<sriddles@aol.com> wrote in message

<SNIP>

Well, in case it is'nt a troll (which I doubt).  You can use Calendula (made
into tea) as a topical anti-bioti/ anti-bacterial, just wash it a couple of
times a day & watch the wound for infection, unless it's REAL deep, let it
heal on it's own.
Mathew
Butler to 2 kittens: Chablis & Muscat
En Vino Veritas

Henry--this is Usenet. Not a web site at all, though you might be
accessing it via a web site. Your posts are reaching the entire world
and are archived. There are no ads in usenet.

Can you even imagine how much it would hurt your cat to be sewn
up with no anesthetic? If you are serious, then you are stupid. Take
the cat to a vet and stop screwing around. Can't you spare the $25?
Jesus.

Henry: Understand, there are alot of 'trolls' out there in Cyberspace....
Suspicion is further raised by the fact that an incredibly similar post
showed up in rec.pets.cats at almost EXACTLY the same time, under a
different name....  I gave my two cents worth anyway, if you were genuine...
If you are, please keep us updated on your cat's condition.
Cheers.

Don't take it personally.  Usenet is like a street corner - anyone can
wander by and comment.  You have to take it all- the good, bad and the
ugly. :)  You learn pretty quickly whom to ignore.

yes.  It should start to look much better within a few days.  One
reason I said to NOT use Neosporin too religiously is that you want it
to scab over - and the ointment will prohibit that, as well as block
oxygen from getting to it.  It needs oxygen to heal properly.  So, I
would say, yes, neosporin for a couple days ifs fine - after that, I'd
let it "dry up" and start to scab.

I used to be a groomer.  My advice is to (if and when you can afford
it) get your cat shaved very short, and bathed with a soothing or
medicated shampoo.  Then begin grooming daily with a medium-toothed
metal grooming comb.  The hair that causes matts is the undercoat and
you really beed to keep the undercoat combed out to keep matts away.

As for shaving off matts - you have to get underneath the "edge" of
them and  kind of "scoop" the shaver up, into the matt.  It is a
repetitive motion, always ending with the clipper sort of pointing up.
This will lift the matt and the fur, and allow the hairs to be cut.
Sometimes the clipper will only cut a little hair at a time.  What kind
of clipper are you using?  If you are using a grooming clipper designed
for human hair it may not be adequate to do the trick.  If you are
using an animal grooming clipper, you may need a new blade.  I *never*
recommend using scissors because more often than not, the cat gets cut.
You were lucky - even having been professionally trained, I have cut a
cat with a clipper, even, to the extent that it needed sutures.  It's
just a tricky job and even with experience it is easy to make mistakes.
I would still recommend forgetting about the scissors though - just
way too risky.

As for general grooming, I never used anything but combs
(teflon-coated, metal, medium-toothed).  Brushes just add to the
matting problem by not removing the undercoat adequately.  The
technique you want to use is to start at the *back* of the cat, lift up
some hair and comb the hair that remains toward the back of the cat
(toward the tail), in the direction the hair grows.  Release some hair
from that which you had lifetd, and repeat the strokes.  Then just
gradually work your way up toward the front of the cat. It's easier to
show you than explain. ;P  It will take a good 30-45 minutes to cob a
cat with thick fur adequately.

Anyway, good luck, and keep us posted on how your kitty does..  What
you are encountering is exactly why I have short-haired cats. ;)

-L.

I apologize for blowing off your original post. We so often have
posters who come on and say outrageous things, then sit back and watch
the fallout. I was just incredulous, and still am, that a cat owner
could inflict the kind of pain it would take to suture a wound without
any kind of anesthetic. That's why I thought your post was not a
sincere one.
I am really glad the wound is healing on its own. The only thing I
would add is that, I wonder if the clinic intended that you clean the
wound only *initially* with peroxide. Continued use of peroxide will
hinder the healing. As it destroys bacteria, it also destroys the new
skin cells that are trying to form.

Sherry