Cat First Aid Kit
Cats can't handle most of the medicines we use commonly for first aid. Aspirin or Tylenol will kill. So, what do we need to keep on hand for our feline friends?
FIRST AID KIT:Get a tackle box or small toolbox and gather your Cat First Aid Kit components. Having everything together in one place is a great help in case of an emergency. Also, having everything in a case is easy should you need to attend to your pet and send someone for your first aid kit. You know that everything you may need will be there. Be sure to include your vet's name and phone number and the number to the poison control center in your kit.A large animal hypodermic syringe without a needle. This can be found at many pet supply stores and feed stores. We use this to administer medication, food and water. I get mine at Agri Feed on Middlebrook Pike in Knoxville TN. Pet Supplies Plus carries them, as does PETsMART. The syringe should be marked with mL or cc on the side. These are equal measurements. Just over 4.9 cc is 1 tsp. When you need to give a teaspoon of medicine, you can usually safely use the 5cc mark and reduce the amount to 4.9cc by carefully squeezing out the excess. Cats need to be kept hydrated. The biggest killer of cats, besides cars, is dehydration. Keep children's unflavored Pedialyte in the cupboard for those emergencies. You will want to keep saline solution on hand to wash and sluice wounds. You can make a saline solution ahead of time and keep it on hand. Use one slightly rounded teaspoon of UN-iodized salt to a quart of water. Boil them together for 3 mintues and allow to cool. You can save this in bottles or jars, but seal the jars like any "neutral" canned item from your kitchen. Also handy are non-stick gauze pads and stick-to-itself tape. The tape is usually impregnated with beeswax, and has no adhesive on it, so it won't pull off fur when removed. Triple antibiotic ointment is one of my first lines of defense for infection, but check with your vet first. Some cats, like some people, are allergic to certain medications. Be sure the cat does not ingest the ointment. Opthamalic ointment is almost a must! If anything should damage your cat's eyes, your kitty will go blind, so protect them. When cats lose consciousness, they don't close their eyes, so this is very helpful in those cases. If your cat was anesthetized, the vet used it. Q-tips are a staple in many households. Use these for careful cleaning of wounds. Do not use in the ears, as your cat may move unexpectedly. Instead, use an eyedropper with saline in it, and flush the ears. Remember to dry the ears thoroughly with a soft towel and use anti-mite protection. Your first aid kit should contain round-nosed scissors and tweezers. You can trim hair near a wound or a mat from your cat safely with the scissors, and remove any embedded nasties with the tweezers. A clean washcloth is also handy. You can dip the washcloth in saline solution to wipe areas before applying bandages, washing faces and rear ends, wounds, or even just a dirty kitty who enjoyed a mudbath.
Either of these kits will alleviate the need to look for many of the items I've listed, and contains many that I did not. I suggest getting at least one for your home.
References:Pocket Ref Compiled by Thomas J. Glover, Sequoia Publising Inc, Littleton CO copyright 2002.See the measurement conversions: 0.16667 us oz = 1 tsp 1 cc = 0.03381 us oz 1 mL=0.0338 us oz 1 tsp= 0.16667 us oz 1 tbsp= 0.5 us oz 1 oz us = 29.5735 cc This works out as: 29.5735/.5= 14.78675 cc=1 tbsp 14.78675/3 =4.92891667 cc = 1 tsp
Recognizing Illness in Your Cat Cat First Aid Contact Form CatLover Magazine Subscription Form
|
