Must-Have Tools For A Kitty First-Aid Kit

Posted on: 27 August 2015

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As a responsible pet parent, having the phone number and address of a reputable animal hospital near your home is important. But it's just as important to have a way to stabilize your cat before transporting them to the hospital. Serious injuries and conditions that put your cat's health at risk, like seizures or uncontrolled bleeding, can potentially lead to irreversible damage by the time you reach the animal hospital. Creating a first-aid kit now can potentially save your cat's life in a crisis, and this guide will explain what you need to make it.

Safe Box

While it may seem like a simplistic step, finding a good box to put your first-aid kit in is important. Look for something that can't be crushed and is water-resistant, so poor weather conditions won't damage your supplies. Heavy-duty, plastic food containers with a sealing lid are a good choice for this.

Injury Cleaning Tools

If your cat is injured and has a bloody or open wound, cleaning out the wound as best you can is the first step to helping your cat. Peroxide and certain topical antibiotics are safe to use on cats, so add these to your kit. Additionally, consider keeping a container of contact lens saline solution in your kit. The saline is sterile, and the squirting containers the fluid is sold in can be used to flush debris out of a wound.

Protecting Wounds And Slowing Bleeding

If your cat is seriously injured, stopping the bleeding is very important. Make sure your kit includes sterile gauze, and elastic self-adhering bandages. These bandages won't stick to fur, skin, or any other part of your cat, so you can safely attach the gauze to their injury without causing them further harm.

Styptic powder is an excellent thing to keep in your cat's first aid kit. Styptic powder is an antiseptic that helps blood to clot, which can slow or stop the blood flow at the injury site. Vets and groomers have used it safely on animals for years, so it's a great choice for a cat's first aid kit.

Restraint

Keeping your cat still and restrained while in transit can help to prevent them from causing further injury to themselves, and from escaping your car. If your cat only wears a collar or nothing at all, buy a cat harness and size it to your cat while they're well. Harnesses are much more difficult for a cat to wiggle out of, and can be used to leash your cat or give you something to hold onto if they're thrashing around.

You can also include an e-collar in your kit to prevent your cat from licking or biting any injuries they may have.

Charcoal Tablets

Finally, activated charcoal tablets are a great choice for your kit in case of your cat becoming poisoned. While you should always call your animal hospital or a pet poisoning hotline before medicating your cat, charcoal is often suggested to help absorb the toxins and prevent intestinal damage. If your vet says it's a good choice for whatever your cat has consumed, you'll be ready.

It's understandable if you don't want to think about the potential for your cat to become hurt. Even so, it's better to prepare for potential disaster and never need the kit than to have a medical emergency with no supplies or equipment available to you. For more tips on what to include in your first-aid kit, contact a company like Stewartstown Vet Services.