does anyone have any idea what keeps hurting our cats?

[anarFoxy]

warning for discussion of cat wounds and injury though not in too much detail.

hi all. my family has several outdoor cats (which i know is dangerous but im a teenager and i cant do anything to convince my parents about it). we live on a 50-acre property with several family members in other houses, and the entire property is surrounded by woods. weve had several cats go missing or die over the years (again i cant really do anything to prevent this) but nothing like this has ever happened.

about two months ago, one of our cats, rambo (dont know the age because he was a stray like most of our cats but hes maybe 7-8 months) came home limping with his back right leg. hed hiss when we touched it and his flank looked swollen somewhat. then, a few days later, the wound popped, and leaked pus everywhere, and then it was just a hole with no skin where you could see his muscle for a few weeks before it healed up. sometime shortly after his wound opened, we noticed another of our cats, prince, had two puncture marks on his forehead and it was swollen, and a couple days later it popped as well. both wounds healed fine and both cats are in great shape now.

then, a couple days ago, another of our cats, mickey, came home and couldnt support his weight on his back legs. he could move them, but not stand. he went missing the next morning only for us to find him in my moms dresser behind some books, alive but extremely lethargic. he peed himself upon coming out and we cleaned up and gave him some water and he was a bit more active. he went missing again last night, and there was a storm, and we couldnt find him at all though i assume he was underneath our porch, where a lot of our cats go. he reappeared several minutes ago covered in mud and his own poop and almost completely unresponsive. there's an open wound near the base of his tail, and it looks very similar to the ones that prince and rambo had. hes alright for now, we cleaned him up and he's drinking water again.

this isnt a dire call for medical advice, though if you do have any it would be appreciated, but we mostly have things under control (i think). my mom says we cant go to the vet because we dont have the money. i just want to know if this sounds familiar to anyone so i can figure out what keeps causing our cats to have these injuries. me and my mom think it's a snake, but my dad insists that rambo and prince got into a fight with each other (despite the fact that they get along fine although arent very close) and that a possum bit mickey. but ive seen cats get into fights before and this isnt anything like that. so i dont know what to think. any info would be appreciated.

[fjm]

The wounds sound like abscesses caused by bites. The places you describe - head, neck and base of tail - are very typical of those bitten during cat fights, or when one cat attacks another, although the bites could be from another animal of course. Cat bites are particularly prone to infection as the long, sharp canines inject bacteria into a deep narrow wound. The skin heals over, trapping the infection inside where it builds up until the abscess eventually bursts - until it does the cat can run a fever and be in considerable pain. Some abscesses will heal by themselves in time, some heal on top but continue to fester underneath, and require antibiotics to resolve.

[Ruth B]

It does sound like bite wounds from something, my instinct is to say it is cat bites, but living in the UK, there are far less other animals that could bite a cat.
My first question is, are the cats, neutered, an unneutered cat is far more likely to get into a fight with another cat than one that has been neutered. Whether the cats are inddor, outdoor or a mix of both (living in the UK we have far more indoor/outdoor cats than just indoor only ones) getting them neutered is kindest to them and an investment as it means they will get injured less and there will be less kittens around to be dealt with.

As for the bites, if you notice anything odd, limping, not bearing weight, over grooming an area, give the place a good check over, it is easy to miss a small bite under the fur. If you do find a bite wound, as mentioned they can be deep, but they do need cleaning out well. One of the best cheap options is salt water. Boil a beaker of water, let it cool to room temperature, mix a table spoon of salt in it and wash the wound out well with a piece of cotton wool or gauze as well as you can. That will hopefully remove any infection and the wound can then heal by itself. Keep an eye on it over the next few days and if you notice the wound area being overly hot or oozing particularly if it is oozing yellow pus, then you will have to open the wound by taking the scab of it clearing all the pus out and cleaning it with salt water gain. It isn't a pleasant job, I've done it to myself after a cat bit me and there was a bit of an infection at the base of the wound that I hadn't managed to clean first time. It can also be worth wiping the area with some unsalted boiled and cooled water after you have cleaned the wound as that prevents the salt remaining on the fur for the cat to eat when the wash the area later.

No cat will willing lie in its own waste, so when one does it is a sure sign that they really aren't well. If possible if something similar happens again, try and find a safe place they can stay where you can put something for them to sleep on that can be easily washed or replaced if they do make a mess on it, old towels that can be machine washed or even straw that can be replaced can be great bedding for a sick cat. If you can help keep the cat clean while it is ill it will help it feel better and heal quicker. Also make sure it has a bowl of clean water and some food close by, if it doesn't eat or drink while ill because moving hurts then that will cause it to deteriorate even faster.