Could You Aid Kitty in a Crisis? Cat First Aid Tips

Last Updated on July 29, 2021 by Holly Anne Dustin

Medical Crisis or Emergency Happens Without Warning

Are you prepared to aid to your kitty in a crisis? Prepare in advance so that you aren’t caught wishing you had more knowledge and better supplies in an emergency. If your family includes felines you need to know the basics of cat first aid.

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First Aid Kit

Have a first aid kit available for your cat just as you do for your human family members. Keep one in your house, and a smaller one in your car if you travel with your cat. You can purchase one ready made like this one or or assemble it yourself.

Learn what to include in your first aid kit by clicking here.

Consider adding a muzzle designed for cats. You can get them on Amazon. The last thing you want in a crisis is to get bitten and add yourself to the casualty list. When she is injured, scared and in pain, even the sweetest cat can bite!

Be sure to customize a general pet kit for your cat. A lot of pet medical care advice and products are aimed at dogs. Cats are not small dogs. Cats can not metabolize some of the human medications that dogs can use. In fact, many medications are toxic to your kitty. Do not ever use a medication designed for humans (or dogs) on your cat without specific veterinary guidance and advice.

Tape an index card in your cat first aid kit that includes your vet’s phone number, address and phone number to the closest Emergency Vet, and the Poison Control Hotline.

Related: Most Common Poisoning Risks

Put the information in your cell phone contact list too. It might be worth making a trial drive to the ER in the daylight so you’re not trying to find it in the dark in a panic with a sick or injured cat in crisis.

Keep a carrier easily accessible at all times.

ABC’s of Cat First Aid

Keep a cool head and take an overview of injuries. Just like in human first aid, assess the situation. Is this an emergency (get to the vet now), urgent (see the vet today), or something you can manage at home with basic first aid.

Start with your ABCs: Airway, Breathing, and Circulation.

• Airway: Make sure the airway is clear. Gently remove any obstruction.
• Breathing: Monitor breathing. Is the chest rising and falling? Can you feel the air moving on your hand or cheek? Too fast means pain or shock or distress. Too slow means imminent arrest or severe pain.
• Circulation: Is there a heartbeat and pulse?

Check Vital Signs

Normal vital signs for a cat are: respiration 20-30 breaths a minute, heartbeat between 90-190 a minute, temperature 100-102.

Approach stabilization in a logical manner

Take an overview of the cat’s condition:

• Can they stand?
• Are they confused?
• Are they having breathing difficulties?
• Is there anything bleeding heavily?

Monitor breathing:

• Is the cat’s chest rising and falling, can you feel the air moving on your hand or cheek?
• Breathing too fast means pain or shock or distress, too slow means imminent arrest or severe pain.
• Animals with severe difficulty breathing will sit with elbows away from body and neck extended and breathing from the belly.
• If the abdomen is moving but the chest is not then the cat’s airway is blocked.

Check heartbeat or pulse:

• The heart is in the chest, right behind where the point of the elbow is, place your fingertips and apply moderate pressure.
• Practice finding it when you don’t have a sick or injured cat to make sure you can find it if you need to do so.
• A rapid heartbeat could indicate pain or shock, too slow could mean an imminent arrest or excessive blood loss.

Assess the capillary refill time:

Check their gums and press lightly. It is normal for the whitened space pink back up is less than 2 seconds. Slower is a sign of shock. Be careful not to get bitten.

Check for bleeding, wounds or broken bones:

Remember that the most dramatic wound is not necessarily the most dangerous. Assess the cat for shock and monitor vitals, then stop major bleeding.

Shock:

Shock requires immediate veterinary assistance. Keep your cat warm, stop major bleeding, call the vet or vet ER to let them know you’re coming and transport as fast as you can.

Signs of shock include:

• Mental dullness, confusion, or decreased alertness
• Wobbly, weak, and unsteady on their paws
• Loss of consciousness
• A low body temperature. Check for cold paws and extremities.
• Rapid, shallow breathing or alternatively, abnormally slow breathing (a sign of imminent death)
• Altered gum color: usually pale (but also including brick red with a rapid refill time, ashen, pale, or gray)
• Slow capillary refill time (more than 2 seconds)
• Dilated pupils
• Vomiting

If your kitty has collapsed, check their ABC:

To do this:

• Check the back of their throat for obstructions
• Count respiratory rate and watch the pattern of breathing
• Check their capillary refill time

Inspect them for obvious cuts, wounds, and fractures, but try to avoid causing further pain (so avoid feeling a limb that is obviously at an odd angle.)

Keep warm to avoid shock, stop any major bleeding and transport as quickly as possible.

Yes, There’s a Heimlich Maneuver for Cats

If Kitty is choking or you have to clear an airway, you’ll have to perform a version of the Heimlich Maneuver.

• Hold the cat upright against you, his spine against your belly. If Kitty is difficult to handle, scruff the cat and hold him sitting style.
• Put your fist in the soft part below the ribs, press in and up 4-5 times.
• Check to see if the cat is breathing.
• If a fluid is blocking the airway, hold the hips of the cat elevated slightly above her head.
• If you can’t dislodge the item or fluid, then try 5 blows on the back between the shoulder blades with the palm of your hand.
• Are you a visual learner – follow this video to see how to do the Kitty Heimlich Maneuver.

If the animal is not breathing after you follow the steps to clear the airway, then start rescue breathing. One breath over the muzzle of the cat every 2-3 seconds. Stop every few minutes to see if the cat can breathe on his own. Do not blow too hard, it is possible to damage the lungs of a small animal with too much pressure.

Start CPR if there is no heartbeat. Wrap your hand around the cat’s chest, Slide the fingers under the chest, the heel of the hand against the cat’s breastbone and the thumb resting on the top side of the heart. Compress the chest about a third of the way, allowing it to completely inflate between compressions. Do compressions about 120 times per minute. Learn how to do CPR, follow this video until you can get to a class.

If you have to choose between offering CPR and getting the cat to the vet, opt for the vet.

Stop Bleeding

Use a clean gauze pad, put pressure on the wound for about 5 min, check to see if it has stopped. If it won’t stop then you can apply a pressure bandage but don’t leave it for more than 10-15 minutes as it will cut off circulation. It can work to help you get the cat to the vet.

Don’t clean major wounds, leave that to the vet. Simple wounds should be cleaned with saline solution. Don’t use peroxide as it will cause the animal more pain and damage healthy tissue. Small wounds that the cat is paying no attention to should be left open to the air.

Be careful not to apply a bandage too tightly, as this can cut off the blood supply. Practice your bandaging skills so you aren’t trying to do it for the first time with an injured animal trying to bite you. Practice on a human first because they can tell you if you are wrapping too tightly.

This video demonstrates how to wrap a cat’s paw. Wrapping a tail or a wound on the side would essentially follow the same steps.

Handling a Cat In Pain:

Stretch Restraint

• Lie kitty on its side
• Grasp the scruff of the neck with one hand
• Grasp both back legs with the other hand
• Move the back legs in the opposite direction to the head so the cat is slightly extended or stretched.
• Be gentle, you don’t want to distress the cat.

Be extra cautious if the cat has respiratory distress because the extra stress could be dangerous.

If the kitty isn’t already having breathing issues, you can use a muzzle. If you do, make sure you keep an eye on his breathing and remove as soon as you can.

You can also try putting a towel over his head and hold it behind ears or neck; the darkness may calm the cat and the towel adds another layer to bite through.

Invest in a Cat First Aid Book or Class:

There is so much to cover in cat first aid. It is worth having a manual around the house when you need it. The American Red Cross offers a Pet First Aid and CPR certification course. Check to see if your local chapter has a session scheduled or try the one offered online. They have an app available for your phone as well.

You definitely want to be prepared to offer first aid for your cat if she needs it. Look into Petfirstaid if you are interested in an online class. Arden Moore delivers a great course over Zoom.

Related Post: Keep Kitty Safe Inside and Out