Cat Bandage

by KY
(Greensboro, NC)

QUESTION

I just took my cat in for an abcessed sore on her paw. Apparently she had jumped on my stove after I had cooked and burned her paw without me knowing.

The doctor cleaned it and bandaged it, but as soon as I got her home, she shook the bandage off. My mom (people nurse) came by and rewrapped it for me but the cat is still trying her best to get it off and I am sure she will succeed.

I go back to the vet Thursday for a bandage change but wonder if there is any trick or method I could use until then to get her more adjusted to it or keep her from taking it off. Thanks for the help.




Hi, KY,

It's very difficult to make a cat do anything as you know! Leaving a bandage on is not one of those things that cats can be easily convinced to do.

Sometimes, wearing an E-collar will stop the cat from using its mouth to help get the bandage off or just provide enough distraction to calm things down.

If nothing else works, cats sometimes have to be caged or confined to very small areas and that helps. There are some cats, however, that are just not going to leave that bandage on, no matter what you do.

If that is the case, the next question would be how bad is the paw and does she absolutely have to have the bandage on? I have treated many different injuries of cat's paws and rarely put a bandage on. If you soak the paw a couple of times daily and keep it clean by using no litter or using newspaper as litter, it may be fine. Also, I assume you are giving antibiotics.

However, whether she can be without the bandage or not would be a question for your veterinarian since he can see the paw and I can't.

Good luck!
Dr. Neely