by Masha
(Moldova)

My 10 year-old cat has mammary cancer. Unfortunately, I am from a third world country and veterinarians from my town do not perform cancer surgery. Cats die even from castration. My cat is almost 10 years old. The tumor burst recently and I brought our kitty to the veterinarian again. I thought he would clean the infected wound. However, he said that I should clean myself the wound with hydrogen peroxide.

The wound looks really bad. It is clearly infected, it is more than 6-7 cm in diameter, with bad odor and green puss and blood slowly draining from it. I wash it twice per day with hydrogen peroxide but it does not help much.

What would you advise me to do? Should I use other solutions or any antibiotics? Our kitty eats well and goes to the restroom normally. However, she does not let us touch her wound unless my dad holds her by her collar (so she does not bite) while I am cleaning the wound with the help of a syringe from the safe distance so she will not be able to scratch me with her nails. It is impossible to put anything on the wound to protect it from her tongue? Please, help us. What else should I do to stop the infection?


Dear Masha,

Your kitty desperately needs antibiotics to treat the infection. The only way that the infection will completely clear up is if she is treated with antibiotics by a veterinarian, even though the cleaning with hydrogen peroxide does help.

Unfortunately, if there is no veterinarian in your area who is willing or competent to prescribe antibiotics for your kitty, I would recommend that she be put to sleep. Your cat is suffering, and as hard as it is, sometimes the best way to help is to save your cat from her pain.

Sincerely,
Dr. Neely