastly is keeping your cat indoors at night we know a lot of fights happen overnight when it's dark outside so keeping them indoors is another way to decrease the likelihood that they will go out and get into some cat fights remember that cat fight wounds come in many shapes and sizes so if you're ever not sure please contact your vet for advice they can help assess your cat and make the best treatment plan to ensure proper healing