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Feline First Aid

(What to do until you can get to the vet)

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First Aid Table of Contents

Burns

Symptoms: Pain, blistering, charring, discolor, odor of burning fur.

Treatment: Apply a cold compress to the burned area for at least five minutes. Do not use ointments. Then take the pet to a veterinarian. 

 

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Choking

Symptoms: Gagging, vomiting, pawing at mouth, crying in pain, excessive salivation, unconsciousness.

Treatment: Open the pet's mouth and pull his tongue forward. If an object is seen, and it is not string or a needle, use tweezers or your fingers to remove it. Calm the pet, and then take him to a veterinarian. 

 

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Ear Mites

Symptoms: Shaking or rubbing head on ground, carrying head to one side, scratching ears, dark red wax in ears. (Cats are more likely to get ear mites than dogs.)

Treatment: Call a veterinarian. Pets' ears are fragile, and therefore should be treated only with directions from a professional. 

 

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Fleas

Symptoms: Small red dots on skin, biting and/or scratching of self.

Treatment: Use only natural flea preparations. Vacuum your home thoroughly, and then discard the vacuum bag. Use natural insecticides in your home and regularly wash and dry the pet's bedding on the hottest settings. Consult a veterinarian. 

 

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Fracture

Symptoms: Sudden lameness, limbs in an abnormal position, acute pain, swelling.

Treatment: Take the pet to a veterinarian. Keep him calm, wrap him in a towel, and place a splint on the limb if you can. 

 

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Heat Stroke

Symptoms: Gasping, panting, very warm skin, dry tongue, blue-gray tongue, blue-gray gums, drooling, unconsciousness.

Treatment: If the condition is severe, take the pet to a veterinarian at once. If the condition is not severe, soak the pet in cool water or place a towel soaked in cold water on him. 

 

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Insect Sting

Symptoms: Stinger marks, weakness, pain, swelling, hives, refusal to walk on leg, heavy panting, breathing problems, vomiting.

Treatment: If the pet is weak, vomiting, or having trouble breathing, rush him to a veterinarian. If the stinger is visible, remove it by scraping it with a dull knife. Do not use tweezers. Then apply an ice pack. 

 

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Motion Sickness

Symptoms: Restlessness, panting, vomiting, diarrhea, excessive drooling or swallowing.

Treatment: Stop the car and provide the pet some fresh air. (Veterinarians can offer medication to administer before traveling.) 

 

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Object in Eye

Symptoms: Pain, swelling, redness, squinting, pawing at eye.

Treatment: Try to open the pet's eye. If the object is visible and easily movable, try flushing it out with warm water. Then take the pet to a veterinarian. 

 

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Overexposure to Cold

Symptoms: Very cold skin, ruffled fur, shivers, weakness, bloody stool, unconsciousness, gums and tongue pale pink-gray in color.

Treatment: If the condition is severe, immediately take the pet to a veterinarian, making sure to keep him warm on the way. If the condition is not severe, wrap the pet in a towel and apply a hot water bottle to him. Also try using a blow dryer on him. If the pet is conscious, offer him some warm broth. 

 

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Poisoning (see article below)

Symptoms: Heavy salivating, vomiting, weakness, twitching, collapse, strange breath, bluish gums and tongue.

Treatment: Immediately call a veterinarian or poison control center. Then take the pet and a sample of the poison to a veterinarian. Keep the pet warm, and be sure to prevent him from licking fur that has poison on it. 

 

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Shock

Symptoms: Rapid or feeble heartbeat, shallow, rapid breathing, pale pink or white gums and mouth, low body temperature, confusion, unconsciousness.

Treatment: Take the pet to a veterinarian. Loosen his collar, clear his mouth of all liquids, calm him, wrap him so that he is warm, and keep his head lower than his body.  

 

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Skunk Spray

Symptoms: Offensive smell of skunk.

Treatment: Flush the pet's eyes with lukewarm water and then apply warm olive oil or over-the-counter artificial tears. Neutralize the smell by bathing the pet's body thoroughly. Wear rubber gloves while doing so. 

 

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Snake Bite

Symptoms: Acute pain, swelling, refusal to walk on pained limb, heavy panting, fang marks with blood trickling from them, breathing problems, collapse.

Treatment: Keep the pet calm, wrap him in a towel or blanket, and take him to a veterinarian. 

 

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Ticks and Lyme Disease

Symptoms: Cats usually show no signs of ticks, but many kinds of ticks are visible on dogs, especially between their toes and behind their ears and front legs. Deer ticks, which transmit Lyme disease, often go undetected.

Treatment: Soak ticks in alcohol or small amounts of tick spray. Wait thirty minutes, and then carefully grasp the ticks with tweezers. Be sure to pull them straight out. After removal, apply antiseptic to the bites, burn or flush the ticks, and thoroughly wash your hands. 

 

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Minor Wound

Symptoms: Small cut or puncture, with or without bleeding.

Treatment: Clean wound with hydrogen peroxide. If there is bleeding, use compression. If the bleeding continues, contact a veterinarian. (Deep wounds may require antibiotics.) 

 

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Serious Wound

Symptoms: Excessive bleeding, wound deeper or wider than a small puncture.

Treatment: If there is extensive bleeding, flap skin over or apply direct pressure to the wound with clean material. Then take the pet to a veterinarian. 

 

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Poisons and cats (including plants, food & household chemicals)

The information in this report is mostly condensed from Carlson & Giffins. The list of poisons is not intended to be conclusive. Nor are the treatments intended to be sufficient:

call your vet in the event of any internal poisoning.

In particular, notice that the list of problematic plants cannot be all inclusive. There are many plants with multiple names and even a botanist can't come up with a conclusive list. This is why you will almost never see identical lists put out by different organizations. When in doubt, try to go by the most regional information you can find, which is the most likely to use names current in your regions.

Treatment after ingestion

To induce vomiting in cats: TO BE DONE ONLY UNDER VETERINARIANS ORDERS

Do NOT induce vomiting when the cat

 

You will also want to coat the digestive tract and speed up elimination to help rid the cat of the substances: To delay or prevent absorption

If your cat has a poisonous substance on its skin or coat, wash it off before your cat licks the substance off and poisons itself. Use soap and water or give it a complete bath in lukewarm (not cold) water.

Greenhouse plants

Plants from commercial greenhouses may be sprayed with systemics to control pests. Some are fairly nasty and long-lasting. More enlightened greenhouses use integrated pest management techniques and vastly reduce the costs of pest control, and costs to the environment.

You'll need to ask about what the sprays are, how often, etc. They should have MSDS (material safety data sheets) on hand for everything they use. Many greenhouses also buy foliage plants (esp.) from commercial growers in southern states, rather than raising their own plants, so you need to ask about that too.

Household plants

Outdoor plants

 

Non-Poisonous Plants

So what plants can cats nibble on with abandon?

To start with, you can assume anything with square stems (in cross-section) and opposite leaves is OK. That's the hallmark of the mint family, which includes catnip, _Nepeta_ and _Coleus_. Catnip can be grown in a bright window in the winter, but the cats may knock it off the sill. Coleus is easy, and kind of bright and cheerful with its colored leaves. Swedish Ivy, _Plectranthus_, is also in this family and incredibly easy to grow. Good hanging basket plant. Tolerates kitty-nibbles well.

Chemical substances

Food

Household medications

 Medications that cats should NEVER be given:

 

 

Medications that can be used in certain cats with restrictions, and ONLY on the advice of a vet

Finally, again let me stress that this report is for informational purposes only and that use of any information herein is at the sole discretion and risk of the animal owner. The writer of this report strongly advises that in ANY situation regarding your pets’ health that you consult with your vet or other qualified animal health-care professional.