header parallax image
lovecats

Charlie ShortTail cat and his friends

  • Home
    • The Big MEOW with Charlie ShortTail
      • The big meow – hello
  • Looking after cats
    • Symptoms and Care of Cat (feline) Asthma
    • First aid for cats and kittens
    • Caring for older cats
    • What to expect as your cat gets older
    • Dementia in older cats – symptoms, care and treatment
    • Arthritis and Osteoarthritis in Cats
    • All you need to know about cat fleas and how to get rid of them
    • A good diet for my cat
    • House plants that are toxic to cats
    • Music for Cats
  • Amazing facts about cats
    • Healing power of your cats purr
    • Wow- 10 more facts about cats
    • More facts about your cat
    • Cats special powers
    • Can cats and other animals sense and predict earthquakes and other extreme weather events?
  • Training cats
    • Very Clever Cats
    • Test your cat
    • How clever is your cat
    • Cat Behaviour – understanding your cat
    • Brain training for older cats
  • cat breeds
    • Which cat breed to choose – cat personalities
    • Cat Breeds from around the world – Asia
    • Cat breeds from around the world – Europe and Russia
    • Cat breeds from around the world – Great Britain
    • Cat breeds around the world – the Middle East and Africa
    • Cat breeds from around the world – North America
    • Abyssinian Cats – all about this beautiful and intelligent breed.
    • Manx cats – a breed with no tail
    • Persian Cats
    • Siberian Cats
    • Turkish Van cat
  • Answers to questions
    • Why do female cats screech after mating and attack the male?
    • Why is my cat aggressive?
    • Do cats have lips?
    • Do cats have arms or legs?
    • Can cats learn a new name?
    • Do white cats make bad mothers?
    • Do cats see in colour?
    • Why does my cat follow me into the bathroom?
    • Dwarfism in cats and dwarf breeds
    • Why are cats called ‘cats’?
    • Do cats have a sixth sense?
    • Cat terminology – what does this mean?
    • Why do cats like boxes, bags, drawers, bowls and small spaces
  • Cat stuff
    • Best cat and kitten toys for Christmas
  • Home
    • The Big MEOW with Charlie ShortTail
      • The big meow – hello
  • Looking after cats
    • Symptoms and Care of Cat (feline) Asthma
    • First aid for cats and kittens
    • Caring for older cats
    • What to expect as your cat gets older
    • Dementia in older cats – symptoms, care and treatment
    • Arthritis and Osteoarthritis in Cats
    • All you need to know about cat fleas and how to get rid of them
    • A good diet for my cat
    • House plants that are toxic to cats
    • Music for Cats
  • Amazing facts about cats
    • Healing power of your cats purr
    • Wow- 10 more facts about cats
    • More facts about your cat
    • Cats special powers
    • Can cats and other animals sense and predict earthquakes and other extreme weather events?
  • Training cats
    • Very Clever Cats
    • Test your cat
    • How clever is your cat
    • Cat Behaviour – understanding your cat
    • Brain training for older cats
  • cat breeds
    • Which cat breed to choose – cat personalities
    • Cat Breeds from around the world – Asia
    • Cat breeds from around the world – Europe and Russia
    • Cat breeds from around the world – Great Britain
    • Cat breeds around the world – the Middle East and Africa
    • Cat breeds from around the world – North America
    • Abyssinian Cats – all about this beautiful and intelligent breed.
    • Manx cats – a breed with no tail
    • Persian Cats
    • Siberian Cats
    • Turkish Van cat
  • Answers to questions
    • Why do female cats screech after mating and attack the male?
    • Why is my cat aggressive?
    • Do cats have lips?
    • Do cats have arms or legs?
    • Can cats learn a new name?
    • Do white cats make bad mothers?
    • Do cats see in colour?
    • Why does my cat follow me into the bathroom?
    • Dwarfism in cats and dwarf breeds
    • Why are cats called ‘cats’?
    • Do cats have a sixth sense?
    • Cat terminology – what does this mean?
    • Why do cats like boxes, bags, drawers, bowls and small spaces
  • Cat stuff
    • Best cat and kitten toys for Christmas
caring for your catcats factsLooking after cats

First aid for cats and kittens

September 19, 2016 November 10, 2016 Charlie ShortTail
ginger cat at the vets

Share List

Simple first aid for cats and advice on looking after your cat or kitten

First aid kit for cats and kittens

If your cat is injured, then it is best to seek medical attention from your vet.

Phone your vet for immediate advice on whether to take your cat to the vet or treat at home.

Many pet insurers have a free helpline for advice which may also helpful.

Keep your pet warm and in a safe place.

If your pet is unwell always seek advice from your vet as soon as possible.

 What to keep at home – first aid for cats

greywhitecat

Minor injuries in cats

A clean blanket

If you need to give first aid to your cat it can be easier to wrap your cat in a blanket, as no matter how docile and friendly, if hurt the cat may be scared and so be unwilling to cooperate.

Minor cuts and abrasions

Minor cuts and abrasions should be cleaned as soon as possible to avoid the risk of infection.

For small cuts, stings and general care you can help your cat by knowing some simple and safe remedies.

Cleaning cuts – saline solution

Use a simple saline (salt solution) – 1 teaspoon of salt to 500ml of water. Cooled boiled water is ideal. This saline solution is as good as any antiseptic cream or lotion.

This solution can also be used to clean your cat’s ears, though you should never poke or push

near the ear canal.

If you use cotton wool dampen it first otherwise it will stick to the wound.

 Re-hydration fluid for a cat

Re-hydration fluid for a cat who has been ill can be made from one litre of warm water mixed with 1 teaspoon of table salt and 1 tablespoon of glucose powder (available from your pharmacist).

 Tweezers

Tweezers- to remove foreign bodies. These should have rounded points so avoid injuring your cat. Do not attempt to remove ticks with tweezers.

 Surgical spirit

Surgical spirit can be used to remove ticks.

Ticks can look like swollen grains of rice and may be difficult to spot in long fur.

The most common tick to affect cats is the sheep tick. Ticks carry harmful bacteria and a range of diseases. Ticks may be caught from other cats and dogs or from vegetation which is infested with ticks.

Ticks attach themselves by their mouthparts to feed on your cat and so care must be taken to ensure the mouthparts are completely removed otherwise infection can occur.

Never pull a tick out.

Apply surgical spirit to the tick itself by painting it on with a small brush (a child’s paintbrush works well). This should kill the tick and it should fall off within 24 hours. You can alternately take your cat to the vet where the tick can be removed using specialist forceps. If there are many ticks, then you should seek medical care from your vet.

Some flea treatments give protection against ticks. Ask your vet to recommend a reputable product to use on your cat.

tick that attached and feeds off a cat

 

Fleas

Fleas bite your cat to feed on the blood. They secrete saliva to stop the blood clotting.

A nasty flea infestation can cause anaemia, especially in small kittens. Some cats are also allergies to the saliva from the fleas, this is called ‘flea allergic dermatitis’. Regular treatment with a recommended product (ask your vet) can prevent fleas.

Wash your cats bedding on a hot wash. You may also need to treat your carpet or home with a flea spray.

Fleas can become immune to some flea treatments so always check your cat for the evidence of fleas or flea dirt.

flea

Eye injuries

Eye injuries – never try to treat an eye injury yourself always seek help from your vet.

Dirty areas around the eye can be cleaned with saline solution or cooled, boiled water.

Fur balls

Your cats self-grooming can cause an accumulation of fur in a packed ball shape to form in the stomach; the cat may cough or vomit it up. Sometimes fur balls can cause a mild blockage in the cat’s intestine. If your cat has a long coat or has been moulting a lot a teaspoon of liquid paraffin may help to prevent blockages. Always seek advice from your vet.

friendly personality Maine Coon cat

Cats with long coats should be rushed daily to help prevent a build of loose fur and also to stop matting of the fur.

Vomiting

This may be due to a change in diet or bacterial infection. Occasional vomiting is normal, however if it is recurring you should seek medical assistance. Diabetes, liver problems, high worm infestations and blockages are some causes of vomiting.

It may just be down to your cat hunting or savaging food. Ensure your cat has clean water to drink and introduce a light diet as your pet improves.

Small portions of boiled chicken or scrambled egg may be given. If you are worried about your pet or your cat is not drinking do speak to your vet.

It is vital that your cat does not get dehydrated.

Sometimes your cat may eat grass to help an upset stomach and to induce vomiting.

Broken teeth

Broken teeth must always be treated by your vet.

cats mouth open to show the teeth
Open wide!

Cat bites

If your cat has had a fight with another cat and has been bitten these bites often get infected.

two cats jumping and playing together
Just playing…

Clean the area with saline solution. You may need to snip away some fur (remember to dip your scissors, cotton wool in water first to stop them sticking to the fur), after cleaning apply some antiseptic cream to the wound. If it shows signs of infection speak to your vet.

Your cat may need an anti-biotic as cat bites can sometimes be serious  – remember always check and get advice fr0m your vet.

sleepycat

And finally:

Ensure your cat is regularly wormed and treated for fleas.

Keep up vaccinations and have your cat neutered; these cats are less antisocial and also suffer from less disease than full ‘toms’ and ‘queens’.

Charlie says “If your pet is unwell always seek advice from your vet as soon as possible.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Related

cat eye injuriesfirst aid for catsfur balls in catssimple first aid for cats and kittensticks on your catvomiting in catsworming cats
  • tweet
Charlie ShortTailSeptember 19, 2016
previous story

All you need to know about cat fleas and how to get rid of them

next story

Cat breeds from around the world – Great Britain

You might also like

siamese cat meows

Cat terminology – what does this mean?

September 19, 2016 November 10, 2016
Manx cat with no tail

Manx cats – a breed with no tail

September 19, 2016 November 10, 2016
Cat wearing Christmas hat

Best cat and kitten toys for Christmas

September 19, 2016 November 10, 2016

Older posts

Find here

Older posts

Search

Copyright © 2016 Lovecats & Charlie ShortTail