Bite Wounds

Please note: Some images of wounds will be presented in this article

We see a significant number of bite wounds, here at Exclusively Cats. Sometimes, the wounds are on indoor/outdoor cats, other times, we find them on stray or feral cats that are brought in for limping. Occasionally, we are called on to treat bite wounds in indoor-only cats - usually after a fight between housemates that got a little out of hand.

Bite wounds often harbor multiple kinds of bacteria

Sometimes, we see the bite wound when it is fresh, and we can prescribe medications and treatments to decrease pain and inflammation, as well as prevent infection. Other times, we see bite wounds after they have become abscesses. An abscess is a pocket of infection that can develop after a wound. This occurs because the canine teeth create small punctures in the skin that do not bleed much. The sharp, conical tooth acts like a needle, injecting bacteria deep into the skin or muscle. Since the wound does not bleed much, the bacteria remain at the bottom of the wound, and when the injury scabs over, a warm, moist area is left behind, which is a great environment for bacterial growth. As the bacteria grow, white blood cells flock to the area to fight the infection. Eventually, there is too much "stuff" (bacteria, diseased tissue, white blood cells and other inflammatory cells) to fit in the puncture wound and the abscess starts to swell. It may be warm to the touch. As it swells, eventually damaged tissue will fail and the abscess will open to the outside and begin to drain. If antibiotics are not started, the wound will scab over again and the process will start anew. 

A bite wound or abscess can happen anywhere on the body, but common locations are on the legs and feet, especially the hind legs, as many cats will get bitten while running away. Other common places to find these wounds are the head and neck, ears, and tail.

If an abscess or bite wound is not obvious due to moist hairs around the wound, or hair loss, you may notice a strong, unpleasant odor - this foul odor is characteristic of  infection. A cat that does not have other obvious signs of a wound may seem painful to the touch, may lick at an area excessively, or may run a fever. Feverish cats often do not have an appetite, so weight loss or disinterest in food can also be signs of a bite wound or abscess. Depending on the location of the wound, you may also note limping, squinting, ear-flicking or the holding of an ear at a strange angle, a reluctance to lie on one side or the other, restlessness, or discomfort when sitting.

Usually, when we are examining a bite wound, we will find a set of 4 wounds (from all four canines), but not all four wounds will be the same severity - some teeth will puncture further than others. Sometimes only one of the four wounds becomes infected. Most of the time, a wound can be flushed and cleaned while the cat is under anesthesia, and then sutured as needed if the wound is large. Warm compresses twice daily will allow the wound to remain open to drain, which will help the wound heal more quickly and prevent the wound from scabbing over and beginning the process all over again. In some cases, the wound is in a location where it can't drain well, and a drain tube will have to be placed. In other cases, the wound has started to heal, but some of the tissue around the wound is too badly infected to recover. In these

This wound required a 12 day stay in the hospital for intensive wound care

cases, the diseased tissue will need to be surgically removed to allow healthy tissue to replace it. This is called "debriding". In extreme cases, there may be enough badly diseased tissue that needs to be removed that the wound cannot be sutured closed and we must use special bandaging techniques to encourage the wound to heal.

An important thing to remember when dealing with bite wounds is that, aside from bacterial infections, other complications can arise from this situation. A cat that has been bitten by another cat will be at high risk for feline-specific viral diseases that can be transmitted through saliva, such as Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) and Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV) (although FeLV is more likely to be transmitted by long term contact between two individual cats than a single bite wound, the fact that a cat has obvious contact with other cats outdoors suggests that a bitten cat should be tested for FeLV out of due diligence).  Additionally, a cat that has been bitten by any other mammal - cat, dog, raccoon, fox, bat, etc. runs the risk of rabies exposure. If the animal that bit your cat is known - for example a neighbor's cat or dog, it is a good idea to ask what that pet's vaccination status is. If the animal that bit your cat is unknown, it is recommended to have your cat re-tested for FeLV and FIV about 2 months after the bite wound occurred. In Michigan, if your cat's rabies vaccine is up to date, the bitten cat should be re-vaccinated and observed carefully for 45 days for any signs of illness. If the bitten cat has not been vaccinated for rabies, or the vaccine has lapsed, the situation becomes more complicated, as the choices outlined by the Michigan Department of Community Health are either immediate euthanasia or strict quarantine for 6 months. This is one of the reasons that we emphasize keeping your cat's rabies vaccine current.

Michigan Department of Community Health Rabies Protocol

For more about bite wounds:
Frequently Asked Questions About Bite Wounds
Abscesses From Bite Wounds
Bite Wound Abscesses in Cats

Why are my cats fighting? Part 3: Finding solutions - the 5 "R"s

If you have read part 1 and part 2 of this series, you now may have a good idea what reasons may be behind your cat's aggression and you have a list of behaviors and locations that clarify the aggression. However, what you really want is a solution, right?

Some forms of mild territorial aggression, such as conflict that occurs after the introduction of a new cat to the household, will resolve themselves over a period of 4 months. Temporary aggression issues, such as conflict after a veterinary visit or other traumatic event, may resolve in 24-48 hours.

Rub cats around the cheeks and face to transfer scents

Re-Scent: If your cats only have problems after one of them visits the veterinarian (non-recognition aggression), try to schedule vet visits at the same time, or segregate the cat that went to the vet in one room with food, water and litter, to let him regain the familiar smell of the household and de-stress before re-introducing him to your other cats. You could speed the process by rubbing the cats with the same towel around their ears and cheeks - the areas that cats use to mark their territory and rub other cats - and then across their bodies.

Re-Introduce: For troubles with a new cat in the house, or long-standing territorial issues, try re-introduction of the cats. Generally, the aggressor cat is the one that should be treated as the "new" cat and the victim should be treated as the "existing" cat. Use rewards to reinforce desired behaviors, but do not physically punish fighting. It will NEVER help the situation, and may make the situation worse. Patience is a big key to working with remodeling your cat's relationships - your goal in cases of aggression is not to make your cats into best buddies, but to give them the ability to tolerate each others' presence without fighting.

Method of exercising cats by mckibillo on Poolga

Redirect: Don't punish aggressive behavior, because that will cause stress, which may increase aggression. Don't reward aggressive behavior by trying to distract the aggressor with treats or attention, either. Instead, try to distract the aggressor before a fight occurs by redirecting his attention with an interactive wand toy, a game of fetch, or a laser pointer or flashlight and try to lure him away from the impending fight. Reward the cat when you catch him acting neutrally towards the victim.

Resource management: Increase the desirable space in your house by adding vertical territory, such as cat trees, perching shelves, or giving cats access to upper levels of existing shelving with ramps and stairs. Make sure that there are plenty of feeding and watering stations, so that essential resources can't be completely blocked, and make sure that you have at least one more litter box than the number of cats in your home, preferably at least one box on each level of your house, as well. This will help prevent inappropriate elimination related to resource blocking or stress.

Remedies:
Medications: If aggression issues are significant, your veterinarian may recommend the introduction of calming medications or anti-anxiety drugs to aid your efforts to train your cats to tolerate each other. These medications will help take the edge off the bully's attacks, or decrease the victim's reaction to aggressive posturing from the aggressor cat. Drugs are generally not the cure for the problem, but can be a useful tool to aid in implementing behavioral conditioning. Sometimes only one cat needs to be medicated, but sometimes the problem is significant enough that both cats need to receive drug therapy in addition to behavioral therapy. Medications such as fluoxetine, buspirone, alprazolam, clomipramine and elavil are prescribed based on the information that a cat owner provides about the types of aggressive incidents that occur. Because the dosages are different for humans and cats, and because the recommendation for medication is based on the behavior of the cat, it is only recommended to start behavioral drug therapy with the guidance of a veterinarian.

In addition to prescription medications, some of the other products that we often incorporate into behavioral solutions are pheromone products, wraps and treats.

Feliway

Pheromone products: Calming pheromones help decrease the stress levels in the household and lower the intensity levels of the aggressive encounters. Products such as Feliway and NurtureCalm contain pheromones associated with marking "happy places" and the chemical a mother cat produces to calm and reassure her kittens.

Wraps: The Thundershirt is a product based on information from studies of autistic children and adults indicating that pressure therapy, massage, and the use of a hugging machine can relieve anxiety. In addition, swaddling of infants has been shown to calm them. While research and controlledstudies are still in the works for this therapy, it is not harmful to employ them in an effort to calm hyper-anxious pets as a part of a behavioral plan.

Mr. B wears a Thundershirt to help him deal with all the cats in the hospital

 
Treats and Supplements: The pill Anxitane and Composure treats contain L-Theanine, (Gamma-ethylamino-L-glutamic acid) which is derived from the mushroom Boletus badius and Camellia sinensis tea leaves. L-Theanine causes a calming effect without drowsiness.

You will probably need to resign yourself to the fact that your cats will never be best friends. If aggression is a significant issue between your cats, the best you may be able to hope for is tolerance of the other cat's presence, and that can take months of baby steps forward (and a few steps back) to accomplish. However, if you are patient, and if you let the cats tell you when you can move forward, you will hopefully eventually be rewarded with a peaceful (if not amicable) household.

Why are my cats fighting? Part 1: Three reasons your cats might not get along

Why are my cats fighting? Part 2: Fighting Styles

Why are my cats fighting? Part 2: Fighting Styles

If you read last week's blog post, you know about some of the common types of aggression that you may see between cats. This week, we will discuss how to recognize aggression and conflict between cats.

There are two main styles of aggression displayed by cats:

1) Overt - This is behavior that is obviously hostile, such as hissing, growling, spitting, biting, piloerection (fluffed up fur), lashing the tail, staring at the other cat, standing over the submissive cat, flattening the ears, dilating of the pupils, and swatting. The following images can be helpful in reading the level of your cat's aggression. In general, the more aggressive cat tries to make himself larger and more intimidating, and the more submissive cat tries to make himself smaller and less threatening.

Cat facial expressions

Cat tail communication

Body postures of the cat, increasing in aggression towards the right and increasing in submission/fear towards the bottom

2) Covert - Physically blocking another cat from resources like food, water, sleeping areas and litter, either through actual contact, chasing, or by sitting in a position of power over the resources. Excessive marking of territory (either with facial pheromones or with urine and/or feces) may also occur. In addition, human contact and attention may be deprived from the victim by physical blocking or threats. The victim may end up urinating or defecating in other places than the litterbox if the aggressor is successful in completely preventing access to the box.

We had one client who had introduced a new, shy cat to her house, and her older, existing cat started urinating inappropriately. She was sure that it was because he was marking territory in the house because of the new cat. However, after consulting with one of our staff members and having a thorough physical exam and urinalysis to determine that there was no medical cause for the inappropriate urination, the owner went home and watched her two cats and discovered that when her existing cat got up and walked towards the litterbox, the new cat would run to the box, get there first, use the box, and then sit next to it and stare at the older cat. He would then turn away and go urinate by the door. There was no fighting or overt physical aggression between the two cats; in fact, they mostly ignored each other. However, the new cat was being covertly aggressive towards the existing cat by blocking his access to important resources. 

Even though these cats aren't fighting, one is acting aggressively towards the other

Determining the best way to find a solution for inter-cat aggression issues can be a complex process, but being able to identify all the ways in which your cat displays aggression can help give a lot of insight to your veterinarian. If you have a problem with aggression between cats in your home, you can provide some helpful information by doing the following:

1) Identify problem areas of the home - areas where most of the conflict takes place. You may even want to draw a map of your home, identifying areas of conflict and prime resource locations (food, water, litter, sleeping spots, favored perches, etc.). 

2) Document the aggressive interactions that you witness - who is involved? How did they behave? How did the conflict resolve?

3) What are the relationships between the humans in the house and the cats in the house? Who spends peaceful time together and when?

4) Describe your cats' personalities in detail. How does each cat feel about visitors, food, affection, and things that happen outside? Do your cats have any health issues?

If you can provide this information to your veterinarian, you will be helping him or her help you and your cat.

Why are my cats fighting? Part 1: Three reasons your cats might not get along

Why are my cats fighting? Part 3: Finding solutions - the 5 "R"s

Why are my cats fighting? Part 1: Three reasons your cats might not get along

There are two major reasons people seek help with their cats' behavior. The first is inappropriate elimination. The second is aggression or fighting.

There are several reasons that cats may fight -

1) territoriality

2) play

3) stress or anxiety

1) Territoriality

While cats do not live in packs, they do form social bonds in wild colonies. However, in the wild, cats have much larger territories than they do in our homes. Various studies have been performed in England and the US, tracking feral cats and indoor/outdoor pets. These studies have found that cats have a range of up to 2 square miles in the suburban U.S. and as large as 8.5 square miles in rural farmland in England.

Cats with indoor habitat tend to roam less than feral cats, but still cover a lot of ground.

These studies have shown that cats live more closely together in urban areas where they have more resources available - more sources of food, water, litter areas and "prime" resting spots. We also know that cats establish small territories within a room, and "time share" resources. Cats in a household can be predictably located in certain areas of the home at certain times of day, just like outdoor cats will patrol certain parts of their territory on a predictable schedule. Because of this, cats are very tied to predictability of their environment, and changes to the environment (a.k.a. territory) can cause outbreaks of aggression. Similarly, changes to resource availability - loss of perches, change in feeding location or feeding schedule, changes in the number of people or cats in the home, elimination or relocating of litterboxes - can cause dominance struggles as well, as cats re-negotiate their territories and schedules.

Territorial aggression issues tend to develop when a new cat is introduced into the home without giving the existing cats a chance to acclimate to the idea. It can also be related to the loss of a cat, either because the cat has moved out of the house, has been hospitalized at the veterinary office, or because the cat is no longer living - this can open up a valued resource in the home, causing cats to fight. It may also develop over time as a confident cat starts to guard resources and threaten other cats over these resources, escalating over time (the dominant cat becoming more aggressive and the victimized cat becoming more anxious or fearful). This situation may progress beyond growling and hissing to inappropriate elimination issues (this can be due to due to litterbox guarding by the aggressive cat, territorial marking on the part of either cat, or due to extreme fearfulness on the part of the victim).

2) Play aggression

Cats under two years of age are still honing their hunting skills. It is not unusual for these cats to dash

Play fighting is usually silent, while real fighting is very vocal

madly around the house with the "kitty crazies" as often as several times a day! They pounce and attack anything that moves interestingly - from the dog's tail to your ankle (especially when you're under sleeping under a blanket at 2am!) and this is considered normal and natural behavior at this age. This type of aggression includes all sorts of predatory behaviors that will aid cats in hunting when they are older - pouncing, biting, climbing, stalking, chasing, attacking, running, ambushing, leaping, batting and swatting. This also means that your 14 year old cat may get his fur ruffled when your new kitten wants to pounce his tail 26 times a minute. Most of the time, the wary can avoid attacks from a kitten - watch for a lashing tail, the "butt-wiggle" as they prepare to pounce, a sudden dilation of pupils. Kittens learn "bite inhibition" through play with siblings, and those kittens that were not raised with a litter or who were removed from their mother and siblings at an early age, may be more aggressive than kittens who stayed with other kittens of their age until they were 8 weeks of age. Kittens that spend long hours in a house by themselves, or kittens that are encouraged to view human body parts (hands, arms and legs) as acceptable toys may display more intensely aggressive play behaviors than cats in a multi-cat household.

3)  Stress or anxiety

Many times, cats will become aggressive when they are uncomfortable with a situation. Perhaps your

cat is frustrated that he can't hunt the chipmunk that teases him through the window, or go out and

Stress and frustration can cause cats to act aggressively

explain to the neighbor's cat that the back yard is HIS territory, not hers. Perhaps you have a pregnant female who becomes anxious when you handle her kittens. Perhaps your elderly cat becomes stressed when you pet him over his arthritic hips. All of these scenarios are potential causes of stress or anxiety in a cat - in addition to the stress of living in a multi-cat household, establishing time shares and territory in an indoor range, sharing litterboxes and feeding stations.

Now that you know some of the reasons that cats may fight, stay tuned to discover what you can do about it!


The paper, “Home Range, Habitat Use, and Activity Patterns of Free-Roaming Domestic Cats,” is available online or from the U. of I. News Bureau. 

Why are my cats fighting? Part 2: Fighting Styles
Why are my cats fighting? Part 3: Finding solutions - the 5 "R"s