Bad cut leg

Question
QUESTION: Hello, I have a moral problem to solve..

This is a little long and I know your not a Vet but I need to ask:

I have my own cat that lives in the house and also goes out for a few hours a day.
I also feed cats that turn up at my door. Since I live In Cyprus we have lots of cats that are '"homeless" So, they have babies and I cant let them die so I feed them. Now one of these cats went missing for 3 months and now he is back. He seems fine and friendly apart from this huge cut on his back left leg. Its really bad :( You can see his muscles  lower down and I he limps on it.
He's friendly but I cant pick him up or take him to the vets. I know there's a chance it will get infected but like I said I cant take him to the vets. So is there something else I can do for him? I thought of spraying some Betadine on his wound. Do you think that might help?


ANSWER: Hi Skevi, Sorry to be so long getting back to you! I was away and forgot to put myself on "vacation status"
Well this cat sounds like he has a bad wound.
As you can imagine these deep untreated cuts can become gangrene and can actually kill the cat. Are you able to get close enough to him to notice if it smells or are there flies and bugs on the wound??
Is it a dry wound or moist looking...
If it is dry and has dry crusty scabs on it he may be ok. Otherwise you can only do what you can do. Of course spraying anything onto it is only going to help.. but I don't think it is going to be enough help. Is there any way you could trap him?? If this wound is moist he really needs it cleaned out and the old rotting tissue removed and to be on a course of antibiotics. Can you sneak any antibiotic powder into his food??
Teresa

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you so much for your help,

The wound doesnt smell or have any kind of bugs on it. The only really worrying thing is that I can see his muscle! There is an area that has dried but around 2 inch round theres a very pink open wound thats moist. I did spray him today with some betadine, but he licks it off after a few minutes. I think the next step would be to get some antibiotics from the vet. Hes eating ok and is active and happy looking.. So I hope the antibiotics and betadine will be enough to keep him ok. Again thanks for you help :)

ANSWER: Nov 1 Followup:
Hi Skevi, how is that old boy doing with the problem leg??
I have high hopes for him :)
Teresa





Hi Skevi, It sounds like the wound is not as bad as it could be so that is a little bit of good news...but of course it is still serious. A very deep wound if it is kept clean and does not get infected can eventually heal. The tissue will scar and very slowly cover over the wound and you won't see that muscle anymore. If the leg had been broken you would not have a chance for this fellow.. but since it is just a very deep wound.. and since you are helping him.. He probably has a fair chance ! he will never be a runway model but he will be alive!
I hope your vet is ok to hand out antibiotics without seeing the cat. You can also try a shelter to see if they have any on hand.. or ask around and see if anyone (human) has some amoxicillan leftover from some treatment. If you can get him on antibiotics for 10 days and if that wound stays dry, he should be ok !
Teresa

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hello, Teresa!

Thank you so much for asking about him, that's so kind of you!

Well I just couldn't stand watching him in pain anymore, he couldn't even sit down because his leg was hurting so much.

So, I got brave and I bribed him into the carrying box with some food. He panicked a little but he wasn't too wild!

I took him to the vets and they said it was an old wound
:(  So that would explain him going missing for around 3 months.

The vet did manage to close the wound, and he said he will heal within a month or so. The bone was broken, but it has healed enough for him to walk on it.

I funny you should ask about him today, because I just brought him home a couple of hours ago.

He didn't make a fuss, and is eating well.
Its like he's back to his old self again!

Best regards, Skevi Philippou

Answer
AWWW>>>> Wasn't this cat lucky to run into someone as kind as you !
I am so glad to hear that he is ok. Now he will just have to learn to stay away from cars or dogs or ??
Hopefully the vet neutered him at the same time so that he won't be wandering so much. Thank you for what you did for this cat. I am sure it has earned you some good karma :)
Teresa