Infection on cat's back

[nanasluv]

Hi I have a cat and her name is Misty and she is 10 yrs old. A couple months back I noticed a wound and it looked like it was turning a little black,  that was the first time noticing it because she is somewhat like a feral cat and lol does not like me very much sad to say, only likes my dad so it is hard for me to give her attention or get close to her cause everytime I do she runs away, therefore it is sometimes hard for me to notice when she is having medical issues. Anyhow, we took her to the vet and she said it looked like an skin infection due to a wound. I have 2 cats and they are always fighting so I was not too surprised when I heard it could possibly be an skin  infection. The vet put her on antibiotics and we moved to another house and in the process misplaced her antibiotics and can't find them. One of my dogs previously had an skin infection and was given a Gentamicin Sulfate Topical Spray 120ml 4fl oz and no longer needs it cause the infection  healed and because I really can't afford another vet visit at this time would it be ok to use the topical spray on her wound or not. Her wound was healing when I was giving her the oral antibiotics and even after I could not find the oral antibiotics and was not able to give it to her at the time her wound looked healed; then her sister got into a fight with her and caused the wound to reopen and it was bleeding again, so I put a little peroxide on it because it was advice I found on the internet to try and keep it from becoming infected again unfortunately it did not help much. I was also wondering if  you can use isopropyl alcohol on a cat's wound to prevent infection. Basically the wound looks infected again and would like to know what you recommend. Other then the infection she seems to be in good health she eats and sleeps well and seems to have a good amount of energy. Thanks and God Bless you.

[nanasluv]

Thanks for both of your advice. Lol yeah even though she is somewhat like a feral cat she's part of the family and I've had her since she was a kitten so I'm happy to take care of her, but know sometimes these type of cats  are hard to  take  care off when it comes to medical issues.  I actually had a chance to take a good look at the wound last night while Misty the cat was eating and it looks like it is crusting up which I think is a good sign because  the vet we previously took her to said when a wound is in the process of healing it starts to crust up sometimes and the dead skin falls off, I don't know if that makes sense or not. Also the wound did look like it was healing well at one point  and the skin looked like it was getting back to it's normal color the only reason the wound reopened was because of Misty's sister getting into a fight with her and accidently hitting it which in turn reopened the wound. As for the the GTS topical spray I will take your advice and call the original vet I took her to to see if that is a possibility of using it on her wound. Thanks so much for both of your professional opinions and God Bless you both.

[Thomas Dock, CVJ, Vet. Technician]

To add to Dr. Vicksman's post, we can't "prescribe" treatments for you over the Internet, so to answer your question about the GTS, you should contact your veterinarian about whether it is safe to use that product on the cat.

Secondly, although hydrogen peroxide is a great initial flush of wounds, repeated use can delay the healing process.   H2O2 actually destroys certain cells that are essential for the skin to heal.  Many people also consider the use of H2O2 to be uncomfortable for the pet (i.e. it stings a little as well).

Good luck with this and let us know how she does after you get her rechecked at your veterinarian.

[Dean Vicksman, D.V.M.]

nanasluv,
Thank you for taking care of this somewhat feral cat, she is very lucky to have you. What bothers me most about this is the fact that this wound has not healed in 2 months. It is possible that you are dealing with a bite wound that just won't heal with out medications, but it is also possible that it is something more then that.  Lesions like this can change drastically in 2 months.  Its possible that there is a foreign body under the skin.  Its also possible that it looked like an abscess several months ago and that it has changed over the past 2 months.  I realize your reluctance to have it rechecked but I think that is what would be best for your kitty.  I would avoid the use of isopropyl alcohol on an open wound like this because it stings.
Hope this helps and keep me posted.
Dr Vicksman