Gave a very old alley cat a bath for 1st time. she was so matted i started cutting hair. got 3 big s

she did not cry so i never knew i had sliced her skin in 4 places. they are not bleeding but you can see the veins.. can not afford to take to a doctor now. should i just try to wash the places daily or what. i feel so bad im crying but she looked awful. please help anyone. how can i get the matt out of her in future when she heels up. it all started because her front nail had grown into her skin. again she is very old, lethargic and i feel so bad i hurt her without even knowing it. we named her wilma after our hurricane when she showed up then several yrs ago.. have 2 other cats but never had seen matting so bad. south florida needs your help.

Gave a very old alley cat a bath for 1st time. she was so matted i started cutting hair. got 3 big slices in?

she needs a vet and a groomer for next time.

Gave a very old alley cat a bath for 1st time. she was so matted i started cutting hair. got 3 big slices in?

This cat needs a vet and a groomer badly.

For future reference: NEVER ever cut out a mat with scissors. If you must get mats out on your own then shave them out slowly and carefully. If at all possible, have them to a groomer rather than doing it yourself.

Gave a very old alley cat a bath for 1st time. she was so matted i started cutting hair. got 3 big slices in?

Take to the vet! If you care and love your cat to the vet. Many vets can offer some assistance to their clients.

Gave a very old alley cat a bath for 1st time. she was so matted i started cutting hair. got 3 big slices in?

If you can't afford to take this cat to the vet, you need to call your local Humane Society or ASPCA, so that they can give her the medical care that she urgently needs!

If you can see the veins, there is something wrong. This cat needs medical care.

Gave a very old alley cat a bath for 1st time. she was so matted i started cutting hair. got 3 big slices in?

if did not bleed it did not hurt her skin must be thin to see veins feed and love her

Gave a very old alley cat a bath for 1st time. she was so matted i started cutting hair. got 3 big slices in?

Wash the wounds and put some antibiotic ointment on them. In the future to trim mats out, you either need to take her to a groomer or get some clippers. The clippers are usually able to get the hair without cutting the skin, though they will sometimes cause a "rash". It may be cheaper if this is a one time thing to take her to a groomer. Another option is to use a comb between her skin and the scissors so she doesn't get cut. It won't be pretty though.

Gave a very old alley cat a bath for 1st time. she was so matted i started cutting hair. got 3 big slices in?

Bless your heart. Don't cry, you did not mean any harm. If she's not bleeding, then you probably didn't break the skin. You most likely just cut too close. You probably don't need to put anything on it. When you cut the matts out, just do a couple at the time so that you and the cat don't get too tired. Maybe do just a few a day 1-3. I admire you for caring for her. You are giving her better care than she wouldv'e gotten on the streets or out in the woods somewhere. Good luck with her and God Bless You! I bet Wilma loves you very much.

Gave a very old alley cat a bath for 1st time. she was so matted i started cutting hair. got 3 big slices in?

Poor cat.. If you can't afford proper care for the animal you should surrender her to a shelter where she will get proper care.

Gave a very old alley cat a bath for 1st time. she was so matted i started cutting hair. got 3 big slices in?

Try Hydrogen Peroxide several times a day. I'm not really sure how to handle this...call a vet and see what they recommend. Tell them you can't afford to come in, but ask what you should do. And forgive yourself...things happen.

Gave a very old alley cat a bath for 1st time. she was so matted i started cutting hair. got 3 big slices in?

Poor baby! I am always so afraid to use scissors on mats. NEVER bathe a cat with mats before removing them. The bathing just makes the mats worse.

Hopefully the skin will heal. Please watch them carefully for signs of infection.

Calendula cream is excellent for helping those wounds heal. It will seal them up very fast (which something like neosporin won't) and it has antibacterial properties. And the calendula won't hurt the cat is she ingests it.

Mats develop on cats that are not feeling well and don't have the energy to groom themselves. Illness and inappropriate diet are great contributors to the problem.

It's around $50 for a professional groomer. Start saving up and locate one who is good with cats. Clippers are really the safest and best way to get mats out when used by a professional.

I discovered a huge mat at the side of the neck on one of my cats a few days ago. He hasn't had a mat in two years! I cut it down fairly close to the skin and then teased the rest of the hair free with a seam ripper. Then I combed through with a flea comb so I won't have to take him to the vet for shaving. Vet trips are really stressful for him.

Bandage scissors with the blunt ends are best for cutting - still there is the danger of cutting skin if you get too close. Mats grow from the skin out so it is very tricky to get them with scissors and not puncture or slice the skin.

Gave a very old alley cat a bath for 1st time. she was so matted i started cutting hair. got 3 big slices in?

Hi honey, try antiseptics like Iodine. Iodine is found to be one of the most efficacious antiseptics, a notion that is still valid today. It stains the skin but not forever. I use it in my cat whenever he bleeds.

You can also use alcohols. They have a bactericidal rather than a bacteriostatic action against vegetative cells. They are relatively inexpensive, usually easily obtainable, and relatively nontoxic with topical application. Alcohols have a cleansing action, evaporate readily, and are colorless. Their destructive action against spores is much less effective than that against vegetative cells.

Iodine, to me, is great and works fast.

Gave a very old alley cat a bath for 1st time. she was so matted i started cutting hair. got 3 big slices in?

There are fancy tools sold for removing mats, but there is something that is cheap and easy to use. It is an letter opener, that has a point and a protected blade, so it is impossible to cut the cat. The pointed blade makes it easy to slice into the mat. Often, if you remove the bulk of the mat, the rest will comb out easily. I have posted a link to such a cutter. Another advantage of this is that the protected blade is very sharp, so it works very quickly.

Peroxide is an approach to blot the sores, but they may very well heal all right on their own.

Gave a very old alley cat a bath for 1st time. she was so matted i started cutting hair. got 3 big slices in?

If you don't get her medical attention, the "slices" could get infected and with her being "very old" and "lethargic" she could go downhill very quickly. Her front nail probably needs to be tended to also. PLEASE take your cat to the vet!!!!!!! It shouldn't be too expensive.

Gave a very old alley cat a bath for 1st time. she was so matted i started cutting hair. got 3 big slices in?

take her to the vet NOW!!!! Explain that she is a stray you are helping, and request a discount. I know that you were trying to help, but YOU CUT HER, NOW YOU NEED TO FIX WHAT YOU DID!!!!!! Use a credit card, and tell the vet you are helping a stray!

Gave a very old alley cat a bath for 1st time. she was so matted i started cutting hair. got 3 big slices in?

Ok hun, first how bad did she get cut. Think about it. Would you go to the doctors or hospital if you got cut that bad? If it isn't that bad I would just clean the wounds out. My cat had fleas once and he scratched so bad he got a pretty large wound on his face. I used peroxide. He did not like it but it worked.

But if you afraid that the cat may die due to the wounds, I would take it to a vet and put it on a credit card(been there, done that before) or call up your local shelter.